ucl talk on Plato

1. The Musical Structure
Of Plato's dialogues

2. Part I
Introduction and Overview

3. • 'Plato's Forms, Pythagorean Mathematics,
and Stichometry', Apeiron, 2010
• The Musical Structure of Plato's Dialogues,
Acumen, forthcoming, Spring 2011
• Online debate
• Anticipations

4. Main Claims
• Plato was stichometrist (hexameter lines)
• Symbolic Passages Mark Locations (3/4, 2/3)
• Embedded Musical 'Scale'
• Explains Narrative Structure of Dialogues
• Affinity with Pythagoreanism

5. Structure in Symp.
• Embedded scale: 12 notes with quarternotes
• Passages about 'harmony' mark the notes
• Theory of Relative Consonance: explains
narrative structure
• 3, 4, 6, 8, 9 are consonant; 5, 7, 10, 11 are
dissonant -- content varies accordingly

9. Music/Math Terms Btwn Notes 2,3:
Histogram (Resp)

10. Symbols in Frame
• Recollected episode ends at 1/4: scale used
as outline
• Laws: music is harmony of fast/slow (tempo)
and of high/ low (pitch)
• At each quarter-tone: motion and harmony
between

12. Part II
Context, Evidence, Methodology

13. Historical Context
• Stichometry routine in classical period (Ohly)
• Pythagoreans known for 'symbolism' (Burkert)
• Circles around Socrates Debate Symbolism
• Derveni Papyrus: guide to symbolism

14. Plausibility Arguments
• Aporetic Endings: What is Plato's view?
• Problem of Platonic Anonymity
• Reports in Academy of Plato's Pythagoreanism
• Many followers say Plato is symbolic writer: neo-
Pythagoreans, neo-Platonists, Ficino
• Evidence that Theon/Thrasyllus saw musical
structure

15. Motivation
• Symbolism, Allegory is common
• Platonism: Forms beneath Appearances
• Pythagoreans were persecuted?
• Secrecy is normal (reserve, Burkert)

16. Line Counting
• Stephanus Pages Irregular
• Classical Texts: no spaces, punctuation, etc.
• Strip out everything, count Greek letters
• My counts confirmed by Fitzpatrick, who will
make software available

17. Lines of Evidence
• Lengths of Set Speeches (Symp, Phaedrus)
• Total Lengths of Dialogues
• Similar Concepts at Parallel Locations
• Bands of 'Positive', 'Negative' Content: 8/12
--9/12 versus 10/12 -- 11/12
• MSPD: close reading of notes in Symp.

18. Part III
Musical Structure

19. Symbolic Passages
• At regular intervals
• Each twelfth: 1/12, 2/12 ...
• Each quarter-interval: 1/12 +1/4 ...
• Other significant locations : sevenths ...
• Well-known 'Division of the Canon' (Theon)

20. Genus of a Species
• Forms are general similarities: colour = red,
blue, yellow ...
• Each passage describes a species
• Symp: 'harmony', Euthyphro: epistemic
assertion
• Regular pattern is a musical scale

21. Harmony in Symp.
• Unity: 'monoeides' Form of Beauty, 9.0
• Coupling with beauty, 8.0
• Fusion of two lovers, 4.3
• Theory of musical harmony, 3.2
• Dissonance: Alcibiades' pain of rejection by
Socrates, 11.0

22. Conclusion

23. Why not detected?
• Need to know maths, music theory
• Anti-allegory turn in Reformation, invention of
neo-Platonism
• Plato worked hard to conceal
• Spenser's mathematical allegories not found
until Seventies

24. Implications
• Textual Studies: measure integrity of texts
• Musicology: new evidence on theory,
monochord
• History of Platonism, Pythagoreanism
• History of Science