Fundamentals of Sound

The study of sound is a multidisciplinary field that deals with the physical (e.g. vibrations, waves), physiological (e.g. construction of the ear), and perceptual (e.g. auditory sensations) correlates of sound production, transmission, processing, storing, reproduction, and reception. It forges a link among the physical, physiological, and perceptual frames of reference, examining ways in which physical and physiological aspects interact to gives rise to auditory sensations/perceptions.
An extension of this general study of sound, Cognitive Psychology of Sound addresses implicit and explicit processes involved in the organization of sonic perceptions into meaningful wholes and provides empirical support to the understanding of how we interpret and evaluate sound and sound structures. Cognitive Psychology of Sound is addressed in more detail elsewhere and will only be addressed here in passing.
For a good, comprehensive, introductory resource see Music & Science (at the Center for Music & Science; University of Cambridge)

Physical Acoustics (vibrational/physical frame of reference): examination of sound in terms of generation, transmission and modification of acoustic waves.
How is sound produced and how is it influenced by sound source material, construction, and excitation?
How does sound wave transmission through the air, etc. modify the sound before it reaches our ears?
What are the physical bases of our meaningful and emotional responses to sound?
Out of the many relevant areas, we will be touching on Musical, Architectural, and Environmental Acoustics.

Physiological Acoustics (biological/physiological frame of reference): human body reaction to sound vibrations.
How and with what accuracy do our ears process acoustic energy and how do they transform it into auditory sensations?
What are the physiological bases of our meaningful and emotional responses to sound?
The combination of Physical and Physiological Acoustics outlines the discipline of Psychoacoustics.

Signal processing / Notation (symbolic frame of reference): examination of sound waves in terms of their electronic, graphic, and mathematical representations; a special case of semiotics, to which music notation also belongs.
How does manipulating analogues/symbols relate to manipulating acoustic waves and sound sensations, and vice versa?
What is the formal basis of our meaningful and emotional responses to sound?
In the context of our course, we will be limiting our investigation to a small subset of graphic representations of sound (i.e. sound signals & spectra) and to the conceptual understanding of digital audio basics.

"How Music Works" - David Byrne (2012) seven short video interviews on the book with the same name (book review by The Guardian) AUDIO BOOK: Part 1 Part 2	MUSIC For the purposes of this course, we adopt the following operational definition: Music is temporally organized sound and silence, a-referentially communicative within a context. Emphasis is on the temporal and communicative aspects of music. Music is an essentially temporal art [music as virtual time (S. Langer) - music as means for articulating our emotional dimension (J. Reimer)]. In listening to music, there is always some sort of response, some kind of behavioral change, indicating that we "received" and/or participated in the creation of something. What is received is an intention communicated in terms of patterning/configuring/organizing, akin to the prosodic dimension of language (prosody: the rhythmic and intonation aspects of language). The importance of context is a direct consequence of music as communication. All communication involves shared and unshared knowing, and this is what we will broadly refer to as context. Analogously to abstract animation, the potential of music to communicate a-referentially, that is without necessarily having to refer/point to anything other the sounds themselves, distinguishes it from linguistic communication. Music may be seen as a "noun-less" language, made just from verbs (potential / motion / action / narrative; concepts with a fundamentally temporal dimension).
MUSIC & COMMUNICATION Understanding music involves interpretive translation across frames of reference, with music arising as the result of interaction (at some level) among composer(s), performer(s), and listener(s), broadly defined. Music, as a form of communication, is possible only when the parties involved share some common explicit (i.e. describable) and implicit (i.e. unspoken) knowledge. This sharing helps make the messages we infer, during a musical experience, relatively consistent and meaningful. Although a message usually implies an intent, communicated messages can be and often are different from intended messages, especially in the case of music with its a-referential (or self-referential) potential. In addition, although some degree of shared knowledge is necessary for efficient communication, each communication event will always involve some degree of un-shared knowledge, explaining partly why there is no one-to-one relationship between a composer's intended message and a listener's constructed message. The term 'constructed message' implies that listeners are not passive observers. Listening to music means configuring music. The act of listening involves a configuring operation that turns a series of incoming sounds into meaningful (to the listener) patterns, relationships, temporal wholes. Listeners will always strive for pattern recognition and may identify patterns that were not intended during composition, even in the extreme case where no patterns were intended at all (e.g. aleatoric pieces of music, environmental sounds, etc.). It is the endless potential for new organizations and meanings to be discovered, by means of listening, that permits sonic works to outlive their composers, era, style, intensions, and contemporaneous cultural context. Sounds and sound patterns alone do not constitute music. The listener is the agent through whom sounds and sound combinations are elevated into music/art; the composer of a work can be considered its first listener and, at least in terms of music perception, this may be where their privileged status ends, .
THE WORLD OF MUSIC Sampling the depth and breadth of sonic and structural possibilities that can constitute music. (additional resource on the Science of Music by the Center for Music and Science, University of Cambridge)
Excerpt from 'Raga Hameer'. Traditional piece arranged by Vilayat Khan. 'The Music of India and Pakistan' CD. The Rough Guide. World Music Network © 1995. 'Green Frog'. Arnhem Land; Northern Australia, Wangga song. A.Maralung: voice & clapsticks; P.Manaberu: didjeridu. 'The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music CD, Vol. 9: Australia & the Pacific Islands.' Garland Publishing © 1986. 'Caymmi Mostra Ao Mundo O Que A Bahia E Mangueira Tem'. Rio De Janeiro. Samba Enredo by Thobias Da Vai-Vai. 'The Music of Brazil' CD. The Rough Guide. World Music Network © 1998. 'Almamy Bocoum'. Senegal; West Africa. By Mansour Seck. 'West African Music' CD. The Rough Guide. World Music Network © 1995. 'Mauritania My Beloved Country'. Mauritania; West Africa. By Khalifa Ould Eide & Dimi Mint Abba. 'West African Music' CD. The Rough Guide. World Music Network © 1995. 'Jaya Semara'. Indonesian Gamelan for Kebyar gong. UCLA Gamelan Ensemble. Three-part Bulgarian vocal piece. Fieldwork recording by Prof. T.Rice, UCLA. 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring', from the Cantata 'Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben.' J.S.Bach (BWV 147). W.Basch: Trumpet; W.Rubsam: Organ. CD, Pro-Arte Records © 1986. Sonata No. 2 for Cello and Piano (1994) - II: Allegro, in "Schnittke - Complete Works for Cello and Piano - Alexander Ivashkin, cello - Irina Schnittke, piano" - Chandos Records Ltd. © 1998. Excerpt from 'Symphony No. 21 - Opening' by Anton Webern (1927-1928). Titles from the film "Forbidden Planet" (1956). 'Electronic tonalities' by Luis and Bebe Baron. Music from the trailer for "Forbidden Planet". The unconventional music of the film has been replaced by a conventional, trendy (for its time) score, in the hopes of reaching a wider audience. The music is filled with referential aspects [musical passages that simply act as "pointers"] trading on the success of other contemporary films (e.g. Ben Hur) and on the popularity of widely accepted musical associations (e.g. lyrical strings and florid flute passages during the "woman in water" scene). Titles from the film "The Day The Earth Stood Still" (1951). First film score in stereo; first popular film using a Theremin; score by Bernard Hermann. First monolith scene from the film "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968). 'Requiem' by G.Ligeti. Opening scene from the film "The Matrix" (1999). Full version; score by Don Davis. Opening scene from the film "The Matrix" (1999). Score only.