KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY
KUTZTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA
DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC
COLLEGE OF VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS
MUS 205
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF SOUND: MUSIC AND MUSIC REPRODUCTION
Approved by Department: November 6. 2007
I. Course Description
This course is a non-mathematical music-based study of sound; its properties, production, storage
and reproduction. This course will study the acoustical properties of the voice and music
instruments and the electronic devices used to record and reproduce their sounds. The course is
designed to provide experiences in the practical uses of musical acoustics.
Prerequisite: None
3 semester hours
3 clock hours
II. Course Rationale
Music as an aural art depends upon the production and transmission of sound waves for its
existence. The mechanical production of sound waves either instrumentally or electronically
occupies a large portion of the contemporary musician's efforts. The listener is constantly made
aware of these phenomena either through attendance at live concerts or through the mechanically
reproduced music media. A course dealing with the objective physical properties of sound from a
physio-and psycho-musical standpoint is a valuable adjunct to the study of music history/literature
and music performance.
III. Course Objectives
Successful completion of this course will result in the student being able to:
1. demonstrate an understanding of the harmonic series and its relationship to scales, harmony and
tuning.
2. demonstrate the relationship of the harmonic series and other physical properties of sound to
the various types of musical instruments.
3. demonstrate an understanding of various electronic instruments including the synthesizer and
electronic organ.
4. demonstrate an understanding of the historical and musical development of various spaces for
music performance.
5. construct using paper and pencil, a listening space for music performance demonstrating a
knowledge of musical articulation and reverberation.
6. demonstrate an understanding of music reproduction and storage devices including recordings
and radio.
IV. Assessment
Assessment of each student's level of accomplishment with reference to the course objectives will
be based upon a subset of the following:
1. Completed written projects concerned with harmony and tuning.
2. Completed recording project of a concert.
3. Completed design of a concert hall
V. Course Outline
1. Properties of musical sound
a. The harmonic series
b. Scales and tuning
2. Musical instruments
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Hearing and the human voice
String instruments
Wind instruments: woodwind and brass
Percussion instruments
Keyboard instruments
Electronic instruments and the computer
3. Music listening spaces
a.
b.
c.
d.
Historic development
Major examples of successful performance spaces
Reverberation and articulation
Application through design
4. Music reproduction and storage
a. Basic theory and devices
b. Recording and radio
c. Historical examples
VI. Instructional Resources
Bachus, John. THE ACOUSTIC FOUNDATION OF MUSIC 3rd. ed. New York:
and Company, 1985.
W.W.Norton
Beckwith, John and Kasemets, Udo. THE MODERN COMPOSER AND HIS WORLD. Toronto:
Univ. of Toronto Press, 1961.
Beranek, Leo. CONCERT HALLS AND OPERA HOUSES: MUSIC, ACOUSTICS AND
ARCHITECTURE. New York: Springer, 2003.
Blaukopf, Kurt. MUSICAL LIFE IN A CHANGING SOCIETY. Portland, OR: Amadeus Press,
1992.
Campbell, M & Greated, C. THE MUSICIAN’S GUIDE TO ACOUSTICS. London: Oxford
University Press, 2001.
Deutsch, D. PSYCHOLOCY OF MUSIC. Dover Press, 2001.
Dolan, Robert E. MUSIC IN MODERN MEDIA. New York: G. Schirmer, Inc. 1967.
Everest, F.A. MASTER HANDBOOK OF ACOUSTICS, 4th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill/TAB
Electronics; 2000.
Fletcher, N. THE PHYSICS OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, 2nd ed. New York: Springer, 2005.
Hall, Donald E. MUSICAL ACOUSTICS. Belmont CA., Wadsworth, 1991.
Helmholtz, Herman. ON THE SENSATIONS OF TONE. New York: Dover Publications, trans.,
A. J. Ellis, 1954.
Izenour, George C. THEATRE DESIGN. New York: McGraw Hill, 1977.
Josephs, J.J. THE PHYSICS OF MUSICAL SOUND. New York: D. van Nostrand Co., Inc.
1967.
Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (http://scitation.aip.org/jasa/)
Levarle, Sigmund, and Levy, E. TONE-A STUDY IN MUSICAL ACOUSTICS. Ohio: Kent State
Univ. Press, 1968.
Lorentzen, Bengt. AN INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONIC MUSIC. New York: Belwin Mills
Co., 1970.
Maconie, Robin. THE CONCEPT OF MUSIC. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press; New York:
Oxford Univ. Press, 1993.
Moles, A.A. INFORMATION THEORY AND AESTHETIC PERCEPTION trans., Joel E.
Cohen. Urbana IL: Univ. of Ill. Press, 1966.
Olsen, Harry F. MUSIC, PHYSICS AND ENGINEERING. New York: Dover Publications,
1967.
Roederer, Jaun G. THE PHYSICS AND PSYCHOPHYSICS OF MUSIC. Berlin: Springer,
1975.
Roth, Leland. UNDERSTANDING ARCHITECTURE. New York: Icon Editions, 1993.
Villchur, Edgar. REPRODUCTION OF SOUND. New York: Dover Publications, 1965.
Winckel, Fritz. MUSIC, SOUND AND SENSATION. trans., T. Binkley, New York: Dover Pub.
1967.