The branch of acoustics that deals with the generation of sound by musical instruments, the transmission of sound to the listener, and the perception of musical sound. It has fascinated scientists since the time of Pythagoras. It captured the interest of noted scientists such as Hermann von Helmholtz, Lord Rayleigh, Chandrasekhara Raman, John Tyndall, Félix Savart, and Frederick Saunders. It has become an interdisciplinary field joining physics with music. Indeed, important contributions have been made by psychologists, engineers, physiologists, architects, mathematicians, and materials scientists as well as by musicians and physicists.