THE HISTORY OF MUSICAL ACOUSTIC:

NATURAL POTENTIAL OF TONE PITCHES AND THEIR RELATIONS IN THE LIGHT

OF EVOLUTION OF ACOUSTICAL MUSICAL THOUGHT AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS PRACTICE

Dr Mihajlo L. Djordjevich
RTS-Radio Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia, YU

I. INTRODUCTION

What turns out to be characteristic when we observe the realm of tone pitches and their relations throughout
the musical history of ancient times1 is the fact that both acoustics and music were still poorly developed,
whereas the main principles applied in construction of musical instruments relied not so much upon the
actual findings of the same, but were mainly of a cosmological character. On the other hand, it is precisely
an old doctrine of the ancient India that has been of an absolute relevance for my whole research work in
domain of tone pitches, which says: ...It is not the number of tones in a melody that has importance, but
the specific relations existing among them....2 The most important moments in the long musical history
always proved out to be when the attempts were made to set down musical and acoustical factors as the
basic principles to be used in construction of musical instruments. It is enough to mention the famous
teaching of Pythagora and his followers, such as Eratostenes, Didymos, Ptolomaeos, Euclid and others.
However Roman philosopher Boethius earned the attribute of lascivus animus due to his musical and
acoustical ideas that were, according to church authorities of the time, regarded as too liberal. Musical
theory and acoustic have been trying to answer the questions laid down by Bartolomeo Ramis de Pareja,
Gioseffo Zarlino, Galilei, Mersenne, Tartini, Stancari, Sorge, Shore, Bianconni... Special place have Euler,
Lagrange, Fourier, Ohm, Ellis and von Helmholtz.3

II. THEORY

The field of tone pitches and their relations has been studied also as an essential category and basic
condition for any kind of musical instrument creation. How has historically evolved the scientific
comprehension of tone pitches and their relations? It has developed following two main principles: the
principle of REDUCTION and principle of EXPANSION (DISPERSION).4 If we understand the realm of
tone pitches and their relations as a global natural potential at mans disposal, within, of course, a hearing
spectrum, it is quite easy to register that in the ancient times, this same potential was greatly reduced, but
regardless to that, it still included a great number of tone pitches typical for the same potential. The
process of constant narrowing of the boundaries of the actual range of this vast natural potential of tone
pitches I call REDUCTION. The process of reduction has lasted for a long time being typical all untill the
establishment of the system of Tempered Chromatics (250-300 years ago) and its complete elaboration by
Wiener schulle established by A. Schnberg. From the aspect of ethnomusicology, the process has been
quite specific, in so much as it has progressed principles, up to their full acceptance. Within the system of
tempered chromatic you cannot bring today any tone pitch in such a relation with some other pitch of the
same system and say that thus formed relation represents something absolutely new. That is why a
completely reverse process is indispensable, and I call it EXPANSION (or DISPERSION) of tone pitches
on the basis of their own natural potential. Although it had appeared earlier in the past this process became
typical for the second part of the nineteenth century. The predecessors of my explorations have been among
many others Bosanquet, Behrens-Senegalden, von Oettingen, Cahil, Partch, Busoni, Haba5, Fickenscher,
Schaefer and Piehl, Wilson, Fokker, Secor, Vogel, Meyer, von Mllendorf, Boomsliter and Creel, Carrillo
and Novaro, Mandelbaum, as well as the
THE HISTORY OF MUSICAL ACOUSTIC: Natural Potential of Tone Pitches and Relations recent
studies done by Risinger6, Moog, Roederer, Carlos, Mycielski, Yunik and Swift, Conviser, Danielou,
Davis, Keislar7, Darreg, Ganter, Henkel and Wille, Waage, Schottsaedt, Johnstone, Erickson8 and others.
Every composer, as well as the creator of musical instrument accordingly, has had to think about the realm
of tone pitches and their relations, either from the aspect of his own musical piece or a desired instrument.
That is why the musical modernism and postmodernism represent the typical examples of the process of
expansion. In fact, this process represents in itself a specific retrograde phenomenon in regard to musical
history, but from the aspect of acoustics it has been enriched by completely new knowledge. Obviously,
dome of the typical problems arising therefrom are: 1. How to make a kind of instrument that would be
able to meet the requests of the new tonal realm?,
2. Psychoacoustical problem of perception and discrimination of discrete tone relations, 3. Problem of
right education of performers. These problems have been overcome in domain of electroacoustical musical
medium, while there still remains a problem of final psychological experience of music within the hearing
phenomenon.9 Having presented my theory of Discrete Tone Relations in 1994, as well as still earlier, in
1990, a theory od a Universal Tone System, also known as Special Theory of Tone Relations10, I have
tried to explain the importance of tone pitches and their relations for the future development of musical
science, acoustics, opening, I do hope, one of the possibilities for creation of new musical instruments, as
well as, the theoretical base for better and more exact comprehension of those already existing. If we agree
that tone pitches and their relations represents one of the essential musical and acoustical category within
five-dimensional sound musical continuum (in the sence of: frequency, intensity, duration, timbre and
space), than it appears as quite obvious that tone pitches and their relations have been in the focus of
musical and acoustical interests ever since. My musical and acoustical orientation in the realm of tone
pitches and their relations is not based on a simple mechanical division and mere exaustics of the existing
tone systems, but in the first place on the hearing phenomenon, that is, on the mans capacity to perceive
and discriminate discrete tone relations, produced on any kind of instrument or by human voice itself. As
for the tone systems, I do believe that there exists only one tone system which I have named a
UNIVERSAL TONE SYSTEM.

