Sound meets corset: mathematics and music combined in Chemnitz!

Sound meets corset: mathematics and music combined in Chemnitz!

On April 9, 2025, the fascinating connection between mathematics and music will come into focus. A series of lectures entitled “Cultural Assets of Mathematics and…” is offered at the Chemnitz University of Technology (TU Chemnitz). This initiative, which is being developed in collaboration with the Evangelical Forum Chemnitz, aims to promote the relevance of mathematics in society and to create interdisciplinary connections. The event is part of the activities to promote Chemnitz as European Capital of Culture 2025.

The series starts on April 15, 2025 at 6 p.m. in the concert hall of the Chemnitz Music School with a lecture by Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schwarz. His topic, “Physics and MUSIC as Cultural Assets,” examines the connection between the structure and sound of musical instruments. The importance of overtones and the natural tone series is discussed and how dimensions influence the sound. This includes scientific aspects that were already recognized by Pythagoras, who associated musical expressions with numerical ratios.

Lectures on musical mathematics

The lecture by Prof. Dr. will follow on May 6, 2025, also at 6 p.m. Uta Freiberg, who explains the mathematical foundations of music theory. Topics such as frequency relationships, the circle of fifths and major and minor keys are covered. The Pythagorean comma and the wolf fifth are also discussed.

Both events are free and do not require prior registration. These lectures are just the start of a series of other events planned in the coming years. In the winter semester 2025/26, Prof. Dr. Vladimir Shikhman will give a lecture on the topic of “Cultural assets of mathematics and WORK”, followed by lectures on “Cultural assets of mathematics and MEDICINE” and “Cultural assets of mathematics and PHILOSOPHY” with the participation of recognized scientists.

Research at the interface of music and mathematics

An international research team led by Monika Dörfler from the Institute of Mathematics is shedding light on another exciting aspect of the connection between music and mathematics. A WWTF project that runs until the end of 2012 is investigating how mathematical methods can be used to model and manipulate sound.

The team aims to identify and extract specific sound objects from pieces of music using mathematical algorithms. These “musical objects” should then be processed by electronic music composers and integrated into the original sound streams. Dörfler, who is knowledgeable in both music and mathematics, coined the term “Audiominer,” which is intended for a planned software tool for identifying and extracting sound objects.

The project belongs to the area of ​​“Music Information Retrieval”, which is becoming increasingly important. This includes various approaches to searching for music on the Internet, with mathematics playing an essential role in signal processing - a prerequisite for playing music in MP3 format and elsewhere.

Overall, the two initiatives illustrate the deep-rooted relationship between mathematics and music, which is not only historical but also modern and future-oriented. The series of lectures at Chemnitz University of Technology and the ongoing research by Dörfler and her team are evidence of the continued importance of this interdisciplinary connection.