Harmonia
The mass appeal for the Da Vinci Code owes it’s success to a single human condition;
mankind’s craving for ancient wisdom. People want answers. Modern astronomy has not
provided us with sound resolutions to the origin of life. And modern science has done little to
solve life problems. Organized religion has failed the people too. Not a single religion under the
roof of Christendom, nor any of its offspring, can effectively argue against evolution, nor can
they explain why modern astronomy has been able to win over the minds while they can only
So where do we turn for answers? Is the extent of knowledge only what we have
amassed at present, or have modern authorities overlooked vital clues to higher learning in the
ancient past? There are many mysteries in the old times that cause us to pause and consider, but
as of today, there is nothing concrete in the way of scientific fact to persuade us to turn back.
And yet our instincts continually turn our heads around in hope of finding a single fact that opens
The Society for the Recovery of Lost knowledge has discovered a connecting link to this
lost knowledge. A music scale that is superior to our own. Plato concealed this ‘harmonia’ in a
mathematical scheme in Timaeus. For twenty-five hundred years it has remained an enigma.
Here, at last, we will unveil Plato’s ‘harmonia’ in its true form, and it will prove to be
A music scale is a sequence of successive pitches (notes) within a one octave range. All
scales start on one note (the tonic) and end on that same note one octave higher. The ancient
peoples divided the octave into five and seven parts. The modern world has extended the
division to twelve parts. The value of each individual note is determined mathematically. The
frequencies (vibrations per second, or hertz’s) used as a measure in today’s Chromatic scale:
C 261.6
C# 276.5
D 293.7
D# 310.4
E 328.6
F 348.4
F# 369.1
G 391.1
G# 414.3
A 438.9
A# 465
B 492.7
C 523.2 Double the first C
The doubling of a pitch is a law that binds all harmonia. Pythagoras is credited with
discovering this ratio, and the arrangement of a music scale is based upon it. It is not disputable.
What is disputable is the frequency of each note and the distance between notes, which is largely
determined by what sound is pleasing to the ear. Modern frequencies are not etched in stone;
classical artists determined A at 432 hertz’s, in eighteenth century France this note had a value of
376 hertz’s, and in seventeenth century Germany it was set as high as 560 hertz’s. There is no
set formulae.
The modern Chromatic scale divides the octave into twelve parts. Two successive
pitches, C to C# for example, are related to the previous pitch by a factor of the twelfth root of
2--a ratio of 1.05946309436. The ‘intervals’ between these notes are called half-steps. This
measure of the music scale has its shortcomings. Some notes are not as pleasing to the ears as
others, and some do not sound pleasing when played with others.
The division of a scale into twelve parts is modern; little is understood of ancient music
scales, but what we do know is that seven and five note scales existed. What we don’t know is
why we know so little. If we turn to Plato, the solution to this problem is obvious--this
knowledge was kept in the hands of the men who wielded control of the ancient religions;
remains were left behind, but only in enigmatic writings, such as the scheme we are now about to
decipher. Plato begins by taking a figurative strip (which he calls the ‘whole’) and divides it into
several parts; the parts forming two geometrical proportions of four terms each: 1, 2, 4, 8 and 1,
3, 9, 27.
“First he took one portion (1) from the whole, and next a portion (2) double of this;
the third (3) half as much again as the second, and three times the first; the fourth
(4) double of the second; the fifth (9) three times the third; the sixth (8) eight times
the first; and the seventh (27) twenty seven times the first”. (Timaeus 35 B-C)
This is where both modern and ancient commentators stumble. They arrange the
major sixth (the seven notes of the proportion are filled in with 20 other notes to form 27
(Plato’s Cosmology) says, “It is idle to look for any explanation of such a range in the science of
harmonics”... Moreover, the author insists, “no one, setting out to construct a music scale would
The initial reaction of any theorist would be to agree; the geometric proportions used by
Plato doubles and triples the ratio between portions, whereas a pitch only doubles in frequency
(vibrations per second, or hertz’s). At first glance the problem seems hopeless; it appears a scale
cannot be constructed if these portions represent frequencies of the same note; on the other hand,
But all is not lost. Plato shows us the way; the way, that is, to construct a music scale
numerically from the first pitch (1) to the last (27), and the problem of frequencies doubling is
solved when the intervals are filled in. Plato instructs us on how to do this:
“Next he went on to fill up both the triple and double intervals, cutting off more
parts from the original mixture and placing them between the terms so that within
each interval there were two means, the one (harmonic) exceeding the one extreme
and being exceeded by the other by the same fraction of the extreme, the other
(arithmetic) exceeding the one extreme by the same number whereby it was
exceeded by the other. This gave rise to intervals of 3/2 and 4/3 and 9/8 within the
1
original intervals”.
