Recommended
More Related Content
Viewers also liked
Viewers also liked (10)
Similar to Presentation ucl
Similar to Presentation ucl (20)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
Presentation ucl
- 1. The Musical Structure Of Plato's dialogues
- 2. Part I Introduction and Overview
- 3. • 'Plato's Forms, Pythagorean Mathematics, and Stichometry', Apeiron, 2010 • The Musical Structure of Plato's Dialogues, Acumen, forthcoming, Spring 2011 • Online debate • Anticipations
- 4. Main Claims • Plato was stichometrist (hexameter lines) • Symbolic Passages Mark Locations (3/4, 2/3) • Embedded Musical 'Scale' • Explains Narrative Structure of Dialogues • Affinity with Pythagoreanism
- 5. Structure in Symp. • Embedded scale: 12 notes with quarternotes • Passages about 'harmony' mark the notes • Theory of Relative Consonance: explains narrative structure • 3, 4, 6, 8, 9 are consonant; 5, 7, 10, 11 are dissonant -- content varies accordingly
- 9. Music/Math Terms Btwn Notes 2,3: Histogram (Resp)
- 10. Symbols in Frame • Recollected episode ends at 1/4: scale used as outline • Laws: music is harmony of fast/slow (tempo) and of high/ low (pitch) • At each quarter-tone: motion and harmony between
- 12. Part II Context, Evidence, Methodology
- 13. Historical Context • Stichometry routine in classical period (Ohly) • Pythagoreans known for 'symbolism' (Burkert) • Circles around Socrates Debate Symbolism • Derveni Papyrus: guide to symbolism
- 14. Plausibility Arguments • Aporetic Endings: What is Plato's view? • Problem of Platonic Anonymity • Reports in Academy of Plato's Pythagoreanism • Many followers say Plato is symbolic writer: neo- Pythagoreans, neo-Platonists, Ficino • Evidence that Theon/Thrasyllus saw musical structure
- 15. Motivation • Symbolism, Allegory is common • Platonism: Forms beneath Appearances • Pythagoreans were persecuted? • Secrecy is normal (reserve, Burkert)
- 16. Line Counting • Stephanus Pages Irregular • Classical Texts: no spaces, punctuation, etc. • Strip out everything, count Greek letters • My counts confirmed by Fitzpatrick, who will make software available
- 17. Lines of Evidence • Lengths of Set Speeches (Symp, Phaedrus) • Total Lengths of Dialogues • Similar Concepts at Parallel Locations • Bands of 'Positive', 'Negative' Content: 8/12 --9/12 versus 10/12 -- 11/12 • MSPD: close reading of notes in Symp.
- 19. Symbolic Passages • At regular intervals • Each twelfth: 1/12, 2/12 ... • Each quarter-interval: 1/12 +1/4 ... • Other significant locations : sevenths ... • Well-known 'Division of the Canon' (Theon)
- 20. Genus of a Species • Forms are general similarities: colour = red, blue, yellow ... • Each passage describes a species • Symp: 'harmony', Euthyphro: epistemic assertion • Regular pattern is a musical scale
- 21. Harmony in Symp. • Unity: 'monoeides' Form of Beauty, 9.0 • Coupling with beauty, 8.0 • Fusion of two lovers, 4.3 • Theory of musical harmony, 3.2 • Dissonance: Alcibiades' pain of rejection by Socrates, 11.0
- 22. Conclusion
- 23. Why not detected? • Need to know maths, music theory • Anti-allegory turn in Reformation, invention of neo-Platonism • Plato worked hard to conceal • Spenser's mathematical allegories not found until Seventies
- 24. Implications • Textual Studies: measure integrity of texts • Musicology: new evidence on theory, monochord • History of Platonism, Pythagoreanism • History of Science