Rivista di Studi Sudasiatici - contenuto non piu disponibile
Abstract
Music is present in the Indian culture since the Vedas. Besides the Sāmaveda, we can find implicit or explicit references to musical elements in the Ṛgveda, in the Atharvaveda and in the Upaniṣads, which are often connected to significant numerical groupings (1). However, the application of mathematics to music is not evident in the Indian mathematical and musical works, except for the late Saṃgīta Ratnākara (2). Different is the situation in Chinese and Arabic traditions, where we find the mathematics extensively applied to musical instruments and notes (3). The paper ends with a reflection on the cultural differences and the relations between Pythagorism and India (4).
Fields of Study & Subjects
Advanced Mathematical Theories and Applications
Historical Astronomy and Related Studies
History and Theory of Mathematics
Publication details
- Publisher
- Firenze University Press
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 75–108
- Publication date
- 8 July 2026
- Language
- EN