ARISTOTLE (384–322 BC)
"The ancient Greeks were the first to construct a scale of colours divided into seven parts, on the analogy of the seven musical notes and the seven known planets. In this scale all colours derived from a mixture of black and white. Consonances of tonal intervals were transferred to colours". ⁛
In Aristotle’s "De Sensu" (On the Soul), he discussed the senses and perception. He proposed that the senses are faculties that receive information from the external world. He discussed the relationship between sound and hearing. He argued that hearing is the sense that allows us to perceive sound, and he explained the process of how vibrations in the air (or other media) produce auditory sensations in the ear. The ancient Greeks were the first to construct a scale of colours divided into seven parts, using the analogy of the seven musical notes and the seven known planets. In this scale, all colours were derived from a mixture of black and white. Consonances of tonal intervals were transferred to colours (Aristotle, De sensu et sensibilibus, 439b–442a). Aristotle’s theory of colour was considered valid into the 17th century, and different colours were associated with various tonal intervals in the 16th and 17th centuries, although usually in connection with further analogies in such heterogeneous fields as levels of being, the planets, the elements, the phases of human life, and degrees of knowledge.⁛
JOHANNES KEPLER (1571-1630)
Johannes Kepler, the German mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher, is known for his significant contributions to the fields of astronomy and mathematics. While he did not explicitly focus on colour and sound in the same way he did with planetary motion, he did touch upon these subjects in his works, particularly in relation to his interests in the harmony of the universe. One of Kepler’s most relevant works on the topic is his book "Harmonices Mundi" (Harmony of the World), published in 1619. In this work, Kepler explored the relationships between the planetary orbits and musical harmonies, proposing that the planets produce musical tones as they move through space. This idea was rooted in the Pythagorean belief in the harmony of the spheres, where each planet was associated with a specific musical pitch based on its distance from the Sun. Kepler’s "Harmonices Mundi" included a section where he discussed the relationship between musical intervals and colours. He attempted to find a correspondence between the ratios of musical intervals and the ratios of the wavelengths of colors. He proposed a mathematical relationship between the musical scale and the visible spectrum of colors, suggesting that there was an underlying harmony connecting these two domains. However, it’s important to note that Kepler’s ideas about the relationship between colour and sound were speculative and rooted in a Pythagorean worldview. His work was more a reflection of his belief in cosmic harmony and mathematical relationships governing the universe rather than a scientifically accurate description of colour and sound interactions.⁛
PYTHAGORAS (570-490 BC)
An interpretation of Pythagoras’s teachings suggests that the fundamental basis of all harmony lies in the arrangement of the planets between the earth and the sphere of fixed stars. Aristotle, likely the first to explore color mixtures, proposed a linear arrangement of colors. Lastly, a personal interpretation of Plato’s color system, drawn from his Timaios, posits that the eye doesn't receive light but instead projects a ray of vision towards an object. ⁛
The concept of colour-music correspondence, or the idea that colours and musical tones are interconnected, has a long and complex history that extends back to antiquity. Various cultures and thinkers have explored the relationship between colour and music, although it's important to note that interpretations and beliefs about this relationship have varied widely across different time periods and civilizations.
PLATO (427—347 BC)
Around 370 B.C. or so, Plato wrote Timaeus, in which the soul of the world is described as having these same musical ratios. A cosmology was emerging in which the planets' radii (the planets' order actually varied, depending upon the author) were set with a ratio sequence of 1:2:3:4:8:9. Later, ratios would emerge with the following ratio sequence: Moon = 1; Venus = 2; Earth = 3; Mars = 4; Jupiter = 14; Saturn = 25. This sequence approximated the Greek diatonic musical scale's ratios, thus the planets were tied to music, and a concept of "the music of the spheres" was initiated. ⁛