{"id":23,"date":"2008-07-17T10:13:48","date_gmt":"2008-07-17T09:13:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spheres.edublogs.org\/?page_id=30"},"modified":"2016-10-05T19:54:26","modified_gmt":"2016-10-05T18:54:26","slug":"science-of-sound","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.paulj.myzen.co.uk\/blog\/teaching\/spheres\/lectures\/science-of-sound\/","title":{"rendered":"1: The Science of Sound"},"content":{"rendered":"<table border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"10\" cellpadding=\"10\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/www.paulj.myzen.co.uk\/blog\/teaching\/spheres\/files\/2008\/07\/harmonic-series.png\" alt=\"Harmonic Series\" width=\"435\" height=\"145\" \/><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>In this section, we will examine certain physical characteristics of sound and will consider the ways in which sound is manifested in music. Beginning with the observations of Pythagoras, we will attempt to develop a basic understanding of the properties of sound waves, their use in harmonic and tonal-based systems of music composition, and the ways in which these phenomena are perceived.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>This is a complex area, and one which has occupied many theorists over the centuries. There are many (sometimes, very lengthy) tracts on the finer points of tuning and temperament, the details of which lay outside the scope of this session. More importantly, we will attempt to explore the &#8216;relative&#8217; nature of musical correspondences, questioning the notion that western musical pitch relations are, in essence, a natural construct.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>This topic will therefore lay the foundation for a consideration and analysis of music encountered in subsequent sessions.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<h3>Class Documents<\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.paulj.myzen.co.uk\/blog\/teaching\/spheres\/files\/2008\/07\/Lecture-1-notes.pdf\">Lecture 1 &#8211; notes<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Score Examples\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.paulj.myzen.co.uk\/blog\/teaching\/spheres\/files\/2008\/07\/2-Harmonic-Series.pdf\">1 &#8211; Harmonic Series<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.paulj.myzen.co.uk\/blog\/teaching\/spheres\/files\/2008\/07\/3-Tuning-and-Temperaments.pdf\">2 &#8211; Tuning and Temperaments<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.paulj.myzen.co.uk\/blog\/teaching\/spheres\/files\/2008\/07\/1-Organum.pdf\">3 &#8211; Organum<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.paulj.myzen.co.uk\/blog\/teaching\/spheres\/files\/2008\/07\/4-Major-and-minor-chords-with-overtones.pdf\">4 &#8211; Major and minor chords with overtones<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Sound Examples\n<ul>\n<li><a id=\"6a11f020afe5a\" rel=\"wp-video-lightbox\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=jkXJ5aiA2EM&#038;width=853&#038;height=480\" title=\"\">Scolica Enchiriadis: Non nobis Domine<\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(853);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.56271981242673);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=jkXJ5aiA2EM&amp;width=853&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.56271981242673);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+853+\", ratio \"+0.56271981242673+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('height', new_url, height);\r\n                $(\"a#6a11f020afe5a\").attr('href', new_url);\r\n                \/\/console.log(new_url);\r\n            }\r\n        });\r\n    });\r\n    \/* ]]> *\/\r\n    <\/script><\/li>\n<li><a id=\"6a11f020afee0\" rel=\"wp-video-lightbox\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=mmNUhVOFHBM&#038;width=853&#038;height=480\" title=\"\">Le Chant des Templiers - Antiphona: Crucem Sanctam<\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(853);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.56271981242673);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=mmNUhVOFHBM&amp;width=853&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.56271981242673);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+853+\", ratio \"+0.56271981242673+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('height', new_url, height);\r\n                $(\"a#6a11f020afee0\").attr('href', new_url);\r\n                \/\/console.log(new_url);\r\n            }\r\n        });\r\n    });\r\n    \/* ]]> *\/\r\n    <\/script><\/li>\n<li>Louis-Fran\u00e7ois Dauprat: Minuetto<\/li>\n<li><a id=\"6a11f020aff0e\" rel=\"wp-video-lightbox\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=mkLyK-oSQ7A&#038;width=853&#038;height=480\" title=\"\">Benjamin Britten: Prologue from Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings<\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(853);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.56271981242673);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=mkLyK-oSQ7A&amp;width=853&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.56271981242673);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+853+\", ratio \"+0.56271981242673+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('height', new_url, height);\r\n                $(\"a#6a11f020aff0e\").attr('href', new_url);\r\n                \/\/console.log(new_url);\r\n            }\r\n        });\r\n    });\r\n    \/* ]]> *\/\r\n    <\/script><\/li>\n<li>Kalmoukie: Kh\u00f6\u00f6mii<\/li>\n<li><a id=\"6a11f020aff34\" rel=\"wp-video-lightbox\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=V76psBrEypg&#038;width=853&#038;height=480\" title=\"\">Tuvan throat singing<\/a>    <script>\r\n    \/* <![CDATA[ *\/\r\n    jQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n        $(function(){\r\n            var width = $(window).innerWidth();\r\n            var setwidth = parseFloat(853);\r\n            var ratio = parseFloat(0.56271981242673);\r\n            var height = parseFloat(480);\r\n            var link = 'https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=V76psBrEypg&amp;width=853&amp;height=480';\r\n            if(width < setwidth)\r\n            {\r\n                height = Math.floor(width * 0.56271981242673);\r\n                \/\/console.log(\"device width \"+width+\", set width \"+853+\", ratio \"+0.56271981242673+\", new height \"+ height);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('width', link, width);\r\n                var new_url = wpvl_paramReplace('height', new_url, height);\r\n                $(\"a#6a11f020aff34\").attr('href', new_url);\r\n                \/\/console.log(new_url);\r\n            }\r\n        });\r\n    });\r\n    \/* ]]> *\/\r\n    <\/script><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Fujara samples\" href=\"http:\/\/www.fujara.sk\/audio_samples.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Fujara<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Fujara - Hej, coze ma je po nom, po poli zelenom\" href=\"http:\/\/www.fujara.sk\/audio\/cd_shop\/traditional\/fujaristi_z_podpolania\/hej_coze_ma_je_po_nom.mp3\" target=\"_blank\">Hej, coze ma je po nom, po poli zelenom<\/a><\/li>\n<li>The following illustrate an <a title=\"EARS - Auditory Illusion\" href=\"http:\/\/ears.pierrecouprie.fr\/spip.php?article94\" target=\"_blank\">auditory illusion<\/a> known as circularity in pitch judgement, first noted by Roger Shepard, and later by Jean-Claude Risset (see also Diana Deutsch&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/deutsch.ucsd.edu\/psychology\/pages.php?i=201\">Illusions and Research<\/a> examples.\n<ul>\n<li>Discrete :[audio:Shephard.mp3 |titles=Discrete Shephard Tone]<\/li>\n<li>Continuous :[audio:Shephard-Risset.mp3 |titles=Continuous Shephard Tone]<\/li>\n<li>Continuous Descent 2 :[audio:Shepard_Tones.mp3 |titles=Continuous Descent Shephard Tone]<\/li>\n<li>Infinite Descent :[audio:DescenteInfinie.mp3 |titles=Infinite Descent Shephard Tone]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Text Examples &#8211; A complete translation of Plato&#8217;s <a title=\"Timaeus by Plato\" href=\"http:\/\/classics.mit.edu\/Plato\/timaeus.1b.txt\" target=\"_blank\">Timaeus<\/a> is available\u00a0 from the <a title=\"Internet Classics Archive\" href=\"http:\/\/classics.mit.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\">Internet Classics Archive<\/a>, and the relevant part, in which the ratios of the Pythagorean scale are described &#8211; the Music of the Spheres &#8211; is available for download <a href=\"http:\/\/www.paulj.myzen.co.uk\/blog\/teaching\/spheres\/files\/2008\/07\/Timaeus.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Presentation Examples &#8211; A short presentation about <a title=\"Presentation Gallery - Pythagoras and Music\" href=\"http:\/\/www.paulj.myzen.co.uk\/blog\/teaching\/spheres\/lectures\/science-of-sound\/presentation-gallery\/\">Pythagoras and Music<\/a> given by Paul Jackson and Alison Ainley (Head of Philosophy) at the <a title=\"Cambridge Festival of Ideas\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cam.ac.uk\/festival-of-ideas\" target=\"_blank\">Cambridge Festival of Ideas<\/a> in 2008.