Measure for Measure: A Musical History of Science

by Thomas Levenson

In Measure for Measure , Thomas Levenson offers a compelling account of how scientific thinking development from the day 2,500 years ago when Pythagoras discovered the musical scale to the present day.

The story unfolds through the tales of instruments scientific and the organ, the microscope, the still, the scales, Stradivari's miraculous violins and cellos, computers, and synthesizers.

Genres: Science, Music, History, Nonfiction, Physics, History Of Science

352 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1994

About the author

My day job has me professing science writing at MIT, where I teach in the Institute's Graduate Program in Science Writing.

I continue to do what I did before I joined the professoriat: write books (and the occasional article), and make documentary films about science, its history, and its interaction with the broader culture in which scientific lives and discoveries unfold.

Besides writing, film making and generally being dour about the daily news, I lead an almost entirely conventional life in one of Boston's inner suburbs with a family that gives me great joy.

Reviews

[J.M. Hushour]

Unfortunately, this is one of those books that sounds like a great idea, but ultimately falls flat. What could be more awesome than a history of science as told through the evolution of music? Well, that'd be swell if that was actually what was accomplished here. Instead, what you get is (mostly) science, whose sections are largely rehashes of history-of-science stuff that you could read in any general work on the subject and some sporadic and awkwardly-situated bits on music that actually fare well in work as a whole.
Levenson darts from Pythagoras to the early roots of musical theory, which is nice, and then segues into a bit on organ-making and scientific advances. However, the two themes veer apart quickly with long and unnecessary sections on telescopes and microscopes with flaccid attempts to link all that to Gregorian chant, Bach, and Beethoven's bad moods. Eventually, realizing that his main idea doesn't have much to stand on, the author discusses Stradivari and the mystery of his instrument making before careening once more into a weird discussion of Poincare and the collapse of Newtonian physics...? And mice injected with AIDS. Oh yes. We can't forget the mice with AIDS. And Varese. And Theremin.
Not sure how to end this, so I'll just leave it there...

[esmeralda]

3,5

Not what I was expecting, I thought music would be more integrated with science. There were about theee chapters straight just focused on science. Still, interesting and thought provoking.

[Mattie]

Entertaining survey history of major developments in Western science framed by a concurrent history of major developments in Western music. Brings home the ideas that (1) science & art are both shaped by and shapers of the cultural zeitgeist; and (2) that the creative impulses behind major developments in each aren't so different in each area. Not earth-shattering conclusions, but nice to be reminded of given the prevailing disjunction assumed between art & science nowadays. Levenson is occasionally ramble-y, but it feels like listening to someone who really enjoys his subject matter and so goes off on tangents, but they are interesting, so you don't mind so much.

It reminded me of a book I read many years ago (the title of which I cannot now remember, grrr) about developments of art and physics in the early 20th century. If I could remember that book I'd recommend it here.

[Jacob Mortensen]

Levenson provides an interesting perspective on how the development of scientific thought and musical thought have paralleled and revealed the nature of each other. Science and music both began by seeking to explain "why?", hoping to explain the purpose of all things that God had created. Levenson then claims that they moved towards "what?", trying to measure everything as precisely as possible with the belief that they would be able to perfectly understand how the universe worked even if they couldn't understand exactly why. Now, science and music both recognize there is much that will remain unknown and is learning how to explore the infinite possibility within the existing constraints. I really liked Levenson's thoughts and found this to be an enjoyable read.

[Tom]

The author did not adequately tie the histories of science and music to each other, and only scratched the surface of either. You'd be better served to find separate books that deal with each topic individually instead of slogging through this one.

[Science For The People]

Featured on Skeptically Speaking show #180 on September 9, 2012, during an interview with author Thomas Levenson. http://skepticallyspeaking.ca/episode...

[Scott]

Great book for anyone with an interest in music.