Preface
“There is geometry in the humming of the strings, there is music in the spacing of the spheres.”
- Pythagoras
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It should be said from the outset that this is not a book of Science. If it were, it would not discuss history, music, art or philosophy, as those are topics squarely in the realm of the Humanities. This is also not a book about the Humanities because if it were, it would not delve into the subjects of psychology, physics, physiology, genetics, mathematics or cosmology, being fields of Science. And this is certainly not a book about religion, spirituality or metaphysics, as these are strictly matters of faith. But this is a book about how everything can be better understood and explained through the framework of harmonic science, as it once existed in the Pythagorean philosophy of musica universalis.
Two and one-half years ago I decided to return to a research project in music perception that I had postponed thirty years earlier. It seems time had not diminished my curiosity about how we are able to organically measure the degree of dissonance and mentally anticipate the direction of resolution in music harmony. My original work in this area had taken me deep into mathematics and computer simulations in search of an explanation. Now, armed with the scientific method, powerful computer tools and access to the world’s latest research, I was sure that I could determine once and for all whether our perception of music was something organic or nothing more than cultural conditioning. I had no idea that what I was about to learn would shake the very foundation of my 21st century worldview.
Triggered by a quiet moment of insight as a young musician, my investigations led me down a path of knowledge that has been known but well guarded for thousands of years. What I found was a long forgotten yet scientifically supported explanation for how we perceive music geometrically and how nature itself is structured as a kind of quantum music. Through the principles of harmonic natural science I also found an integrated worldview – a comprehensive “system of thought” and uplifting philosophy – that offered a warm alternative to the chilling scientism currently in vogue. Following this path to its inevitable conclusion was a liberating experience for me, as I know it will be for you.