Timbre as a semiotic system. On the problem of structural analysis of music timbre

Abstract

The author attempts to explain the methodology of structural analysis of music timbre. The research subject is music timbre, and the object is its semiotic system. Based on the semiotic system developed by  Ferdinand de Saussure, the author outlines two algorithms within the structure of music timbre - randomness and linearity. Considering the first principle, the author explains the anthropologic nature of a timbre sign, forming the total variability of a timber sign, and some patterns of music timber perception. The second principle is considered through the prism of psycho-acoustics which helps to detect and define the structural principle of linearity as a primary mechanism of perception of music. The scientific novelty of the research consists in the first experience of studying music timbre in terms of its structural organization. For the first time timbre is considered as a semiotic system with structural principles. Since musicology still doesn’t have an appropriate conceptual framework for structural analysis of a timbre space, the model by Saussure becomes especially valuable, primarily because of the fact that it emerged as an attempt to build such a language system which would take into account the correlation and interrelation between language and speech. This is the content of the novelty and topicality of the research which is based on a certain algorithm of structural analysis of music timbre.