Numerical Symbolism in some of Scriabin’s late piano works, in “Journal of the Scriabin Society of America”, Vol.10, No.1, Winter 2005-2006, pp.41-55.

From a formal point of view, Scriabin's invention seems to be rather simple with frequent repetitions of phrases or whole sections. Yet it is necessary not to dwell upon this first impression. One must try to determine whether the use of repetitive and often symmetrical forms result from a possible hidden structure expressing itself by numbers or proportions. In fact, according to Scriabin, music was fundamentally a mathematical science.It is a tangible manifestation of the hidden properties of numbers in accordance with an ancient conception that dates back to Pythagoras from Samo.

Scriabin's use of schematics expressed itself primarily in a formal architecture square. He would calculate the exact function of every note when he started the composition of a new work. He maintained "form must be as clear as a quartz crystal".[1]
Regarding the importance of number in Scriabin's musical works, biographer Leonid Sabaneev states that the composer based his works especially upon rational structural formulas. According to Sabaneev, the omnipresence of number in the Universe should also have an influence on the "Work of total Art". Hence there is the utmost rigour in the derived structure.
"Scriabin loved to illustrate his thought by means of diagrams and graphs. He drew them very accurately with a ruler and a compass. By the use of lines and geometrical shapes, he tried to represent the relations among the world, man and God, among reality, art and religion".[2]

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