Sacred Geometry in Music

By: Cassandra Kopasek

Why Does This Matter?

Music has always had a special place in my heart

Music is heard every day, by mostly everyone
You may even hear music without noticing it
(ex. The humming of a tone or elevator music)
Like artists find beauty in many things,
musicians find music in many things
Music Theory and Geometry

There is a complicated behind the scenes

way of music called Music Theory
Music Theory is complex, and takes time
to learn/comprehend
Music Theory is used to document
music and read music
Sacred Geometry is seen in music theory
Seen in the structure of musical harmonies/intervals
Getting Started

An octave in music is composed of 12 semitones [C4 (middle C) to C5]

The music of the Western world uses a mathematical system based on
Twelve. All the songs you have ever known and sang along to in your life use
the same simple laws based on the number twelve. (Lorimer)
Harmonisphere Sacred Geometry in Music
The clock is split into 12 different hours
There are 12 semitones in an octave
If one assigns the twelve semitones of an octave of music to the twelve numbers on the
clock, they can create a harmonisphere
One can create it by drawing a line from one number to another
Like a clock [clockwise (time goes forward) and counterclockwise (time goes
backward)],
The pitches go up on the harmonisphere when going clockwise
The pitches descend when going counterclockwise
For Visual

Clock Harmonisphere
Mirrors and Symmetry in Music in the
Harmonisphere
There is symmetry and mirrored pairs in harmonispheres
Each line on the harmonisphere measures two intervals, depending upon which
note is on top (Lorimer)
Example: The line that measures up a minor third (three semitones) also
measures down a major sixth (nine semitones) (Lorimer)
Mirrored pairs
Minor 2nd - Major 7th
Major 2nd - Minor 7th
Minor 3rd - Major 6th
Major 3rd - Minor 6th
Perfect 4th - Perfect 5th
The diminished 5th diminished 5th (mirrors itself)
 For Visual
C

B C#
A# D

A D#

G# E

G F

F#
Mirrors In Piano Keys & Harmonispheres
Symmetry is seen on piano keys, but it is also seen in harmonispheres
Draw a line once down the center of the sphere, and then 5 times
horizontally (connecting opposite notes)
These mirrors are the same as they would be on the piano keys
Creating a C Major Scale With The
Harmonisphere
Looking at the harmonisphere from the last slide, if we were to leave out the
black keys and connect the white keys to the center, we would create a C
Major scale.
Do Re Me Fa So La Ti Do
Translating Information to the Piano
The 7 white notes from the harmonisphere
on the piano create
3 Major chords
3 minors chords
1 diminished chord

When the mirrors are played together, the majors mirror the minors, and the
diminished chord mirrors itself
Chords on Harmonisphere
The chords on the harmonisphere have the same mirror combinations as the
piano
Creates triangles

C Major (I) chord A minor (vi) chord

 More examples

F Major (IV) E minor (iii)

chord chord

G Major (V) D minor

chord (ii)
Last Example!

B diminished (vii)
chord it is its own
mirror
Works Cited

Lorimer, Andrew. "The Sacred Geometry Of Music." The Sacred Geometry Of

Music. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2016.
<http://www.harmonisphere.com/SacredGeometryOfMusic.htm>.