Sound of Music

This book explains that the essence of music lies in intangible mental realms. While vibrations generate sound, and sound forms music, music represents something far beyond mere phenomena—a higher form of expression. This book describes how vibrations are transmitted to the human ear, stirring emotions and ultimately moving the soul. This complex process defies full comprehension. Nevertheless, humanity has long sought to uncover the secrets of music and sound, striving since ancient times to objectively interpret them. This book begins by exploring this endeavor as both a way of observing phenomena and attempting to understand the world, posing the following questions: How have we interpreted music and sound throughout history? What origins have we ascribed to music and sound? How have we analyzed sound phenomena with different technologies up to the present day? This book was written with the hope that learning the fundamentals of sound will benefit not only music majors but also people from other fields interested in music. Throughout history, scholars have observed and analyzed music and sound from different perspectives, initially seeking to understand sound through numerical frameworks and later employing scientific experimentation to analyze it more precisely. The observations and theories discovered along the way have established a rich body of knowledge, enabling us to accurately understand sound phenomena through mathematics and science. This book emphasizes that the artistic domain of music and the scientifically analyzed realm of sound are bound in an inseparable, symbiotic relationship. It argues that those who truly wish to understand music must acquire knowledge of sound. The quality of sound (La qualité du Son), as this book demonstrates, plays a crucial role in shaping the emotional impact of music, with listeners’ experiences varying significantly based on sound quality. In some respects, sound itself may play an even more important role than any other aspect in forming music. To this end, this book draws on existing knowledge in the field of music acoustics, an academic discipline that scientifically and musically studies sound phenomena. While many acoustics texts focus heavily on formulas and technical perspectives, which can alienate readers from other disciplines or obscure the connection to music, this book strives to bridge that gap by avoiding overly specialized approaches and emphasizing historical contexts that enrich the understanding of music and sound. This book provides foundational knowledge of music and sound from diverse perspectives while explaining their connections within the historical contexts of music and science. To deepen the reader’s understanding, it harmonizes past observations and theoretical results into a coherent narrative. Recognizing that the perception of sound is not solely a mental process, this book visualizes these abstract processes for greater clarity. Historical materials, spanning from ancient to modern times, further illuminate the intricate relationships between music and sound. Central to this discussion is the idea that understanding sound often requires visualizing hidden relationships. To this end, this book includes related illustrations that reveal these relationships, allowing readers to engage with the perspectives of ancient scholars and connect with their ideas and writings. Designed for musicians, general readers, students in interdisciplinary fields, and anyone interested in sound and music, this book avoids delving into the complex mathematical and physical formulas often associated with acoustics. Instead, it highlights the principles of sound perception and the historical significance of music and sound within a broader intellectual context. For those seeking more in-depth exploration, a comprehensive list of references is provided.