Canonical Forms: A Mathematician’s View of Musical Canons

In a musical canon—be it "Three Blind Mice" or the climax of a Bach fugue—a melody can act as its own harmony. The task of finding such melodies leads us to consider musical structure from points of view usually associated with science and mathematics, not the arts. The lecture will be illustrated with diagrams as well as a variety of musical examples (including at least one improvised in real time) and will require no technical background in either music or mathematics. Partial financial support is provided by the MSU Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies.

Noam D. Elkies is a professor of mathematics at Harvard and the youngest person ever tenured at the university. His research on elliptic curves, lattices, and other aspects of the theory of numbers has been recognized by such prizes and awards as the Presidential Young Investigator Award of the National Science Foundation and the Prix Peccot of the College de France. His work in mathematical exposition and teaching was recognized by awards from the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America, and Harvard's chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. He currently holds several records for ranks of elliptic curves and related Diophantine questions.

This event is free and open to the public.