musical science

The ancient Greeks distinguished between musical sound as an indicator of Pythagorean concepts of number relation and musical influences on human (and animal) behaviour, as recounted in the Orpheus legend.

In general, musical science has sought to rationalize pitch, first into modes, then into scales and temperament, and to quantify timbre, to account for differences between sounds of the same pitch. To this end it has evolved a standard division of the octave allowing for the development of Western tonality, a universal notation for pitch, and keyboard instruments for conducting experiments in tonal relations, all of which prefigure recent digital technologies of information storage and retrieval.

The art of music has developed and adapted the discoveries of musical science for the purposes of artistic expression. The emotional power of music lies in its ability to transcend language and appeal directly to subconscious associations of melody, rhythm, dynamics, and tempo.