Why Is There No Key of H?
Presented by Steve Winterstein
October 17, 2007
Campbell Recital Hall, Braun Music Center
Sponsored by Stanford Continuing Studies
Is there a logic to musical notation? Why do the named notes A through G repeat, rather than continue through the alphabet?
This talk considers our practices of tonal music from the viewpoint of mathematical physics, and offers mathematical explanations for our experiences of musical pleasure or displeasure.
Physical analogies to other applications---e.g., sound waves vs. water waves---are considered. Indeed, this talk began as an effort to show why the period-doubling dynamics of floating offshore structures and ships were precisely analogous to the most common and aesthetically pleasing of musical effects: an octave.
While no formal recording of this presentation was made, what follows are video snippets recorded by an audience member: