Music by the Numbers: From Pythagoras to Schoenberg

Music is filled with mathematical elements, the works of Bach are often said to possess a math-like logic, and Igor Stravinsky said 'musical form is close to mathematics', while Arnold Schoenberg, Iannis Xenakis, and Karlheinz Stockhausen went further, writing music explicitly based on mathematical principles.

Yet Eli Maor argues that music has influenced math at least as much as math has influenced music.

Starting with Pythagoras, proceeding through the work of Schoenberg, and ending with contemporary string theory, 'Music by the Numbers' tells a fascinating story of composers, scientists, inventors, and eccentrics who played a role in the age-old relationship between music, mathematics, and the sciences, especially physics and astronomy.

Eli Maor explores key moments in this history, particularly how problems originating in music have inspired mathematicians for centuries.