Few music lovers realize that the arrangement of notes on
today’s pianos was once regarded as a crime against God and nature,
or that such legendary thinkers as Pythagoras, Plato, da Vinci,
Galileo, Kepler, Descartes, Newton and Rousseau played a role in
the controversy. Indeed, from the time of the Ancient Greeks
through the eras of Renaissance scientists and Enlightenment
philosophers, the relationship between the notes of the musical
scale was seen as a key to the very nature of the universe.
In this engaging and accessible account, Stuart Isacoff leads us
through the battles over that scale, placing them in the context of
quarrels in the worlds of art, philosophy, religion, politics and
science. The contentious adoption of the modern tuning system known
as equal temperament called into question beliefs that had
lasted nearly two millenia–and also made possible the music of
Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Debussy, and all who followed. Filled
with original insights, fascinating anecdotes, and portraits of
some of the greatest geniuses of all time, Temperament is
that rare book that will delight the novice and expert alike.
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