THESIS F R AM E W O R K Topic: Architecture as Frozen Music Thesis Statement: Experiencing spaces as chords of sound Methodology: Quote by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe Design should conform to the ratios and proportions that constitute the natural world. Vitruvius ‘s take on music and architecture Examples showcasing this citation Reinforcing the thesis statement
ARCHITECTURE AS FROZEN MUSIC I’ll be sharing with all of you an extract I have written on Architecture as Frozen Music __________experiencing spaces as chords of sound. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe cited: “ I call architecture Frozen Music; the influence that flows upon us from architecture is like that flows from music. “ _____Implying that all those structures which are based on the relations of ratios and proportions resonate aesthetics and are thus termed as masterpieces. Design should thereby conform to the ratios and proportions that constitute the natural world. Greek architecture is an epitome of this citation. Greek described the motion of planets as compromising in effect a machine to make music. Vitruvius wrote that an architect should have a knowledge of music in order to have a grasp of mathematical relations. He explored how columns in temples should be placed at the same intervals to produce tonal patterns on strings, how stone theatres can be made to echo like musical instruments. Just as composers organize and divide tones in temporal space to create music, architectural designs consist of proportioning of volume and physical space to enhance visual and auditory experiences. Classical structures can be interpreted as Frozen Music. They resonate harmonic progressions through symphonies in stone (or whichever material they were constructed in). Some examples are: Parthenon – the iconic Greek temple
The latest being a proposal by Zaha Hadid of a concert hall to be made of a single continuous ribbon of fabric swirling around itself, creating layered spaces to cocoon the performers and audience within an intimate fluid space.
Notre de Dame, Paris – the exemplary Gothic church Taj Mahal – the poetry in white marble
Spaces should provoke our expectations to desire the next moment to unfold in a sequence of time. Architecture is thus a resonating framed piece of art. Aanchal Vidyasagar