Article ID: CBB000932506

Ptolemy and the Meta-Helikôn (2009)

unapi

Barker, Andrew D. (Author)


Studies in History and Philosophy of Science
Volume: 40
Pages: 344--351


Publication Date: 2009
Edition Details: Part of a special issue: On Scientific Instruments
Language: English

In his Harmonics, Ptolemy constructs a complex set of theoretically `correct' forms of musical scale, represented as sequences of ratios, on the basis of mathematical principles and reasoning. But he insists that their credentials will not have been established until they have been submitted to the judgement of the ear. They cannot be audibly instantiated with the necessary accuracy without the help of specially designed instruments, which Ptolemy describes in detail, discussing the uses to which each can be put and cataloguing its limitations. The best known of these instruments is the monochord, but there are several more complex devices. This paper discusses one such instrument which is known from no other source, ancient or modern, whose design was prompted by the geometrical construction known as the helikôn. It has several remarkable peculiarities. I examine its design, its purposes, and the merits and shortcomings which Ptolemy attributes to it. An appendix describes an instrument I have built to Ptolemy's specifications (possibly the first of its kind since the second century bc), in an attempt to find out how satisfactorily such a bizarre contraption will work; and it explains how various practical problems can be resolved.

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Description On an instrument, reconstructed by the author, that will allow one to hear the harmonic ratios based upon mathematical principles.


Included in

Article Taub, Liba (2009) On Scientific Instruments. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science (p. 337). unapi

Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB000932506/

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Authors & Contributors
Jones, Alexander
Bellissima, Fabio
Sirirat Somchuea
Sanhanat Deesamutara
Liu, Yaya
Emanuel Zingg
Concepts
Astronomy
Mathematics
Music theory
Geography
Harmony (music theory)
Musical scales; temperament
Time Periods
Ancient
Medieval
Early modern
Modern
Renaissance
5th century
Places
Rome (Italy)
Greece
Middle and Near East
Assyria
Europe
China
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