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<h3>Audio<\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<ul>\n<li><a title=\"In Our Time - The Music of the Spheres\" href=\"http:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/radio4\/history\/inourtime\/inourtime_20080619.shtml\" target=\"_blank\">BBC Radio 4: In Our Time &#8211; The Music of the Spheres<\/a> Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the music of the spheres, the elegant and poetic idea that the revolution of the planets generates a celestial harmony of profound and transcendent beauty.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<h3>Video<\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/zmgFyBJ1MKU\">The Perfect Fifth<\/a> &#8211; from the French TV series Kaamelott, a fund, but probably accurate, depiction of the effect of medieval music making that &#8216;deviated&#8217; from Pythagorean values,<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<h3>Articles<\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<ul>\n<li><a title=\"Just Intonation Explained\" href=\"http:\/\/www.kylegann.com\/tuning.html\" target=\"_blank\">Just Intonation Explained<\/a> &#8211; Kyle Gann<\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Understanding Temperaments\" href=\"http:\/\/leware.net\/temper\/temper.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Understanding Temperaments<\/a> &#8211; Pierre Lewis<\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Pythagorean Tuning and Medieval Polyphony\" href=\"http:\/\/www.medieval.org\/emfaq\/harmony\/pyth.html\" target=\"_blank\">Pythagorean Tuning and Medieval Polyphony<\/a> &#8211; Margo Schulter<\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Relating Tuning and timbre\" href=\"http:\/\/eceserv0.ece.wisc.edu\/~sethares\/consemi.html\" target=\"_blank\">Relating Tuning and Timbre<\/a> &#8211; William Sethares<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<h3>Internet Sites<\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<ul>\n<li>The <a title=\"Whipple Musuem of the History of Science\" href=\"http:\/\/www.hps.cam.ac.uk\/whipple\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">Whipple Museum of the History of Science<\/a> in Cambridge has a significant collection of <a title=\"Whipple Musuem - Acoustics\" href=\"http:\/\/www.hps.cam.ac.uk\/whipple\/explore\/acoustics\/introduction\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"broken_link\">nineteenth century acoustical apparatus<\/a>, in particular several examples from the famous Parisian instrument maker <a title=\"Rudolph Koenig: the pursuit of acoustic perfection\" href=\"http:\/\/www.hps.cam.ac.uk\/whipple\/explore\/acoustics\/rudolphkoenig\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"broken_link\">Rudolph Koenig<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>The <a title=\"Online Interactive Harmonograph\" href=\"http:\/\/2008.sub.blue\/projects\/harmonograph.html\" target=\"_blank\">Online Interactive Harmonograph<\/a> allows you to experiment with different ratio settings that produce graphic results.<\/li>\n<li>This very useful <a title=\"Interval calculator\" href=\"http:\/\/www.dolmetsch.com\/intervalcalculator.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Interval Calculator <\/a>from <a title=\"Dolmetsch Online\" href=\"http:\/\/www.dolmetsch.com\/index.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Dolmetsch Online<\/a> enables you to convert from pitch to frequency to cents. <a title=\"Cents to Frequency\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sengpielaudio.com\/calculator-centsratio.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Here<\/a> is another one.