All About Music

Prof. Dr. Guerino Mazzola earned his Ph.D. in Mathematics from Zurich University. He wrote the groundbreaking book The Topos of Music in 2002, its formal language and models are used by leading researchers in Europe, India, Japan, and North America and have become a foundation of music software design. Prof. Mazzola has an appointment as professor in the School of Music at the College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota.Maria Mannone and Yan Pang are completing their Ph.D. work in the School of Music of the University of Minnesota.Margaret O’Brien and Nathan Torunsky are undergraduate students in the School of Music of the University of Minnesota.

“This is an excellent book that comprehensively deals with various aspects of music. … Throughout the work, each chapter begins with a detailed summary that assists the reader. The pictures, figures, and tables are of excellent quality. In addition, a valuable list of references is provided for further research. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers.” (M. G. Prasad, Choice, Vol. 57 (11), July, 2017)“The book is highly recommended as a general introduction to these four subjects as related to music because it delivers the information in an accessible language. The authors’ approach is applicable to every musical genre, in a manner suitable for nonmusicians and nonscientists alike.” (C. Delrieux, Computing Reviews, January, 22 , 2018)

• Introduction.- Physical Reality.- Psychological Reality.- Mental Reality.- Generalities about Signs, Neumes, Periods and Development Sentences.- De Saussure and Peirce, the Semiotic Architecture, Digital vs. Analog Music Encoding.- Riemannian Harmony and The HarmonRubette Software.- De Saussure’s Six Dichotomies.- The Babushka Principle in Semiotics: Connotation, Motivation, Metatheory.- The Musical Case of Iterated Imbrication of Semiotic Components.- What Is Art?.- MIDI Code.- Global Music.- Gesture Theory in Music.- Frege’s Prison of Functions.- Music Without Scores. Neuroscience and Gestures.- Mathematical Gesture Theory.- Creativity Theory.