A clearly written and organized text on the production, propagation, and perception of the sound we call music. Organized into six major parts (each with three chapters) treating the sources of sound and production of musical sound; the propagation of sound and those environmental features that have an immediate influence on the sound that is propagated; and the perceptual aspects of the musical sound. The second edition includes new material on the human voice as a musical instrument, digital recording, and the use of the computer in composing music.

John S. Rigden was an internationally renowned American physicist. His areas of expertise were molecular physics and the history of science.