| This study focuses on the ways that the Divine Proportion, or approaches to it, have been incorporated into Western music since the Baroque era, with the purpose of giving an interpretation of the effects of its presence. The Divine Proportion is first equated with historical ways of thinking about the infinite, then the various ways the infinite is aesthetically communicated in instrumental music where the Divine Proportion appears is discussed. The Divine Proportion appears as an invisible controlling force in the music of Bach, as a pleasing proportional point in the music of Mozart, as a temporal point where momentous events occur in the music of Schubert and Chopin, or as a symbol of the generation found in nature in the music of Debussy. This study concludes that use of the Divine Proportion is an intellectual perception that can shape interpretation and affect audience perception of a score. |
