Music and Mathematics Meet at Carnegie Hall

Music and Mathematics Meet at Carnegie Hall

BETHLEHEM, PA—Lehigh University Choral Arts performed at Carnegie Hall on November 21st, 2014, and when they did, one of the First In Math Online Program’s web designers was singing with them!

Casey Rule and other Choral Arts members.
FIM game designer Casey Rule (striped shirt) with other members of Lehigh University Choral Arts ensemble.

Casey Rule, a 2011 Lehigh graduate, is employed at Suntex International as a game designer and web developer, but spends much of the rest of his time writing choral music and singing with several choral groups, including the Lehigh University Choir. As a student, Rule studied Music Composition and Computer Science, and he was part of the first class of Lehigh students to earn an Integrated Degree in Engineering, Arts, and Sciences.

To Rule, math and music go hand-in-hand. “People often remark that my interest in both music and programming makes for an odd combination, but I have always found it to be a very natural partnership. Writing programs and writing music both involve finding the right balance of convention and creativity, and, although it’s not always obvious, both involve a great deal of math. Music, like most things, turns out to be full of math when you really understand it. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that many of the musicians I’ve known were also very successful engineering students.”

Robert Sun, creator of the 24® Game and the First In Math program, has always said that the essence of math is patterns. “Whether they realize it or not, musicians and composers use mathematics to create pleasing and harmonious sounds.” Indeed, without the boundaries of rhythmic structure—an equal and regular arrangement of pulse repetition, accent, phrase and duration—music would not be possible.

Throughout history, composers have incorporated the golden ratio and Fibonacci numbers into their work, and some modern music theorists have even used abstract algebra to analyze music.

Members of the Choral Union and University Choir performed two works composed and conducted by director Dr. Steven Sametz. The performance featured Grammy Award-winning soprano Carmen Pelton, soprano Tami Petty and Metropolitan Opera tenor William Burden. In addition to singing, Rule helped organize more than 100 returning Lehigh Choral Arts alumni who joined the performance—nearly 400 singers in all.


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