On the Sensations of Tone is one of the world's greatest scientific
classics. It bridges the gap between the natural sciences and music
theory and, nearly a century after its first publication, it is still a
standard text for the study of physiological acoustics -- the scientific
basis of musical theory. It is also a treasury of knowledge for
musicians and students of music and a major work in the realm of
aesthetics, making important contributions to physics, anatomy, and
physiology in its establishment of the physical theory of music.
Difficult scientific concepts are explained simply and easily for the
general reader.
The first two parts of this book deal with the physics and physiology of
music. Part I explains the sensation of sound in general, vibrations,
sympathetic resonances, and other phenomena. Part II cover combinational
tones and beats, and develops Helmholtz's famous theory explaining why
harmonious chords are in the ratios of small whole numbers (a problem
unsolved since Pythagoras).
Part III contains the author's theory on the aesthetic relationship of
musical tones. After a survey of the different principles of musical
styles in history (tonal systems of Pythagoras, the Church, the Chinese,
Arabs, Persians, and others), he makes a detailed study of our own tonal
system (keys, discords, progression of parts).
Important points in this 576-page work are profusely illustrated with
graphs, diagrams, tables, and musical examples. 33 appendices discuss
pitch, acoustics, and music, and include a very valuable table and study
of the history of pitch in Europe from the fourteenth to the nineteenth
centuries.
