Full Description
Originally published in 1919, this book examines the junction between music and psychology, particularly harmony. Watt discusses the roots of key features of music, such as consecutive fifths, pitch and musical aesthetics. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in music and the theories underlying its construction and reception.
Contents
Preface; 1. The reduction of instrumental tones to a single series of pure tones; 2. Analytic description and theory of the series of pure tones; 3. Degrees and theory of consonance and dissonance (fusion); 4. The relations of fusion to beats, partials, and difference-tones; 5. The consonance of successive tones; 6. The nature of interval; 7. The musical range of pitch; 8. Our point of view towards the auditory field; 9. The relative importance of synthesis and of analysis; 10. The equivalence of octaves; 11. Consecutive fifths; 12. The system of facts regarding consecutives; 13. The reason for the prohibition of consecutives; 14. Exceptions to the prohibition of consecutives; 15. Hidden octaves and fifths, etc.; 16. A fourth from the bass; 17. Common chords or concordance; 18. Melodic motion in relation to degrees of consonance; 19. Melody (or paraphony) as the primary basis of music; 20. The factors that modify paraphony; 21. Retrospect and the outlook for theory; 22. Synopsis or outlines of instruction; 23. The objectivity of beauty; 24. Aesthetics as a pure science; Works cited; Index of authors; Index of subjects.
