Helmholtz proposed this system in order to accurately define pitches in his classical work on acoustics Die Lehre von den Tonempfindungen als physiologische Grundlage für die Theorie der Musik translated into English by A. J. Ellis as On the Sensations of Tone. He based his notation on the practice of German organ builders for labelling their pipes, itself derived from the old Germanorgan tablature in use from late medieval times until the early 18th century. Helmholz's system is widely used by musicians across Europe and is the one used in the New Grove Dictionary. Once also widely used by scientists and doctors when discussing the scientific and medical aspects of sound in relation to the auditory system, it has now largely been replaced in American and French scientific and medical contexts by scientific pitch notation.
Usage
The accenting of the scale in Helmholtz notation always starts on the note C and ends at B. The note C is shown in different octaves by using upper-case letters for low notes, and lower-case letters for high notes, and adding sub-primes and primes in the following sequence: C,,C,Ccc′c″c‴ and so on. Middle C is designated c′, therefore the octave upwards from middle C is c′–b′. Each octave may also be given a name based on the "German method". For example, the octave from c′-b′ is called the one-line octave or once-accented octave. Correspondingly, the notes in the octave may be called one-lined C, etc.
Variations
The English multiple C notation uses repeated Cs in place of the sub-prime symbol. Therefore C͵ is rendered as CC.
The German method replaces the "prime" with a horizontal bar above the letter.
Primes in subscript may be replaced with digits in subscript indicating the number of primes : for example ͵͵C or C2 or 2C, c″ or c2.
A system of pitch designation using uppercase and lowercase letters, commas and apostrophes in a way similar to the Helmholtz pitch notation is used in the ABC music notation system, currently used mainly for Western folk music.
LilyPond music engraving software uses an all-lowercase variant where pitches that would be uppercase in Helmholtz notation are written with an additional sub-prime: c,,, and c,, and c, represent Helmholtz C͵͵ and C͵ and C respectively.
Scientific pitch notation is a similar system that replaces primes and sub-primes with integers. Hence C4 in scientific notation is c′.
Staff representation
This diagram gives examples of the lowest and highest note in each octave, giving their name in the Helmholtz system, and the "German method" of octave nomenclature..
