Those who have read Einstein’s biography may not easily forget another life of this scientific giant: he was often intoxicated in beautiful melodies and touched the universe in the harmony of beauty. nerve".

Some people may ask, what is the connection between music and Einstein’s scientific life?

Before answering this question, we might as well turn our attention to Einstein's family background. Einstein's mother, Pauline, was a good wife and mother, well-educated, fond of literature, and even more fond of music. She is a talented musician, and the music education the children receive should first of all be attributed to her. When Pauline's fingertips gently touched the keys, the beautiful melody flowed out like flowing water. Little Einstein suddenly found himself in a beautiful and magical world, where the lights and shadows changed endlessly, which made people forget. Come back and think about it. Needless to say, Pauline was a very far-sighted mother, and her children's musical education began very early. At the age of 6, Einstein learned to play the violin and his sister Maya learned the piano. Later, Einstein also learned to play the piano. As time went by, Einstein gradually became fascinated by music. After the age of 13, when he understood the mathematical structure of harmony and musical form, and when he experienced the indescribable joy brought by playing Mozart's sonatas, music became the Become the love of his life.

Einstein loved classical music, such as Schubert, Mozart, Bach, Haydn, etc., who were all music masters he particularly admired. For him, the two German musical schools, from Bach to Beethoven and Mozart, clearly demonstrated the essence of music. In Moskovsky's words, the soaring Bach music reminded Einstein not only of the structural shape of a Gothic church towering into the clouds, but also of the rigorous logic of mathematical structures. As for Mozart, his music "has a certain astonishing independence from time, place and environment, which is exactly the music created for Einstein" (Federer Klein). In short, classical music condenses the "harmony of the universe", where deep feelings and far-reaching meanings are intertwined with beautiful forms. In Einstein's view, this unity means the greatest happiness in the world. Listening to the dreamy "sounds of nature", the strings of the piano and the heart will involuntarily produce harmonious cries. As a result, the self-contemplation of life rises to an absolute power through music, and this power in turn becomes It absorbs various feelings and melts them into a superb and beautiful reality. There is no doubt that music is the paradise of his soul. He can abandon all the noise of the world at any time, freely step into the wonderful kingdom of music, and immerse himself in romantic reverie and profound thoughts...

②Science and Music

Einstein sometimes played the piano impromptu, which meant recreation after work, or entertainment or motivation before work. But his favorite thing is the violin. During the years of wandering around, Einstein and the violin were always inseparable. There was hardly a day without Einstein playing the violin, and playing music became his "second career." No matter where he travels, even when attending serious scientific conferences, he never forgets to carry his piano case with him. After becoming a famous scholar, he often performed on stage in Berlin and the United States to raise funds for charity. However, more often than not, he plays with many like-minded friends in the scientific community and enjoys a happy time. Of course, Einstein did not entertain for the sake of entertainment, but used music to penetrate into the "vast and boundless universe" and gain a transpersonal experience.

According to C. Sellis’s recollection, Einstein played with Professor Stern on some occasions. Once, at Stern's house, Einstein had a lively argument with a physicist. The public was right and the mother-in-law was right, but no one could convince the other. After dinner, Einstein pointed to the violin he carried with him and said, "Now let's go to the music room and perform what you love so much - Handel (Note: German Hindel: This is a pun. On the one hand, the composer The name, on the other hand, means 'argument')." Another character is Ehrenfest, who was a real match for Einstein, and often clarified confusing thoughts in a heated exchange of words. Ehrenfest was also an excellent pianist and loved to accompany Einstein. Sometimes, in the middle of a piece of music, Einstein would suddenly stop and strike the strings with his bow, signaling the accompaniment to stop as well. At this time, perhaps a beautiful melody inspired him, and Einstein began his scientific monologue again.

If there were obstacles in the progress of his thoughts, Einstein would go to the piano and play three clear chords powerfully and repeatedly with both hands, as if he was constantly knocking on God's closed door. Planck, the founder of quantum theory, often held concerts at his home, and Einstein was a frequent visitor. Planck played the piano well, and Einstein often played Beethoven's works with him. These two masters of theoretical physics have a close heart. Whether in the field of science or art, they communicate with each other in an intimate "language" and jointly draw a magnificent blueprint.

It can be said that music, as a spiritual catalyst, quietly penetrated into Einstein's scientific thinking. Einstein had excellent intuitive ability about things. This amazing intuitive ability is actually similar to the artist's imagination. For example, Einstein's "chasing light" experiment (that is, what kind of picture a person will see if he rides on a beam of light and follows its movement) is one of the most typical artistic expressions. He believed that nature was simple, harmonious, and unified, and he was convinced that the universe had an ultimate simplicity and beauty. Therefore, he looked at the laws of nature from an artistic perspective. N. Russell, who had worked with Einstein for many years, praised the method he adopted for its striking similarity to that used by artists: his purpose was to achieve simplicity and beauty. And B. Hoffman simply called him a "scientific artist". Einstein himself also emphasized the role of intuitive imagination in scientific research. He said: "Imagination is more important than knowledge, because knowledge is limited, and imagination summarizes everything in the world, promotes progress, and is the evolution of knowledge. Source."

Einstein may have had more to say about music. He has the following wonderful statement: "The research work in the fields of music and physics are different in origin, but are connected by the same goal, which is the desire to express the unknown. Their reactions are Different, but they complement each other. The world can be composed of musical notes or mathematical formulas. "In his mind, the beauty of science and the beauty of music are connected and complementary: science reveals what is happening in nature. What is unknown, and music reveals what is unknown in the human spirit, and what cannot be revealed in any other way than through music. For Einstein, understanding the world is the main content of the human spirit. Because science as Einstein understood it—especially nonclassical science—embodies profound humanity in very clear ways.

Einstein often referred to the great achievements of science as "the highest musical charm in the field of thought", which may be used to summarize the highest realm that Einstein himself pursued throughout his life

In short, let’s put it this way, music is a catalyst for science and life, not only for Einstein and not only for science. It will make you more energetic and creative. Music has no borders.