In modern times, we use two different sets of symbols: one for writing words (the alphabet A–Z), and another for writing numbers (the digits 0–9). But the ancient Greeks and Hebrews used the alphabet for both. Their numbers looked like strange words, and their words looked like strange numbers. This meant that every word naturally had a numeric value. The study of these numeric values is called gematria (pronounced geh-MAY-tree-uh). The ancients found creative uses for it: the names of Greek gods influenced the dimensions of the Parthenon, and Jewish mystics studied the numeric meanings of the Hebrew names of God. This book introduces a way to do musical gematria. It transforms words or phrases (especially names) into graceful and musically meaningful themes. The method is elegant, rooted in the spirit of the ancient traditions, yet infused with modern musical insight.
