How Music Works

This term refers to the symphony of sounds created by living organisms in an environment. In the book, biophony is used to illustrate the natural musicality present in the world and how it influences human music creation and appreciation.

Byrne explains the diatonic scale as a fundamental musical scale in Western music comprising seven notes, with the eighth note being the same as the first but an octave higher. This concept is crucial in understanding the evolution of musical scales and how they have shaped musical compositions in various cultures and historical periods. While diatonic scales are common and recognizable, many other types of scales exist. For example, octatonic scales contain eight notes instead of seven and are common in jazz music.

Harmonia Mundia is a term used by Byrne to describe the ancient belief in a cosmic harmony that governs the universe. Byrne explores this concept to probe the historical and philosophical underpinnings of music, suggesting that music is not just an art form but a reflection of a deeper universal order.

Byrne discusses the role of mirror neurons in the human brain, which are activated both when performing an action and when observing someone else performing the same action. This concept is significant in understanding how music affects people on a neurological level, influencing emotions and empathetic responses.

This ancient philosophical concept, revisited by Byrne, posits that celestial bodies produce a form of music through their movement in the cosmos. Byrne uses this idea to explore the relationship between music and the universe and how this relationship has been perceived throughout history. He traces how this idea of universal harmony has persisted through the centuries; NASA even recorded electromagnetic signals emitted from planets, converted them into sound waves, and collected them on an album called Symphony of the Planets.

Borrowed from architecture, Byrne uses this term to describe aspects of music that may not have a direct functional purpose but have evolved as a byproduct of other evolutionary developments. In the context of music, spandrels could refer to musical elements that have arisen incidentally but have become integral to its perception and enjoyment.

Referenced by Byrne, this term refers to Leonardo da Vinci’s famous drawing illustrating the proportions of the human body. Byrne uses this concept to explore the intersection of music, art, and human proportion, suggesting a deep-seated connection between bodily and musical harmony.