III. PRINCIPLES of REDUCTION and EXPANSION

How has understanding and scientific idea of tone pitches and their relations effected the actual
development of musical instruments?

REDUCTION:

1. INDIA - an example of initial reduction of natural potential of tone pitches and their relations:
Octave division in ancient music of India (Bharata, 200 BC.): Musical System: SA-GRAMA
(SARIGAMA): - in 22 srutis = 54.54
2. Ancient GREECE - Classical period - an example of a greater reduction of natural potential: The
Musical System of Archytas (among many others)

Intervals with their equivalents in cents ():

2/1 1200 7/6 267 13/12 139
3/2 702 8/7 231 16/15 112
4/3 498 9/8 204 19/18 94
81/64 408 10/9 182 256/243 90
5/4 386 11/10 165 20/19 89
6/5 316 12/11 151 28/27 63
32/27 294 243/224 141 36/35 49

THE HISTORY OF MUSICAL ACOUSTIC: Natural Potential of Tone Pitches and Relations

Graph 1. Schematic presentation of development of scientific thought:

Graph 2. Theoretical acousticaly-musical base of reduction and expansion principles:

EMBED MSGraph Word Object3 \* mergeformat

N.B. Reduction: The bigger the number in cents () implicates also the greater degree of proces of
reduction.
Expansion: The smaller the number in cents () implicates the greater degree of process of expansion.

THE HISTORY OF MUSICAL ACOUSTIC: Natural Potential of Tone Pitches and Relations
3. Ancient Greece - Pythagorean period

tone c d e f g a h c
name
acoust. 1 9:8 81:64 4:3 3:2 27:16 243:12 2
relation 8
in 0 203.9 407.9 497.5 702 905.8 1109.8 1200
Pythag prima major major pure pure major major octave
orean whole third fourth fifth siht seventh
relation step
interval 203.9 204 89.6 204.5 203.8 204 90.2
in
name of major major limma major major major minor
relation tone tone tone tone tone half
step
(limma
)

4. Byzantine Period - Ochtoechoes

octave 1200 : 72
division
on 72
commas
value in = 16.666
commatic 6 20 4 12 6 20 4
group
(commas
number)
product 6 x 16.66 20 x16.66 4 x 16.66 12 x16.66 6 x 16.66 20 x16.66 4 x 16.66
with one
of the
group
value in 99.996 333.32 66.664 199.992 99.996 333.32 66.66
summ. 99.996 433.316 499.98 699.9 799.8961 333.216 1200
value in

5. XVI Century - Zarlino - first introducing of hromatic steps ends with XIX Century and System of
Tempered Chromatic in WEST EUROPE. Example of drastic reduction process of natural potential:
System of Tempered Chromatic - TC: c-c#= c-db =100 = EMBED Equation Word Object22 \*
mergeformat = halfstep.
12 tones and 12 equal relations: 12x100 = 1200 = octava ( EMBED Equation Word Object23 \*
mergeformat ).

It is possible to conclude that by the end of XIX century the principle of reduction of the natural potential
of tone pitches and their relations has reached its maximum, while the main product of this process is
system of Tempered Chromatic.11

EXPANSION:

Expansion phenomenon can be considered as the beginning of a new acoustical musical thought and a
sign of a need for a different, scientific and professional view of the realm of tone pitches and their
relations.