Unfortunately, no one has done this the way Plato has instructed. Cornford is a perfect
example. To prove our point we will show both sides of the argument; Cornford starts with
seven notes:
1. (For example: if we take the extremes of 6 and 12, the harmonic mean is 8, exceeding
the one extreme (6) and exceeded by the other (12) by one-third of 12. The arithmetic mean is 9,
exceeding 6 and falling short of 12 by the same number.)
Next he fills in the means:
Then he explains: “Omitting the numbers in brackets, which occur in both series, we
Cornford continues: “As the last sentence remarks, this ‘gives rise to intervals of a fifth
3/2 or a fourth 4/3 or a tone 9/8 within the original intervals’. The final step, taken in the next
sentence, is to fill up every tetrachord with two intervals of a tone 9/8 and a remainder 256/243
nearly equivalent to our semitone. “And he went to fill up all the intervals of 4/3 (fourths) with
the interval 9/8, leaving over in each a fraction. This remaining interval of the fraction had its
terms in the numerical proportion of 256 to 243.” If we take the first octave (two disjunct
tetrachords), the result can be illustrated (approximately as follows, though Plato would have
as determining the intervals of a fourth and fifth, but little else in the way of this scheme seems
to pertain to music.
Yet it is obvious that Plato’s dialogue pertains entirely to music. Something is missing;
and so we must turn back to where we started--to when Plato first divided the ‘whole’ into seven
portions. The secret of this scheme is that the ‘whole’ has a numeric value. The following
(1) 432
(2) 864
(3) 1296
(4) 1728
(9) 3888
(8) 3456
(27) 11,664
The first four numbers of Plato’s proportion will be quickly recognized by most as related
to the Hindu yuga’s (ages). We also see this number and its components quite often in ancient
architecture. Moreover, the numeral 432 is twice the sum of the cubes of the sides of the famous
3-4-5 (3x3x3+4x4x4+5x5x5) Pythagorean triangle, and it is found in the double triangle of the
Hindu’s --six being the length of each side of each triangle (6x6x6), totaling the number--432.
Now we will complete the scheme the correct way. The first step is to insert the
harmonic and arithmetic means between the terms of the double and triple proportions:
“Next he went on to fill up both the triple and double intervals, cutting off more
parts from the original mixture and placing them between the terms so that within
each interval there were two means, the one (harmonic) exceeding the one extreme
and being exceeded by the other by the same fraction of the extreme, the other
(arithmetic) exceeding the one extreme by the same number whereby it was
exceeded by the other. “These links gave rise to intervals of 3/2 and 4/3 and 9/8
within the original intervals”.
The arithmetic and harmonic means inserted between the terms of the double proportion:
The arithmetic and harmonic means inserted between the terms of the triple proportion:
The insertion of the arithmetic and harmonic means produced intervals of 4/3, 3/2 and
9/8 within the original intervals. Exactly what the philosopher stated (Cornford’s version
produced other intervals, 9/2, 16/3, 27/2). Plato is very specific on what to do next: “And he
went on to fill up all the intervals of 4/3 with the interval of 9/8, leaving over in each a
fraction. This remaining interval of the fraction had its terms in the numerical proportion
256 to 243”. Cornford made the assumption of thinking 4/3 meant ‘fourths’ or tetrachords. He
was wrong. It means exactly what it says. The next step is to fill up the intervals of the 4/3’s in
Thus the combination of the double and triple proportion produces seven notes. Cornford
is wrong again; a scale can be constructed using the double and triple proportions.
The final step is to complete the proportions. The tonic (first note of a scale) in the Greek
music scale was A, and so, in our re-construction of Plato’s harmonia we will ascribe A as being
equal to 432 hertz’s or vibrations per second. The sequence of notes that follow are derived with
Notes A G F E D C B A
Ratios 1:1 9:8 32:27 4:3 3:2 27:16 16:9 2:1
Frequencies 432 486 512 576 648 729 768 864
Intervals 9/8 256/243 9/8 9/8 9/8 256/243 9/8
Notes A G F E D C B A
Ratios 2:1 9:8 32:27 4:3 3:2 27:16 16:9 4:1
Frequencies 864 972 1024 1152 1296 1458 1536 1728
Intervals 9/8 256/243 9/8 9/8 9/8 256/243 9/8
Notes A G F E D C B A
Ratios 4:1 9:8 32:27 4:3 3:2 27:16 16:9 8:1
Frequencies 1728 1944 2048 2304 2592 2916 3072 3456
Intervals 9/8 256/243 9/8 9/8 9/8 256/243 9/8
The triple portion continues the pattern:
Notes A G F E D A G F E D
Ratios 1:1 9:8 32:27 4:3 3:2 2:1 9:8 32:27 4:3 3:2
Frequencies 432 486 512 576 648 864 972 1024 1152 1296
Intervals 9/8 256/243 9/8 9/8 4/3 9/8 256/243 9/8 9/8
Notes D C B A G D C B A G
Ratios 3:2 27:16 16:9 4:1 9:8 3:2 27:16 16:9 8:1 9:8
Frequencies 1296 1458 1536 1728 1944 2592 2916 3072 3456 3888
Intervals 9/8 256/243 9/8 9/8 4/3 9/8 256/243 9/8 9/8
Notes G F E D C G F E D C
Ratios 9:8 32:27 4:3 3:2 27:16 9:8 32:27 4:3 3:2 27:16
Frequencies 3888 4096 4608 5184 5832 7776 8748 9216 10,368 11,664
Intervals 9/8 256/243 9/8 9/8 4/3 9/8 256/243 9/8 9/8
The triple proportion is a likely source for the origin of the five note scale. But of course,
once we fill in the 4/3’s this same scale is extended to seven notes:
Note D C B A
Ratio 3:2 27:16 16:9 2:1
Frequencies 648 729 768 864
Intervals 9/8 256/243 9/8
Note G F E D
Ratio 9:8 32:27 4:3 3:2
Frequencies 1944 2048 2304 2592
Intervals 256/243 9/8 9/8
Note C B A G
Ratio 3:2 16:9 16:1 9:8
Frequencies 5832 6144 6912 7776
Intervals 256/243 9/8 9/8
The scale begins with one note (A, 432) and ends with another (C, 11,664). Yet the
entire scale is connected. Start with A 432 in the double proportion. It will routinely double in
frequency to 6912 in the triple proportion. The same thing will be found to happen with each
note.
