Octave | Scale, Interval, Harmony | Britannica (original) (raw)

octave, in music, an interval whose higher note has a sound-wave frequency of vibration twice that of its lower note. Thus the international standard pitch A above middle C vibrates at 440 hertz (cycles per second); the octave above this A vibrates at 880 hertz, while the octave below it vibrates at 220 hertz.

Bobby McFerrinThe universality and innate nature of music, and the pentatonic scale, as demonstrated by singer Bobby McFerrin.

See all videos for this article

Because of the close acoustic relationship between two notes an octave apart, the upper A is perceived as qualitatively identical to the lower A, although at a higher pitch. Many musical scales encompass an octave; in the diatonic scales (major, minor, and modal) of Western music, the octave is an interval of eight notes. It is the only interval to appear as a constant in the musical scales of nearly every culture.

In harmony and in instrumentation, a note paired with its octave is said to be doubled. Melodic doubling in octaves is ubiquitous in all types of instrumental music.

Britannica Quiz Sound Check: Musical Vocabulary Quiz

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.