Music Theory Ontology Jordan Feenstra Yonatan Schreiber

Scope

The first chord contains an E b, B b, E b, and G – an E b major triad. Since this is I in E b major, we are most likely in that key.

Scope

Scope

Terms and Definitions: Tone : A temporal part of a sound that occurs in some temporal interval such that frequency remains within a restricted range throughout the temporal interval. Pitch : The characteristic (BFO: ‘process profile’) of a tone determined by its frequency restriction. Melody : A sequence of continuous or discontinuous temporal intervals each of which contains a tone. HarmonyEvent : A temporal interval in which tones occur such that more than one pitch is instantiated.

Structural Process Profiles Modeled on Structuralist theories in Philosophy of Math Elucidation: (subject to revision) a structural_process_profile_of b iff: a process_profile_of b, & a has disjoint proper parts all of which are mutually s-dependent & for all proper parts x, x’ of a there is some relation R (R ≠ s- dependence) such that xRx’, & for all relations R (R ≠ s- dependence) such that xRx’, there are some parts y, y’ of b such that yRy’.

Processes and Structures:

Am Bm BbmBbm C#mC#m Dm HarmonyEvent Process

StructuralProcess Profile Chord

Am minor Triad haspart

Chord chord Root

Chord chord Root Triad chord Fifth

Chord chord Root Triad chord Fifth minor Triad chord Minor Third

Chord chord Root Triad chord Fifth minor Triad chord Minor Third Am

Future Development: Related ontologies: MusicOntology, IAO, physics Fine tune approach: We haven’t solved all of the problems. Can we get necessary and sufficient conditions? Further conceptual analysis is required. Extensions: Traditional Western theory, contemporary theory, other systems of music.