Music and architecture: a quantitive and qualitative study

Author

Walter Patton Watkins

Date of Award

5-2000

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Architecture

Major

Architecture

Major Professor

Tracy Moir-McClean

Abstract

This thesis explores the relationship between music and architecture in terms of their qualitative and quantitative aspects of harmony and rhythm. Quantitative aspects of harmony and rhythm in music, such as interval and meter, are compared to quantitative aspects of har-mony and rhythm in architecture, such as proportion and density. Qualitative aspects of har-mony and rhythm in music are discussed in terms of aural consonance and dissonance, while qualitative aspects of harmony and rhythm in architecture are discussed in terms of visual consonance and dissonance. The design portion of this thesis, an amphitheater in Worlds Fair park in downtown Knoxville, is an attempt to link both music and architecture in the creative process. Analysis was conducted to determine the qualitative and quantitative elements of the site. The author then composed an piece of music and created the design for the amphitheater with the intent of reflect these elements of the site in both.

Recommended Citation

Watkins, Walter Patton, "Music and architecture: a quantitive and qualitative study. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 2000.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/9520