# music theory

> study of the theoretical aspects of music and its notation

**Wikidata**: [Q193544](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q193544)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_theory)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/music-theory

## Summary
Music theory is the study of the theoretical aspects of music and its notation. It functions as a critical component of musicology, the scientific discipline dedicated to the practical and theoretical study of music, and is classified as both an academic discipline and an academic major.

## Key Facts
- Music theory is defined as the study of the theoretical aspects of music and its notation.
- It is a subclass of theory and is an instance of an academic discipline and a scholarly article.
- The field is categorized under the Dewey Decimal Classification number 781.
- The Library of Congress Classification range for music theory is MT5.5–MT7.
- Music theory is part of the broader field of musicology.
- It has 69 sitelinks across various platforms.
- Aliases for music theory include "musical system," "musical theory," and "theory of music."
- Related systems and concepts include Octoechos, Neo-Riemannian theory, solfège, meter, and set theory.
- The field encompasses the study of musical scoring and the psychological relationship between music and emotion.

## FAQs
### How is music theory classified within academic systems?
Music theory is recognized as an academic discipline and an academic major, falling under the broader category of musicology. It is classified as a subclass of theory and is identified by the Dewey Decimal number 781 and the Library of Congress range MT5.5–MT7.

### What specific systems and concepts are related to music theory?
Related concepts include solfège, a system for describing and teaching notes; meter, an aspect of music; and set theory, a branch that categorizes musical objects using mathematical sets. Other related systems include Octoechos, the musical system of ancient Greece, and historical frameworks like musica poetica.

### Who are some notable figures associated with music theory?
Notable figures range from historical theorists like Franchinus Gaffurius and Marchetto da Padova to mathematicians and philosophers such as Leonhard Euler, René Descartes, and Ptolemy. Composers who also contributed to theory include Johann Joseph Fux, Sergei Ivanovich Taneyev, and George Russell.

### What is the relationship between music theory and musicology?
Music theory is a component of musicology, which is the scientific discipline focused on the practical and theoretical study of music. While musicology encompasses the cultural, historical, and scientific contexts of music, music theory specifically addresses the theoretical aspects and notation systems.

## Why It Matters
Music theory provides the essential framework for understanding the construction, notation, and structural logic of music. It enables precise communication among musicians, composers, and scholars, allowing for the analysis and preservation of musical works. By bridging the gap between abstract sound and written notation, music theory serves as a foundational tool for education, composition, and performance practice within the broader academic study of music.

## Notable For
- Serving as a foundational academic discipline within the study of musicology.
- Encompassing diverse methodologies, including set theory, which uses mathematical permutations to describe pitch classes.
- Incorporating historical theoretical traditions such as musica poetica, a 16th–17th century German theory that developed musical "figures" by analogy with rhetoric.
- Attracting contributions from a wide array of intellectuals beyond musicians, including mathematicians (e.g., Leonhard Euler, Nicholas Mercator) and philosophers (e.g., René Descartes).
- Analyzing the psychological relationship between human affect and music through the study of music and emotion.

## Body
### Academic Context and Classification
Music theory is formally established as an academic discipline and an academic major, serving as a specialized area of study within the broader field of musicology. As a subclass of theory, it is concerned with the contemplative and rational analysis of music. The field is systematically categorized in major library classification systems: the Dewey Decimal Classification assigns it the number 781, while the Library of Congress places it within the range MT5.5–MT7. Music theory is also recognized as an instance of a scholarly article, indicating its role in academic literature.

### Related Systems and Concepts
The study of music theory intersects with numerous specific systems and conceptual frameworks.
*   **Notation and Education:** Solfège is a key related system, defined as a pedagogical method for describing and teaching the notes of a musical scale.
*   **Structural Analysis:** Meter is analyzed as a fundamental aspect of music, while scoring refers to the art and technique of making or adapting compositions for specific instrument groups, such as the orchestra.
*   **Theoretical Frameworks:** Set theory represents a branch of music theory that categorizes musical objects and describes their relationships using sets and permutations of pitches, pitch classes, and rhythmic onsets. Neo-Riemannian theory is identified as a collection of ideas within the field.
*   **Historical and Psychological Context:** The field includes the study of the musical system of ancient Greece and musica poetica, a German theory from the 16th and 17th centuries that developed musical "figures" by analogy with rhetoric. It also encompasses the study of music and emotion, which examines the psychological relationship between human affect and music.

### Historical and Contemporary Figures
Music theory has been shaped by a vast array of composers, theorists, mathematicians, and scholars throughout history.

