The Interesting Connection Between Music and Astrology

[Bjorkstrand]

Yes .. section or subSection may be OK
1 topic is not enough .. because of :

The Western system uses 12 equally tempered semitones in an octave, whereas the Chinese pentatonic system uses 5 notes, and the Indian system has 7 main notes with 22 microtones.

so we can discuss different music systems

The greatest man who EVER existed (jesus the christ) chooses 12 apostles. I rest my case.

 

[John Thompson]

It would be fascinating to hear an entire musical composition based on a natal chart.

If you think about it, it should be done with finesse, not just randomly, but in a way that is clever and melodic

Xeno. Many years ago I worked both musically and astrologically with the acclaimed astrologer Mary Devlin. She often wrote for Horoscope Magazine and was a medieval scholar who sang in both old and middle English. In the August edition of 1996 Horoscope Magazine, she wrote the main article entitled 'Astrology and the Sounds of Music'. Within that article she writes ' Astrologer/composer Gerald Jay Markoe has virtually created a new field comprising both astrology and music, which he calls Astro-Music, in which he literally plays a person's astrological chart on the piano. He reports that often when he does this for a client, they will cry out ' Bur that's a melody that's been running through my head for years'.
Incidentally I got a lovely mention in her article, but will also say that her son Thomas Dye has also written on the subject of the distinction between high and low chakra music [ specific forms/types, and the way in which chakras are stimulated through music]. Personally I believe that if someone 'played' my chart, it would be more rhythmic than melodic.

 

[waybread]

The "personal sound horoscopes" available under the "special" charts section at Astrodienst www.astro.com may be of interest.

 

[Xeno]

The "personal sound horoscopes" available under the "special" charts section at Astrodienst www.astro.com may be of interest.

I couldn't find it, maybe this section is missing from the mobile version of the site

 

[waybread]

I couldn't find it, maybe this section is missing from the mobile version of the site

Could be. I access it via laptop.

 

[John Thompson]

Xeno, just a couple of thoughts. Mary Devlin studied the musical/astrological correspondences as related to Johannes Kepler and medieval scholars, who saw the unison sound as related to the conjunction with the opposition aspect correlating to the octave. The perfect fourth which late medieval theorists considered variously as either a dissonance or an unstable consonance, corresponds to the square.
The minor sixth. Medieval composers and theorists were uncomfortable with its sombre sound, and were unsure as to whether it was a dissonance or unstable consonance, is related to the sesquiquadrate [135 degrees]. Kepler himself, assigned the tredecile [108 degrees] to the augmented fourth. This interval was regarded by the medievalists as 'diabolus in musica' [the devil in music], the only true dissonance that was never used because of its harsh sound [to this day, it's often used in soundtracks for horror films to induce the feeling of evil].
I hope this is useful. PS, during the medieval period European universities were teaching astrology alongside music as part of the
'Quadrivium' , encompassing the study of arithmetic, astronomy, geometry and Ars Musica.

 

[waybread]

I wonder, also, if there is a connection with the shape of the human hand. I'm a (perpetually) intermediate piano student, and my teacher decided it was high time that I tackled scales (arpeggios, 4-note chords, and whatnots) in the different keys. I've been struggling with B flat major for some time, because the cross-overs in the R & L hands are different, and the scale doesn't start with fingers 1-5. The piano seems to have been designed with the human hand in mind, and my teacher explained how the cross-overs (fingers 3 and 4) relate to the shape of the hand. in relation to the layout of octaves on the keyboard.

Alongside the cosmic correspondences of music theory, the whole piano design, to me, seems to be based on the capabilities and limits of the hand.

Astrologically the hands are ruled by Mercury. Who gets short shrift in modern astrology, IMO; because anciently this planet was Hermes, from whom we get Hermeticism. Mythological Mercury/Hermes, was the one god who could traverse the celestial realm of Mount Olympus, the earth's surface, and the underworld. Another underworld connection with music being Orpheus.

I think a Mercury -Venus conjunction would be helpful for musicians.

Then some forms of music don't use the typical western octave.

 

[John Thompson]

I wonder, also, if there is a connection with the shape of the human hand. I'm a (perpetually) intermediate piano student, and my teacher decided it was high time that I tackled scales (arpeggios, 4-note chords, and whatnots) in the different keys. I've been struggling with B flat major for some time, because the cross-overs in the R & L hands are different, and the scale doesn't start with fingers 1-5. The piano seems to have been designed with the human hand in mind, and my teacher explained how the cross-overs (fingers 3 and 4) relate to the shape of the hand. in relation to the layout of octaves on the keyboard.

Alongside the cosmic correspondences of music theory, the whole piano design, to me, seems to be based on the capabilities and limits of the hand.

Astrologically the hands are ruled by Mercury. Who gets short shrift in modern astrology, IMO; because anciently this planet was Hermes, from whom we get Hermeticism. Mythological Mercury/Hermes, was the one god who could traverse the celestial realm of Mount Olympus, the earth's surface, and the underworld. Another underworld connection with music being Orpheus.

I think a Mercury -Venus conjunction would be helpful for musicians.

Then some forms of music don't use the typical western octave.

It's very interesting how we arrived at the modern piano. Essentially its origins come from the hammered dulcimer, which then was adapted to make the harpsichord before we came to the piano. Check out Joshua Messick on you tube, the guy is phenomenal and has designed the most acclaimed of instruments. Try listening to his composition 'Echoes in Time', it really shows off the versatility with its use of dampers as also strings being plucked as well as hammered.

 

[Bjorkstrand]

aries = F#
taurus = G
gemini = G#
cancer = A
leo = A#
virgo = B
libra = C
scorpio = C#
sag = D
capricorn = D#
aquarius = D
pisces = F

 

[Blister]

The harmony of intervals is evaluated based on the frequency ratios between sounds. The simpler the ratio, the more harmonious the interval is perceived to be.


1. Octave (2:1):
• Musical Harmony: The octave is considered one of the most harmonious intervals. Notes separated by an octave sound so consonant that they are perceived as the same sound at different pitch levels.
• Astrological Equivalent: 0 degrees (or 360 degrees).


2. Perfect Fifth (3:2):
• Musical Harmony: The perfect fifth is also extremely harmonious. The 3:2 ratio creates a stable and consonant sound. This interval is often used in chords to create consonant harmonies.
• Astrological Equivalent: 180 degrees (opposition).


3. Perfect Fourth (4:3):
• Musical Harmony: The perfect fourth is also considered a harmonious interval, though less so than the octave and the fifth. It is frequently used in chords and melodies.
• Astrological Equivalent: 120 degrees (trine).


4. Major Third (5:4):
• Musical Harmony: The major third is considered a very harmonious interval. It forms the basis of the major chord, which sounds bright and cheerful.
• Astrological Equivalent: 90 degrees (square).


5. Minor Third (6:5):
• Musical Harmony: The minor third is also harmonious but is perceived as less stable than the major third. It forms the basis of the minor chord, which sounds more somber or reflective.
• Astrological Equivalent: 72 degrees (quintile).

my son is a professional musician. years back, when he was first studying and showing success in his career, I think it was Sandstone who pointed out that my son's 0' Taurus Mercury was related to his talent. His musical ear enabled to learn and master instruments quickly. Also, he studied music as it was written - a language of itself.