Musi-Tecture: Using Correlations between Music and Architecture to Explore New Creative Processes and Inspiration

Abstract

Comparisons of music and architecture have been drawn for centuries, going back to Goethe, who said “Architecture is frozen music.” This quotation was the inspiration for a project that focused on the aesthetic rather than the acoustic relationships between music and architecture. A closer look at the specifics of these two disciplines, especially terminology and sources of inspiration, can provide composers and designers the benefit of an expanded palette and perspective when designing and composing new works. Building on the faculty mentor’s published works by researching the creative process in both music and architecture, the project will culminate in an interactive website designed to inspire and inform. The research will involve four components: 1) interviewing practicing architects and musicians to discover common approaches and techniques when designing buildings and composing music; 2) reviewing the products of the Musi-Tecture class, which was taught by two professors to eight architecture majors and eight music majors; 3) reviewing the few published articles on this interdisciplinary subject; and 4) designing an innovative website that will allow users to listen to music while viewing complementary architecture; to see side-by-side definitions of common terminology; to explore the creative process in these two disciplines; and have links to websites that will allow them to design their own buildings while listening to music or improvise music while viewing an architectural design.