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In Theory of Harmony section 4 on the major mode and diatonic chords by Schoenberg, he writes,

A musical sound is a composite, made up of a series of tones sounding together, the overtones; hence, it forms a chord. From a fundamental, C, these overtones are:

c, g, c1, e1, g1, (b-flat)1, c2, d2, e2, f2, g2, etc.

What do the superscripts mean in this context? An octave above the fundamental?

Aaron
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1 Answers1

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Yes, the superscripts indicate (one less than) the number of octaves above the fundamental. It's a variation on Helmholz notation, which uses prime symbols (c' c'' c''') rather than superscript numerals.

In standard notation:

X: 1
T: Harmonic Series (from C1)
M: none
L: 1/1
K: none
[V:V1] "_C"x "_c"x "_g"x "_c1"x "_e1"x "_g1"x "_b♭1"x "_c2"C "_d2"D "_e2"E "_f2"F "_g2"G
[V:V2 clef=bass] C,,, C,, G,, C, E, G, _B,
Aaron
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  • Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you mean by "zero-based," but isn't the number actually one less than the number of octaves above the fundamental? – Richard Dec 27 '21 at 20:18
  • @Richard Yes, I was looking for a way to express that. The superscripts indicate octaves above the octave above the fundamental. Do you think my edit clarifies things? My concern is it creates more questions. – Aaron Dec 27 '21 at 20:22
  • @Richard Do you think it would make more sense for me to just say it's a variation on Helmholz notation using superscripts rather than prime symbols? – Aaron Dec 27 '21 at 20:26
  • I think your edit is clear, but your latter solution is how I've always addressed it. Hence why I've always preferred the C4-as-Middle-C system! – Richard Dec 27 '21 at 20:30