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June 26, 20262 citationsOpen Access

The phase taxonomy of pitch-class set invariants

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CMCARLES MARÍN MUÑOZ

Key Points

  • To classify pitch-class set invariants based on their retention of phase information, employing discrete Fourier transforms.
  • Utilized a 0/1 indicator representation for pitch-class sets in the chromatic universe Z_12.
  • Conducted a discrete Fourier transform to analyze the phase retention of various pitch-class set invariants.
  • Machine-checked boundaries of resolving power in Lean 4, confirming the relations between acoustic and crystallographic properties.
  • Identified a hierarchy of invariants, where patterns can vary based on the phase characteristics retained.
  • Showed that higher-order analyses, such as the third-order triple correlation, can fully resolve specific homometric chords despite being phase-blind.
  • Established a complete invariant that determines the set exactly, highlighting a novel taxonomy in music theory.

Abstract

Working over the chromatic universe Z₁2, represent a pitch-class set A by its 0/1 indicator and take its discrete Fourier transform = F (ind A), with = |Â| e^iφ. We record an exact organization: every classical pitch-class-set invariant we examine sorts cleanly by how much of the phase φ it retains. The interval vector, Babbitt's hexachord theorem, homometry / the Z-relation, deep scales, the rhythmic-oddity property, and common tones under transposition are all functions of the phase-blind power spectrum |Â|² alone — equivalently the autocorrelation, equivalently (in crystallography) the Patterson function. The sum / index vector — common tones under inversion — is a function of ², which retains only partial phase and, as an invariant of the set class, is weak. Then comes the twist: the third-order triple correlation (whose transform is the bispectrum ··conj (Â) ) is also phase-blind, yet over Z₁2 it resolves the Z-relation completely — separating homometric chords needs not more phase but higher order. The full (magnitude and phase) is, last, a complete invariant determining the set exactly. The boundaries of this ladder of increasing resolving power are machine-checked in Lean 4 (Fourier. lean): the phase-blind collapse, the third-order resolution, and the complete-invariant capstone, in one file with a clean axiom audit. The crystallographic crossing is rigorous, not analogy: autocorrelation = Patterson function, |Â|² = X-ray diffraction intensity, the Z-relation = the phase problem. The contribution is the unified taxonomy as one organization with its boundaries machine-checked — a first formalization, not new mathematics. Note #2 of the music-math series; continues the 6-30 note. This record bundles the English and Spanish versions of the note.

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CARLES MARÍN MUÑOZ (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a3e1a65030ad1a9b3092e8dhttps://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20826773
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