Ptolemy on Sound: Harmonics 1.3 (6.14-9.15 Düring)
In: MnemosyneSearch for other papers by Miguel Bobo de la Peña in
Current site
Google Scholar
Abstract
Ptolemy's acoustics develops throughout his Harmonics chapter 1.3. He defines sound as παος αερος πλησσομενου, expressing it—as most authors at the time—in terms of a stroke (πληγη), and thus linking the study of sound attributes to that of the strokes. His tripartite analysis of sound stroke represents an original description of sound production by means of an agent (το πληττον) exciting a medium (το δι' ου η πληγη) which, in turn, stimulates the air (το πληττομενον). However clear Ptolemy's explanation is, a wide consensus on its interpretation has not been reached, since almost each scholar has read Ptolemy's three factors in a different way. As a result, several problems arise in different authors, especially the contradiction between η του δι' ου η πληγη σοδροτης seen as responsible for pitch and η του πληττοντος βια thought of as cause of loudness, but also the understanding of η αποχη του πληττομενου προς την αρχην της κινησεως as a differential cause of sounds. This paper tries to settle the aforesaid factors and to clear up the difficulties arising, as well as to comment on some fundamental aspects of Ptolemy's acoustics.
Purchase
Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Institutional Login
Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials
Personal login
Log in with your brill.com account
| All Time | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 302 | 42 | 8 |
| Full Text Views | 96 | 3 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 44 | 11 | 1 |
Ptolemy on Sound: Harmonics 1.3 (6.14-9.15 Düring)
In: MnemosyneSearch for other papers by Miguel Bobo de la Peña in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
Ptolemy's acoustics develops throughout his Harmonics chapter 1.3. He defines sound as παος αερος πλησσομενου, expressing it—as most authors at the time—in terms of a stroke (πληγη), and thus linking the study of sound attributes to that of the strokes. His tripartite analysis of sound stroke represents an original description of sound production by means of an agent (το πληττον) exciting a medium (το δι' ου η πληγη) which, in turn, stimulates the air (το πληττομενον). However clear Ptolemy's explanation is, a wide consensus on its interpretation has not been reached, since almost each scholar has read Ptolemy's three factors in a different way. As a result, several problems arise in different authors, especially the contradiction between η του δι' ου η πληγη σοδροτης seen as responsible for pitch and η του πληττοντος βια thought of as cause of loudness, but also the understanding of η αποχη του πληττομενου προς την αρχην της κινησεως as a differential cause of sounds. This paper tries to settle the aforesaid factors and to clear up the difficulties arising, as well as to comment on some fundamental aspects of Ptolemy's acoustics.
| All Time | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 302 | 42 | 8 |
| Full Text Views | 96 | 3 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 44 | 11 | 1 |