KEYBOARD CONNECTIONS
Proportion and temperament in music and architecture. Equal temperament, the golden section and a few other mysteries
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Most books on the subject of sound, music and the keyboard are written by scientists, musicologists or philosophers. Excellent works in themselves, they tend to be totally obscure except to specialists. As an architect I have am interested in proportion as applied to buildings and intrigued by the geometry of the Golden Section. In 1982 I was involved with the refurbishment of the King’s Observatory in
More recently, I began to study the piano and, although my fingers were no longer adept, the meaning of intervals and the Theory of Consonance which so obviously had links with architecture through proportion and mathematics, clearly required exploration. Being neither a scientist nor philosopher and of limited music ability, I had to approach the subject from scratch seeking to understand how the keyboard came to have its present form. From my architectural background, I feel I can contribute some knowledge of geometry and proportion and perhaps explain a few of the complexities by diagrams.
The subject is vast. Material is available from over 2500 years ago, right up to the present day. One can explore, with Pythagoras, the harmonics of a single taut gut string or marvel at the structure of a honeycomb or the solar system. One can contemplate the orbits of the planets or the extraordinary moons of Jupiter. We can consider the logic of Dr Doppler as he listened to the new trains passing by and perhaps question some accepted theories about the creation of the universe.
This is not a scientific or musical treatise and certainly does not pre-suppose any knowledge of either subject. Indeed it is not really about music at all but rather the proportion and harmony that surrounds us in so many ways. It may interest those who are curious to know more about the familiar keyboard. This book contains a few simple tables but nearly all working can be checked on a pocket calculator. The fairly straightforward calculations behind the design of the keyboard have been obscured by complicated theory and by sheer mysticism making it so confusing that many regard it as a closed book.
Understanding of the keyboard will not make us better musicians; driving a car does not require us to know how to tune the engine. However the subject is an enthralling one and a little inside knowledge will do music making no harm.
Anthony Osborne 2005
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About the Book
Although music theory and temperament have been familiar studies since the time of Pythagoras, written explanations can be obscure and often mystical. This book describes proportion and temperament in the simplest way using straightforward diagrams and minimum text
Anthony Osborne, with his architectural training, produces a range of illustrations as a practical guide, readily understandable to the reader whether or not they have musical, mathematical or scientific knowledge. Principally concerning the piano keyboard, this book is an information source regarding the connections between music, and architecture. He explains Equal Temperament and the pivotal role of the Dominant Seventh and explores Doppler''s theory, sound, light and colour and the relevance of proportion and consonance in the universe around us.
About the Author
Anthony Osborne was educated at UCS. He trained in architecture at the Always intrigued by proportion in buildings, it was not until learning piano following retirement, that Osborne became fascinated by this fundamental link between music and architecture. Although these proportional and mathematical connections are obscure in written form, he realised temperament could readily be illustrated by graphics. He set about understanding the complexities and attempting to explain the subject in the simplest possible way. This book is the result.