May 1st, 2010
Always intrigued by the links between mathematics and music, I was captivated by this little book full of wonderful illustrations.
At first you might question the relevance of a book about a scientific instrument which became a popular parlor entertainment among genteel victorians. The book’s full title, Harmonograph: a visual guide to the mathematics of music gives a better clue to it’s deeper attractions. Beyond detailing the history, use, and construction of the Harmonograph (an appendix even includes DIY instructions for building your own), the book is a beautiful introduction to the mathematics harmonic theory. It’s certainly a more effective and engaging introduction to the topic than some college-level texts I’ve read on the subject. Because of the book’s heavy bias toward concise visual explanations, I came away with a stronger intuitive grasp of a number of musical topics: this little volume explains the construction of the Western musical scale and the differences between just and equal temperament as well as, or even better than, other longer and more technically oriented texts.
The book would be a fantastic companion to meatier textbooks on musical acoustics. But the book’s primary appeal is not its pedagogical value, but simply its visual beauty and engaging writing. It will appeal to diverse interests including the armchair mathematician, the musical amateur, the steam-punk aficionado, the artist and the tinkerer, among others. It’s part of a series which the publisher describes as “a collectable series of concise books offering simple introductions to timeless sciences and vanishing arts.” Based on the charm of this edition, I suspect other volumes from the series may find their way to my bookshelf as well.