Joseph Sauveur

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Joseph Sauveur (1653-1716) was a French mathematician and physicist. He was a professor of mathematics and in 1696 became a member of the French Academy of Sciences.

Sauveur is known for his detailed studies regarding the science of acoustics. He is credited for coining the term acoustique, which he derived from the ancient Greek word ακουστός, meaning "able to be heard". His work involved researching the correlation between frequency and musical pitch, and he did studies on subjects such as the vibrating string, tuning pitch, harmonics, ranges of voices and musical instruments, et al.

Sauveur also created a measure of intervals concerning the octave. The following are some of the terms Sauveur used as logarithmic divisions:

  • méride: 1/43 part of an octave
  • eptaméride: 1/301 part of an octave, or 1/7 of a méride; this term would later be known as a savart.
  • demi-heptaméride: 1/602 part of an octave; 1/2 of an eptaméride.
  • decaméride: 1/3010 part of an octave; 1/10 of an eptaméride
  • Also 1/55 of an ocatve would become known as a "Sauveur comma".

Compilation of Written Works about Joseph Sauveur:

  • Joseph Sauveur: Collected Writings on Musical Acoustics (Paris 1700–1713); edited by Rudolf Rasch (The Diapason Press).

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