mooremath13 – mooremath.com

There are some amazing relationships between math and music. Here are some excerpts from one of my favorite books – Mathematics: Is God Silent?https://amzn.to/33bjcCa by James Nickel.

“The basic structure of a piano keyboard consists of an octave of 13 notes, 8 of which are white and 5 of which are black. The black keys come in groups of 2 and 3. As in many other applications, these numbers are part of the amazing Fibonacci sequence (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89…).”

“Pythagoras’ (572-492 BC) discovery of counting number ratios in musical notes served to intensify his conviction that “all is number.” He is said to have discovered that the fifth and the octave of a note can be produced on the same string by stopping 2/3 and 1/2 of its length. He also believed that musical proportions governed the motion of the planets, hence the phrase ‘harmony of the spheres.'”

“Every note of the musical scale has an exact frequency; each note vibrates a certain number of times per second. The frequency doubles every octave, and musical intervals depend upon simple arithmetical ratios. Sounds that are pleasing to the ear will display a graph that reflects order and regularity. This can be described mathematically as the summation of sine functions. To fully comprehend the wondrous order and complexity in music involves a thorough knowledge of trigonometry.”

“The order and harmony of true music will create order and harmony in those who listen to it and play it. Those sounds that are not pleasing to the ear we call noise. Noise and dissonant music do not display regularity. The disorder of noise, and much of the popular “rock music” of today could be proved mathematically to be noise, will create disorder in those who listen to it and play it.”

Years ago, I sent a holiday letter to friends and family. This time of year, the story always comes back into my mind. So I thought I’d share the message of that letter once again.

Dear friends,

The holidays are upon us, and it is time to make a choice. Is Thanksgiving about turkey? Is Christmas about Santa? As the schedule fills up with holiday activities, is there any time left to remember why we celebrate?

On a Sunday years ago, we celebrated communion at my church. As I sat at the piano, the ushers passed out the elements. I picked up my cup and held it as the pastor spoke of the significance of the blood. My thoughts turned to my own sins, and a picture of Christ on the cross came to mind. That thought always makes me ache inside. We point to that moment as a beautiful illustration of His love for us, and it certainly was. But it was also ugly and painful. As if He wanted to drive that point home to me, the Lord gave me a cracked communion cup that Sunday. I didn’t notice it at first, but as I prayed, the juice dripped slowly into my hand. In my mind was the bleeding hand of Christ, and when I opened my eyes, it was as if my hand were also bleeding. It was a profound reminder that the price He paid for me was very high. Not wanting to forget that moment, I took the broken cup with me to my car and set it on the dash by the clock. As I drove home, I glanced at the clock and found myself looking through the broken cup to the display. At that moment it struck me that I needed to be looking at my time through the lens of Christ.

Several years ago, as our family sat down to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal together, we each wrote down a list of blessings. Later, those lists went up on my Christmas tree as ornamental reminders of the people I love so very much. For years, that tradition has continued. I may not be blessed with the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving with everyone who reads this letter, but the names of my precious friends and family will be on my Christmas tree. It is far too easy to go through our daily lives without showing appreciation to those that matter most to us. If I look at Thanksgiving through the lens of Christ, I don’t see turkey and football (although there was plenty of both). Instead I see you. I see the wonderful family and friends with whom the Lord has blessed my life.

One of our favorite family traditions during the Christmas season is to gather around the piano to sing. Sometimes we do traditional carols, sometimes my wonderful big brother does his best Stevie Wonder impression, and sometimes we just sit back in awe at my sister’s ability to play music that isn’t even there. Whatever the song, it’s all about being together. It used to be that we could do that any time, but now we’re miles and hours apart. If I look at Christmas through the lens of Christ, I don’t see fudge and football (although, again, there will be plenty of both). I see the blessing of loved ones together. He gave us each other. He gave us music. He gave us laughter. Above all, He gave us Himself. We sing because He gave us a song. We laugh because He gave us joy. We give gifts because He gave us the most important gift ever given.