Introduction

A musician&s;s study of a musical work forms the basis of this book. The first encounter with the notes of a new piece establishes the foundation for organising the book&s;s chapters. The aim is to explore different pathways through the diverse ideas and practices related to the notation of classical music. The book&s;s title emphasises that here, ‘notes’ will initially refer only to the symbols indicating pitch and duration. These symbols can be assigned note names, which include indications of length (rhythmic units). (‘The sign shows a quarter note a.’) It is important to note that the accuracy of pitch is primarily linked to mechanical keyboard instruments and melodic percussion instruments. In contrast, string and wind instruments do not automatically produce the exact pitch indicated by the note sign. The situation is even more nuanced with note lengths, which require additional information (tempo indications) to determine duration. However, in everyday life, most people perceive notes according to ‘the sign shows a quarter note a.’ 2