Musical Information (Music 253)

Musical Information: An Introduction

The title Musical Information: An Introduction has been in use at Stanford University since 1994 for the title of a course introducing a wide range of descriptions of musical content used in computer applications in music. Such applications fall into three main areas: (1) notation, (2) sound, and (3) data optimized for analytical use.

The Notation Domain

What information does a musical score contain? Musical notation as it is used in Western art music contains centuries of refinements, accretions, and responses to changing musical style. Such music is heavily prescribed: composers and arrangers attempt to tell musicians exactly what tones to use (pitch) and exactly for how long to play each one (duration).

Although notation seems cumbersome to those who are accustomed to improvised repertories, it is in many ways one of the most ingenious writing systems ever developed. A single note can tell a performer several things through a single symbol. The synthesis of multiple kinds of information in a single symbol that is so convenient for the performer can be ab obstacle to the user of encoded musical information because the several strands of information graphically combined must be separated into their various spheres--pitch and duration (mandatory); also inflection, loudness, articulation, and lyrics (optional).