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James Murray Barbour (1897–1970) is an American Tuning and Temperament
, ''Archive.org''. Murray Barbour taught at Ithaca College, New York, 1932–1939, and Michigan State College (later University), 1939–1964. Murray Barbour adapted the
Barbour, J. Murray (James Murray), 1897–1970
, ''id.loc.gov''. Music theorists 1897 births 1970 deaths 20th-century musicologists Michigan State University faculty Ithaca College faculty {{US-music-bio-stub
James Murray Barbour (1897–1970) is an American acoustician
Acoustics is a branch of physics that deals with the study of mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including topics such as vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician ...
, musicologist
Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some m ...
, and composer best known for his work ''Tuning and Temperament: A Historical Survey'' (1951, 2d ed. 1953). As the opening of the work describes, it is based upon his unpublished dissertation from 1932, his interest having been sparked by musicologist Curt Sachs
Curt Sachs (; 29 June 1881 – 5 February 1959) was a German musicologist. He was one of the founders of modern organology (the study of musical instruments). Among his contributions was the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which he created with Er ...
having shown him Marin Mersenne's ''Harmonie Universelle
''Harmonie universelle'' ("Universal Harmony"; complete title: ''Harmonie universelle, contenant la théorie et la pratique de la musique'') is a work by Marin Mersenne, published in Paris in 1636. It represented the sum of musical knowledge duri ...
''., ''Archive.org''. Murray Barbour taught at Ithaca College, New York, 1932–1939, and Michigan State College (later University), 1939–1964. Murray Barbour adapted the
Strähle construction
Strähle's construction is a geometric method for determining the lengths for a series of vibrating strings with uniform diameters and tensions to sound pitches in a specific rational tempered musical tuning. It was first published in the 1743 '' ...
for use in approximating equal temperaments.
He is also the author of
*"Synthetic Musical Scales", ''The American Mathematical Monthly'', Vol. 36, No. 3, (Mar., 1929), pp. 155–160.
*''Trumpets, Horns and Music'' (1964). Michigan State University.
*"A Geometrical approximation to the Roots of Numbers", ''American Mathematical Monthly'', vol. 64, 1957. p. 1–9.
See also
* Equal temperament *Musical temperament
In musical tuning, a temperament is a tuning system that slightly compromises the pure intervals of just intonation to meet other requirements. Most modern Western musical instruments are tuned in the equal temperament system. Tempering is the p ...
* Musical tuning
References
External links
Barbour, J. Murray (James Murray), 1897–1970
, ''id.loc.gov''. Music theorists 1897 births 1970 deaths 20th-century musicologists Michigan State University faculty Ithaca College faculty {{US-music-bio-stub