In our introductory lecture, we explore the principles of Western musical notation, examining how this 2,000-year-old tradition represents a codified body of practices that could disappear if not continuously transmitted. We delve into the five-line staff system, various clefs, note values, rhythmic notation, and the historical development of these elements as solutions to the challenge of representing ephemeral sounds in written form. Ultimately, Samuel Andreyev emphasizes that music theory is descriptive rather than prescriptive, serving as a valuable inheritance that enables musicians to communicate across time and cultures.

In lecture two, we study the complexities of music notation, specifically focusing on rhythm and how it is represented through time signatures, meter, and various notational conventions. We examine the limitations of mensural notation in capturing rhythmic feel and gesture, introducing concepts like binary and ternary meters, compound time signatures, tuplets for irrational rhythms, and dotted notes for extending durations. The lecture emphasizes that while notation provides a powerful system for encoding musical ideas, it remains an abstraction that cannot fully capture the embodied, cultural aspects of rhythm found in various musical traditions from Viennese waltzes to Balkan folk music.

In lecture three, we turn to the fundamentals of pitch notation and intervals in Western music, examining how accidentals (sharps, flats, and naturals) modify the seven basic notes of diatonic scales and how intervals are classified as major, minor, perfect, augmented, or diminished based on their size and quality. We delve into the differences between major and minor scales, focusing on their distinct patterns of whole tones and semitones, and discuss important concepts like the leading tone and its role in creating harmonic tension and resolution. Andreyev concludes by emphasizing the importance of developing practical musicianship skills through ear training and regular practice to internalize these theoretical concepts.