WEBSITE OF THE DAY: Baroque Me

The mathematics of music

WEBSITE OF THE DAY: Baroque Me . WebsiteOfTheDay, Websites, Software, Online 0

15 November 2011 1:00 GMT / By Ian Hughes

Who would’ve thought that mathematics could be so beautifully musical?

At www.baroque.me you’ll find a visualisation of Bach’s Cello Suites No. 1, Prelude, and it makes captivating viewing.

According to the site’s designer, Alexander Chen, “Using the mathematics behind string length and pitch, it came from a simple idea: what if all the notes were drawn as strings? Instead of a stream of classical notation on a page, this interactive project highlights the music’s underlying structure and subtle shifts."

He goes into more detail on his blog and it does make sense (I had to read it a couple of times, mind you. But I think I’ve got it now.

You can also interact with the visualisation, by pulling the notes around, you can create harmonic and beautiful sounds. Or, in my case, a hideous cacophony that had the entire room donning their headphones.

Hey ho, we can’t all be musical…

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