Many scientists12,13,14 have inevitably contributed to the further development and exploration of this
domain, the most characteristic idea being the further enlargement of tone spectrum on the already
existing instruments, as well as the possibility of its realisation on some other new musical instruments.
Of course, all this has to be done respecting the spectrum of audible sound in case of man, and his
capacity of perception.
THE HISTORY OF MUSICAL ACOUSTIC: Natural Potential of Tone Pitches and Relations

3. A. Haba - Fifth-fourth circle in 1/4 tone music

1.c, 2.f#, 3.c#, 4.g, 5.d, 6.g#, 7.e, 8.a, 9.e, 10.h, 11.f,12.h,
13.f#, 14.c, 15.g,16. c#, 17.g#, 18.d, 19.a, 20. e, 21.b, 22. e,
23.h, 24.f ( = tief, = hoch)

4. K. Risinger - his own 1/12-tone system (theoreticaly introduced earlier by Haba)

tone realmC3 C#3tone

name1c32c33c34c35c36c31c#32c#33c#34c#35c#36c#3relation in
16.616.616.616.616.616.616.616.616.616.616.6value
in
16.6
33.3
49.9
66.6
83.3
99.9
116.
133.
149.
166.
183.
200

prof. Dr. Michael L. Djordjevich:

Discrete Tone Relations experimental results

5. Graph 3. Discrimination according to the Theory of Discrete Tone Relations (DTR)

THE HISTORY OF MUSICAL ACOUSTIC: Natural Potential of Tone Pitches and Relations

Graph No 3. represents the results obtained in perception of discrete tone relations in the experiments done
with the professional musicians examinees and other group of musical amateurs, within the hearing tonal
spectrum: it is quite obvious that throughout the greater part of medium frequency spectrum prevailing
value in perception of two close tone pitches (f = f1 f 2) is that of 3 and 4. Speaking about my latest
exploration done in domain of tone pitches and their relations I am pointing at the fact that this realm from
the aspect of perception and discrimination of discrete tone relations, has opened completely new but also
quite realistic possibilities for construction of new musical instruments, as well as further perfection and
evolution of already existing instruments. Today I am working on brand new speaking and singing device
with human voice simulation functions done by the seria of mechanoacoustical filters drived by little
electromotors. This experiments will lead to the tottaly new acoustic instruments whose envelope shapes,
amplitudes, phase and frequency spectrum should be different and capable for effects such as speaking
bells or singing violins etc. In this case all musical-acoustic knowledge of today we know about has
been realy applied.
 IV. Summary

In the light of my own studies and todays interests of musical acoustic, this subject imposes one
question: Why have people stopped to create new acoustical instruments in the first place? Has this interest
been replaced by modern electroacoustical and technological interest, and has the spiritual musical life of
man managed to satisfy this need for creating new musical instruments by reaching an almost ultimate
perfection of those instruments he has being already familiar with? In my view, we should continue to
create new acoustical instruments and that is only being possible if disposing with a high level of both
acoustical knowledge and knowledge from similar disciplines. More obviously than ever, there is a definite
gap existing between science and technology on the one side and education on the other. Axiology of new
results obtained in development of acoustical thought and its application in development of musical
instruments from the aspect of tone pitches and their relations contains the following main elements:

Possibility of projection of universal tone system,

Possibility of new design of old instruments and building of completely new ones that can produce
discrete tone relations and
Enlargement and general widening psychophysiological and psychoacoustical abilities of sense of hearing
thus pointing at the relativity of hearing phenomenon limits.

V. References

1. Sachs, K.:The Rise of Music in the Ancient World East and West. Norton. New York,1943.
2. Sachs, K.: History of Musical Instruments. Norton. New York,1940.
3. Blaukopf, K.:Musiksoziologie/der Tonsysteme/. Zollikofer. St.Galen,1933.
4. Djordjevic, M.L.: Discrete Tone Relations Determined by Hearing PhenomenonWithin Five-
Dimensional
Sound-Musical Continuum. Doctoral thesis. FMU.Belgrade,1994.
5. Haba, A. :Neue Harmonielehre des Diatonischen, Chromatischen Viertel-, Drittel-, Sechstel- und
Zwlftel
Tonsystems. Kistner u. Siegel. Leipzig, 1927.
6. Risinger, K. :Intervalovy mikrokosmos. Supraphon. Praha, 1971.
7. Keislar, D.: History and Principles of Microtonal Keyboards. CMJ.Vol.11.No1.Spring,1987.
8. Erickson, R.:The Musical System of Archytas. CCRMA. Stanford. California, 1992.
9. Djordjevic, M.L.:Musicaly Organised Sound Hearing Phenomena. Script in printing. Radio
Belgrade,1995.
10. Djordjevic, M.L.: Special Theory of Tone Relations. HAMU. M.A. Deegre graduate. Praha,
1988-1990.
11. Kohoutek, Ct.:Hudebni styly z hlediska skladatele.Panton.Praha,1976.
12. Burghauser, J., Spelda, A. :Akusticke zaklady orchestrace. CSN. Praha, 1967.
13. Brderlin, R. : Akustik fr Musiker. G.Bosse. Regensburg, 1978.
14. Valentin, E. : Handbuch der Musikinstrumentenkunde. G.Bosse Verlag. Regensburg, 1986.

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