Music Theory: Foundations and History

Definition and uses of music theory

Music theory is the study of theoretical frameworks for understanding the practices and possibilities of music. It is used in multiple ways: (1) as “rudiments” for understanding how music is written and notated (e.g., key signatures, time signatures, and rhythmic notation); (2) as a scholarly study of ideas about music from antiquity to the present; and (3) as a sub-topic of musicology that seeks to define musical processes and general principles. A musicological approach often differs from musical analysis by focusing on the fundamental materials of music (rather than a single work or performance).

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Music theory versus musical analysis

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