The_Ultimate_Melody

The Ultimate Melody

The Ultimate Melody

Short story by Arthur C. Clarke

"The Ultimate Melody" is a science fiction short story by British writer Arthur C. Clarke, first published in 1957.[1] The story describes the work of a physiologist who attempts to discover the connections between music and the rhythms of the electrical pulses in the brain. He believed that all "hit-tunes" were merely poor reflections of an "ultimate" melody, and he built a machine to search for this tune. By the end of the story, he succeeds, but the influence of the melody is so powerful that he becomes completely catatonic.

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The piece was later published as the sixth story in Clarke's collection Tales from the White Hart.[2]

References

  1. [1]
    "Bibliography: The Ultimate Melody". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  2. [2]
    Clarke, Arthur C. (1957). Tales from the White Hart. London: Ballantine Books. p. Forward.


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