The Topos of Music

This four-volume set is the second edition of the now classic book The Topos of Music. In Vol. I the author explains the theory's conceptual framework of denotators and forms, the classification of local and global musical objects, the mathematical models of harmony and counterpoint, and topologies for rhythm and motives. In Vol. II the author explains his theory of musical performance, developed in the language of differential geometry, introducing performance vector fields that generalize tempo and intonation. Volume III presents gesture theory, including a gesture philosophy for music, the mathematics of gestures, concept architectures and software for musical gesture theory, the multiverse perspective which reveals the relationship between gesture theory and the string theory in theoretical physics, and applications of gesture theory to a number of musical themes, including counterpoint, modulation theory, free jazz, Hindustani music, and vocal gestures. Finally, Vol. IV contains appendices, explaining background topics in sound, mathematics, and music.