Music and mathematical logic: from the doctrine of Pythagor to the theory of A. F. Losev

Since antiquity scientists have been interested in the connection between music and mathematics. Pythagoras, Plato, Aristotle, the Neoplatonists and the Pythagoreans believed that the music included mathematical harmony in the form of numbers and numerical proportions. The music itself is a manifestation of the cosmic harmony of the spheres, positively influencing the inner world of a man. Antique theory became the cornerstone in the formation of a rational consideration of musical theory and music art in general in subsequent eras. Why the musical philosophy of A. F. Losev starts from the teachings of the Pythagoreans and Plato? How does he explore the relationship of musical and mathematical logic? The purpose of the article is to answer these questions based on Alexey Losev’s work Music as the Subject of Logic. The author comes to the conclusion that music and mathematics are interconnected not only externally, but also internally. In the former, pure logic predominates, and the illogical, the expressive dominates in the latter. Both belong to the sphere of meaning, and with the help of mathematical analysis and numerical expressions get to the point.