The Golden Ratio in Music: Compositional Practice or the Result of Genius?

Abstract

The Golden Ratio, present in almost everything that exists in nature, has fascinated and inspired scientists, philosophers, artists, and architects since Antiquity. Throughout history, the Golden Ratio played an important role in the compositional structure of various artworks, but the mystery of this divine proportion has remained unexplained. From an aesthetic point of view, this enigmatic number is considered the expression of perfect proportion. Throughout history, one of the main concerns of composers from all periods was the creation of balanced and harmonious structures in their musical compositions. Numerous musical works employ already familiar rules, while in others, the emergence of new principles may be a sign of originality. Certainly, in the few studies that deal with the Golden Ratio in music, convincing or at least plausible arguments have been advanced regarding the importance of the golden number. Yet, exploring the musical literature, there are still relevant aspects to be found and formulated concerning this subject. In this sense, the aim of the current study is to present several methods of using this compositional technique, and implicitly the positioning of the Golden Ratio in correlation with its effects and auditory perception, exemplified through several compositional landmarks from the works of various composers.