Thirty four. Seven notes, twenty seven frequencies, and all the systems of notes that
“But when you have grasped, my dear friend, the number and nature of the
intervals formed by high pitch and low pitch in sound, and the notes that bound
those intervals, and all the systems of notes that result from them, the systems
which we have learned, conformably to the teaching of the men of old days who
discerned them, and (called) them scales... (Philebus 16E)
Intervals formed by high pitch and low pitch... systems of notes...notes that bound
intervals... our rendering of Plato’s harmonia fits exactly. Others have not.
Plato’s music scale bears a resemblance to the Pythagorean scale that emerged in the
post-Christian era, as it contains five tones (9/8) and two half tones (256/243) of the same
proportions. The Pythagorean scale also determined the ratios of the fourth (4:3) and fifth (3:2)
in the same manner. But this scale (which is undoubtedly an inaccurate production of the true
Pythagorean scale) has capital flaws; moreover, its origin is quite obviously found in the
mistaken interpretation of Plato’s harmonia (look closely at Cornford’s finished product and you
Plato’s scale, on the other hand, has no deficiencies. It is a unity. A system of notes that
come into existence when the art of measure embraces the unlimited. It is the ‘whole’ of music.
The use of the double and triple proportions in the construction of the music scale places
a limit to that which is unlimited-- the high and low in pitch. Plato spoke of the law and order
that are marked by limit in Philebus (25, 26). Then, speaking of the ‘family’ of unlimited to
Protarchus:
Socrates: And now, as the next step, combine with it the family of the limit.
Socrates: That of ‘equal’ and ‘double’ and any other kind that puts and end to the
conflict of opposites with one another, making them well proportioned and harmonius by the
introduction of number..and in the case of high and low in pitch, or of swift and slow, which are
unlimited, does not the introduction of these same elements at once produce limit and establish
Plato’s scale does just that. Establishes limit. The design of the scale insures it. The
double proportion is a tool used in the scales construction, but the triple proportion is the finished
product. All the notes of the double proportion are contained within it. It has a beginning and an
end. It cannot be extended in either direction to form another octave without breaking down. It
But is it perfect? For the last two thousand years mankind has been trying to equalize the
the different notes being sounded simultaneously need to be related in a way which is pleasing to
the ear. This is where proportion comes into play. The insertion of the harmonic and arithmetic
72 parts separate this center. If we obtain seven notes there will be seven tones. If the
tones were equal to the center, 72 parts, then the parts would exceed the term (432)--504 parts, or
72 extra parts. In order for this to work, five of the parts must equal 72 and the other two parts
need be cut in half--36 parts. This is the reason there are five tones and two semi-tones in an
octave. However, if we divide the tones and half-tones with parts of 72 and 36 it doesn’t work.
The intervals between notes are erratic, the half tones are all on one side of the octave, and the
This is why we were instructed by Plato to fill up all the intervals of the terms with 9/8
(the tone determined by the harmonic and arithmetic means); the end result:
Balance. The tones and half-tones on the left side of the scale add up to 144 parts. The
tones and half-tones on the right side of the scale add up to 216 parts. Both sides are in
proportion to each other, and to the center. And of course, the notes stand in proportion to each
This music scale is mathematically superior to modern scales. The fact that Plato
concealed it in his scheme indicates it’s extreme value. As it now stands, the unveiling of a
music scale existing over two thousand years ago, constructed in a manner heretofore unheard of,
is a discovery that should send a shock to scholastic communities the world over. It will certainly
deal a fatal blow to the idea that our ancestors were primitive, and likewise, open modern minds