Basics of the modern North American music theory development (on the example of the formation of educational programs of Princeton and Yale Universities)

Statement of the problem. Modern music theory, as well as musical practice, offers a large number of different analytical approaches aimed at the multifaceted study of sound material; in particular, there are North American theories related to mathematical approaches to the study of the pitch organization of compositions. An important component of the historical, social and intellectual contexts that influenced the formation of North American theoretical musicology is neo-positivism, which found its embodiment in the musicological concepts of the 20th and 21st centuries that arose at Yale and Princeton Universities. Recent research and publications. In the period from the second half of the 20th century to the present, North American music theory appears both, as a continuous process of development of ideas and as material for various studies and generalizations (M. Babbitt, B. Boretz, B. Whittle, S. M. Gleason, J. Davis, J. Derkert, A. Girard, J. Kerman, J. C. Randall, J. Rahn, A. Forte, and others). Among the problematic aspects that concern scientists today are the periodization of the history of music theory in North American higher education (in particular, the reformation stage of the establishment of special programs for postgraduate students) and the specifics of the development of music theory in leading educational institutions in the United States. Objectives, methods, and novelty of the research. The purpose of the study is to highlight the history of the formation of modern North American music theory as a science and educational discipline in the leading educational institutions of the USA (Princeton and Yale Universities). Delving into North American music theory and researching the origins of its neo-positivist instrumentation allows us to get closer to understanding the specifics of various modern analytical approaches that develop at the intersection with mathematical theories. Actually, this determines the scientific novelty of the article. Historical and comparative approaches are the methodological basis of the research. Results and conclusion. Highlighting the process of development of modern North American music theory of the 20th century contributed to an important understanding of its specifics in the context of the general development of education in the USA. The article revealed the general principles of Princeton and Yale music theories as the first programs of modern academic theory in North America. In particular, the value of Schenker’s method, as one of the foundations of musical theoretical education in the USA, in its connection with neo-positivism, was revealed. Individual interpretations of Schenker’s positions by various scientists were analyzed. In conclusion, attention is focused on the prospects of studying more modern North American theories, in the light of their following of neo-positivist tendencies (Neo-Riemannian theory and D. Tymoczko’s chordal geometry).