What the book is about
Sedley Taylor wrote this book to bring Helmholtz's discoveries to musicians without heavy mathematics. It explains pitch, loudness and quality, how harmonics combine to form timbre, and why some intervals sound smooth while others beat.
It is a gentle and still useful introduction to the acoustics of harmony, written at a time when the science of sound was transforming music theory.
Key ideas
- Pitch, loudness and quality
- Harmonics and timbre
- Beats and consonance
- Temperament