**Early and Pre-Modern Contributors**
*   **Medieval and Renaissance:** Marchetto da Padova was an Italian music theorist. Franchinus Gaffurius (1451–1522) was an Italian music theorist and composer. Guillaume Dufay (1397–1474) was a composer of the Renaissance. Hermann of Reichenau was an 11th-century German Benedictine monk, composer, and theorist.
*   **Baroque and Classical:** Johann Joseph Fux was an Austrian composer known for his theoretical work. Tomás de Santa María was a Spanish music theorist. Gallus Dressler was a German composer and theorist. Johann Rudolph Ahle was a German composer, organist, theorist, and Protestant church musician. Camille Durutte was a French composer and music theorist (1803–1881). Justin Heinrich Knecht was a German composer, organist, and music theorist.
*   **Interdisciplinary Scholars:** Leonhard Euler (1707–1783), the Swiss mathematician, physicist, and engineer, contributed to the field. René Descartes (1596–1650), the French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist, was also a music theorist. Ptolemy, the 2nd-century Roman mathematician and astronomer, contributed to music theory. Nicholas Mercator (c.1620–1687) was a German mathematician and theorist. Zhu Zaiyu, Prince of Zheng (1536–1611), was a Chinese mathematician, physicist, and musician.

**19th and 20th Century Developments**
*   **Composers and Theorists:** Sergei Ivanovich Taneyev (1856–1915) was a Russian composer, pianist, music theorist, and teacher. Nikolay Diletsky was a Baroque Russian-Ukrainian composer and music theorist. Pyotr Sokalsky (1832–1887) was a Russian composer. Gottfried Weber was a German writer, composer, jurist, and theorist. Alfred Mann (1917-2006) was a German musicologist and conductor. Charles Rosen (1927–2012) was an American pianist and writer on music.
*   **Musicologists:** Otakar Hostinský (1847-1910) was a Czech historian, musicologist, and professor of musical aesthetics. Reinhold Brinkmann (1934-2010) was a German musicologist. Józef Michał Chomiński (1906–1994) was a Polish musicologist. Miloš Velimirović (1922-2008) was an American musicologist. Wilhelm Klatte was a German writer, musicologist, and music educator.

**Modern and Contemporary Practitioners**
*   **Composers:** George Perle (1915–2009) was an American composer and theorist. Donald Martino (1931–2005) was an American composer. Maury Yeston is an American composer, lyricist, and music theorist. George Russell (1923–2009) was an American pianist, composer, and theorist. Josef Tal (1910–2008) was an Israeli composer. Jonathan Berger is an American composer. Jonathan Kramer was an American composer.
*   **International Figures:** Nikolai Obukhov (1892–1954) was a Russian composer. Antimo Liberati was an Italian composer. Rolf Riehm is a German composer and oboist. Edina Szvoren is a Hungarian writer. Gustav Edward Engel (1823–1895) was a German tenor. Joseph Byrd (born 1937) is an American musician. Amelia Rosselli (1930–1996) was an Italian poet. Joan Albert Ban was a Dutch composer. Rudolf Escher (1912-1980) was a Dutch composer. Charles-Louis Hanon (1819-1900) was a French musician. Rudolf Louis (1870–1914) was a German musician. Beniamino Cesi (1845–1907) was an Italian musician. Bernard Gavoty (1908-1981) was a French organist, journalist, and music critic. Pasquale Bona (1808–1878) was an Italian composer. Benjamin Boretz is an American composer. Miloš Štědroň is a Czech music educator, composer, and musicologist. Semyon Bogatyrev (1890—1960) was a Soviet composer and musicologist. Genrikh Litinsky was a Soviet composer. Tomáš Svoboda is a Czech-American classical composer. Francisco de Salinas was a Spanish musician. Christoph Schaffrath was a German composer.

### Identification and Metadata
Music theory is identified by various international standards and identifiers, facilitating its retrieval in library and information systems. These include the GND (4040876-0), LCCN (sh85088826), BNF (11939358s), NDL (00568870), NLI (ph114727, ph114724), BNE (XX559427), NKC (ph114727), NLA (65bebf43-4c34-4aae-a803-241acf44d3b2), SELIBR (2147), NLA (65bebf43-4c34-4aae-a803-241acf44d3b2), Babel (03347489n), ISNI (987007553365905171), and VIAF (1030620). It is also referenced by online art resources such as Arts.net (art/music-theory) and has specific identifiers in systems like MusicBrainz (539613.0) and OpenAlex (C143857728). The field is known by several aliases, including "musical system," "musical theory," and "theory of music."

## References

1. Art & Architecture Thesaurus
2. Library of Congress Subject Headings
3. Nuovo soggettario
4. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
5. BNE authority file
6. [Library of Congress Linked Data Service](http://id.loc.gov/authorities/classification/MT5.5-MT7)
7. BBC Things
8. BabelNet
9. Quora
10. Open Library
11. General Finnish Ontology
12. [Source](https://golden.com/wiki/Music_theory-MADDY)
13. National Library of Israel
14. American Folklore Society Ethnographic Thesaurus
15. [music-theory · GitHub Topics · GitHub](https://github.com/topics/music-theory)
16. [OpenAlex](https://docs.openalex.org/download-snapshot/snapshot-data-format)