Science and Music
The distinguished physicist describes the scientific principles of musical sound in a precise, non-technical way that will engage both amateur and serious musicians. Topics include development of human hearing, general properties of sound curves, transmission and reproduction of sound curves, methods of producing sound, and harmony and discord. Includes 75 illustrations
1 online resource
9781306352192, 9780486139746, 1306352193, 0486139743
868273354
Print version:
DOVER BOOKS ON MUSIC, MUSIC HISTORY; Title Page; Copyright Page; Dedication; Table of Contents; Table of Figures; PREFACE; CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION; The Coming of Music; The Sense of Hearing; The Human Ear; The Process of Hearing; Sound-Curves; The Transmission of Sound; CHAPTER II
TUNING-FORKS AND PURE TONES; Pure Tones; Period, Frequency and Pitch; Frequency ratios within the octave; Frequencies of tones from CCCC to cvi (c2 = 512); Simple Harmonic Curves; General Theory of Vibrations; Simultaneous Vibrations; Energy; Simultaneous Sounds; Superposing Vibrations of the same Period. LoudnessInterference of Sound; Beats; Difference and Summation Tones; Forced Vibrations; Resonance; Sound Analysis; CHAPTER III
THE VIBRATIONS OF STRINGS AND HARMONICS; Experiments with the Monochord; Mersenne's Laws; The Free Vibrations of a String; Waves travelling along a String; Harmonics; Nodes and Loops; String Tone; Harmonic Analysis; String Plucked at its Middle Point; Analysis of a Sound-Curve; Natural Harmonics and Resonance; Timbre and the Harmonic Analysis of Sound; Harmonic Synthesis; Plucked String; Struck String. Distribution of Energy between the various Harmonics of a StringPiano Tone; Relative Intensity of Harmonics (striking point one-seventh from the end); Bowed Strings; Violin Tone; CHAPTER IV
THE VIBRATIONS OF AIR; The Spring of Air; The Vibrations of a Column of Air; The Speed of Sound; The Speed of Sound in Gases other than Air; Refraction of Sound; Air Vibrations in Music; Whirlpools and Whirlwinds; The "Wind Whistle"; The Aeolian Harp; Edge Tones; Flue Organ-Pipes; Stopped and Open Pipes; Reed Organ-Pipes; Orchestral Wind Instruments; CHAPTER V
HARMONY AND DISCORD. Through Beats to DiscordConcord associated with Small Numbers; Euler's Theory of Harmony; D'Alembert's Theory of Harmony; Helmholtz's Theory of Harmony; The Origin of the Musical Scale; The Problem of Temperament; The Pythagorean Scale; The Mean-Tone Scale; The Equal-Temperament Scale; Just Intonation; Key Characteristics; The Music of the Future; More Complex Scales; CHAPTER VI
THE CONCERT ROOM; The Transmission of Sound-Waves; Reflection and Absorption of Sound; Reverberation; General Theory of Acoustics; Acoustical Analyses; Conditions for Good Hearing; The Optimum Reverberation Period. The Optimum Size of OrchestraThe Ideal Concert Room; CHAPTER VII
HEARING; The Threshold of Hearing; Two Psychological Laws; The Scale of Sound Intensity; The Scale of Loudness; The Threshold of Pain; Tones created by the Ear; Difference and Summation Tones; Practical Uses of Difference Tones; The Mechanism of the Ear; Hearing in Animals; INDEX; A CATALOG OF SELECTED DOVER BOOKS IN SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS