Referee's report by Arthur William Rucker, on a paper 'Certain new methods of investigating the nature & effects of musical sounds' by Walter H Thelwall

Description

Sectional commitee: [Physics and chemistry]

Not recommended for publication. The title of the paper a misnomer as no new method of investigating musical sounds is described. No physical fact is mentioned which is not well know. The author merely proposes and illustrates the use of a notation system for indicating absolute and relative pitch. The author proposes to name intervals by the number of mean semitones which they contain. Thus an octave would be called a twelfth, a major third, a fourth and so on. The author shrinks from the consequence of his own system and proposes to retain the name octave for that interval. Hedoes not feel competent to express an opinion as to whether a teacher of harmony would be of the opinion that the author's notation would make the study of that subject easier, but if so this is its only merit, and if the paper is published at all is should appear in a musical journal.

[Not published].

Endorsed on verso as received 4 January 1900.

Reference number

RR/15/113

Earliest possible date

January 1900

Physical description

Report on paper

Page extent

3 pages

Format

Manuscript