<\/li>\n<li>The <a title=\"Research on Audiocommunication\" href=\"http:\/\/www.mmk.ei.tum.de\/fileadmin\/w00bqn\/www\/Personen\/Terhardt\/ter.html\" target=\"_blank\">Research on Audiocommunication<\/a> site, by Ernst Terhardt, contains many useful explanations of various aspects of the Perception of Auditory Pitch, and the Perception of Music Sound. You can download the whole site from <a title=\"Research in Audiocommunication Download\" href=\"ftp:\/\/ftp.mmk.e-technik.tu-muenchen.de\/pub\/akom\/ter\/etres04.zip\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>. Look particularly at the sections on <a title=\"Pitch perception\" href=\"http:\/\/www.mmk.ei.tum.de\/fileadmin\/w00bqn\/www\/Personen\/Terhardt\/ter\/top\/pitch.html\" target=\"_blank\">Pitch perception<\/a>, <a title=\"Definition of pitch\" href=\"http:\/\/www.mmk.ei.tum.de\/fileadmin\/w00bqn\/www\/Personen\/Terhardt\/ter\/top\/defpitch.html\" target=\"_blank\">Definition of pitch<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mmk.ei.tum.de\/fileadmin\/w00bqn\/www\/Personen\/Terhardt\/ter\/top\/specpitch.html\">Spectral pitch<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mmk.ei.tum.de\/fileadmin\/w00bqn\/www\/Personen\/Terhardt\/ter\/top\/virtualp.html\">Virtual pitch<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mmk.ei.tum.de\/fileadmin\/w00bqn\/www\/Personen\/Terhardt\/ter\/top\/absolute.html\">Absolute pitch<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mmk.ei.tum.de\/fileadmin\/w00bqn\/www\/Personen\/Terhardt\/ter\/top\/affinity.html\">Affinity of tones<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mmk.ei.tum.de\/fileadmin\/w00bqn\/www\/Personen\/Terhardt\/ter\/top\/octequiv.html\">Octave equivalence<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mmk.ei.tum.de\/fileadmin\/w00bqn\/www\/Personen\/Terhardt\/ter\/top\/muscons.html\">Musical consonance<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mmk.ei.tum.de\/fileadmin\/w00bqn\/www\/Personen\/Terhardt\/ter\/top\/harmony.html\">Harmony<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Ancient Greek Music\" href=\"http:\/\/www.oeaw.ac.at\/kal\/agm\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"broken_link\">Ancient Greek Music<\/a> contains computer-generated examples of extant melodies, together with sound examples from reconstructed instruments.<\/li>\n<li>The <a title=\"Tuning and Temperament Bibliography\" href=\"http:\/\/www.huygens-fokker.org\/docs\/bibliography.html\" target=\"_blank\">Tuning and Temperament Bibliography<\/a> at the <a title=\"Huygens-Fokker Foundation Centre for Microtonal Music\" href=\"http:\/\/www.huygens-fokker.org\/index_en.html\" target=\"_blank\">Huygens-Fokker Foundation Centre for Microtonal Music<\/a> contains a huge list of texts and online articles relating to matters of tuning and temperament.<\/li>\n<li>The <a title=\"The Physics Classroom\" href=\"http:\/\/www.physicsclassroom.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Physics Classroom<\/a> section on <a title=\"Sound Waves and Music\" href=\"http:\/\/www.physicsclassroom.com\/Class\/sound\/\" target=\"_blank\">Sound Waves and Music<\/a>, whilst intended for American high school physics students, provides a good introduction to the properties of musical sounds for non-physicists.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\">\n<h3>Music<\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<ul>\n<li><a title=\"Fujara\" href=\"http:\/\/www.fujara.sk\/\" target=\"_blank\">Fujara<\/a> contains information and examples from the Slovakian wind instrument that uses only notes of the Harmonic Series.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this section, we will examine certain physical characteristics of sound and will consider the ways in which sound is manifested in music. Beginning with the observations of Pythagoras, we will attempt to develop a basic understanding of the properties of sound waves, their use in harmonic and tonal-based systems of music composition, and the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":18,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paulj.myzen.co.uk\/blog\/teaching\/spheres\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paulj.myzen.co.uk\/blog\/teaching\/spheres\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paulj.myzen.co.uk\/blog\/teaching\/spheres\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paulj.myzen.co.uk\/blog\/teaching\/spheres\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paulj.myzen.co.uk\/blog\/teaching\/spheres\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23"}],"version-history":[{"count":65,"href":"https:\/\/www.paulj.myzen.co.uk\/blog\/teaching\/spheres\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2025,"href":"https:\/\/www.paulj.myzen.co.uk\/blog\/teaching\/spheres\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23\/revisions\/2025"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paulj.myzen.co.uk\/blog\/teaching\/spheres\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paulj.myzen.co.uk\/blog\/teaching\/spheres\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}