Music of Spheres

"Music of Spheres", or Musica Universalis meaning 'universal music', is a philosophic concept whose idea was first credited to the Greek mathmatician and astronomer, Pythagoras, who believed that the distances between the planets would have the same ratios as produced by harmonious sounds in a plucked string. Pythagoreans believed the solar system was made up of 10 spheres revolving around a central point, each sphere giving off a sound as it moves through the air. Closer spheres created lower tones, and spheres farther away created higher tones. These combined variations in pitch create a beautiful harmony. In The Tempest, Act 3.2, Caliban refers to this 'music of speres' when he speaks about the isle being "full of noises, sounds and sweet airs" and so on. He's trying to emphasize the point that true beauty and perfection are found in nature without imposing influences by man. Society would naturally find a harmonius balance of existence without strict regulations being enforced by the authority class. In order for man to find perfection in the world, he just needs to stop and listen, because it already naturally exists.

Gwynne Standfield
Section 1A
Waldo