Chapter 1

The Elements of Rhythm: Sound, Symbol, and Time

Introduction

The first musical stimulus anyone reacts to is rhythm. Initially, we perceive how
music is organized in time, and how musical elements are organized rhythmically
in relation to each other. Early Western music, centering upon the chant traditions
for liturgical use, was

arhythmic

to a great extent: the flow of the Latin text was the

principal determinant as to how the melody progressed through time.

As Western music moved from

monody

to

polyphony

(“single voice” to “multiple

voices”), sets of symbols developed gradually that allowed musical time to be
established against a recurring background pulse. This also allowed multiple
elements in music to be established in tandem with one another. These symbols
evolved into the

durational values

(“note values”) that form the foundation for music

notation.

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