IRT the mathematical allusion, I was talking about the counting of the beat,
the derivation of the harmonic series, and the science of acoustics.
Granted, the most accessible thing to a 16 year old, is the beat, but the
other things are underlying aspects that are still there, no matter how
accessible. The ancient Greeks' music was WRITTEN mathematically.
Shoenberg, brought this idea to the forefront again with his12-tone system
and matrices, and Boulez took it to extremes with his Structures, where
EVERY aspect of the piece(s) were determined with matrices.
I agree that music is the emanation of composers, creating their art.
However, I am a composer, and most (if not all) composers are somewhat aware
of the inherent mathematics of music. I think we're starting to head down
that road of defining what music is, which is a totally new topic and could
fuel discussion for years. Anyhow, more logically than mathematically (but
still in the same school), composition utilizes the philosophy of
"efficiency of material". Bach's Die Kunst Der Fugue is a perfect example
of this..."how many ways can I cram this same tune (set of notes) into this
piece?" Bach stretched it out into 19 different fugues and a couple canons!
Bottom line for this discussion, and the point I was trying to make, is that
music crosses the line between logical thought and creative thought. People
who do this successfully ARE more intelligent.