Journal of Music Theory

Aims & Scope

Founded by David Kraehenbuehl at Yale University in 1957, the Journal of Music Theory is the oldest music-theory journal published in the United States and has been a cornerstone in music theory’s emergence as a research field in North America since the 1960s.

The journal is edited by a consortium of music-theory faculty at Yale, where it is housed in the Department of Music.

The Journal of Music Theory fosters conceptual and technical innovations in abstract, systematic musical thought and cultivates the historical study of musical concepts and compositional techniques.

The journal publishes research with important and broad applications in the analysis of music and the history of music theory as well as theoretical or metatheoretical work that engages and stimulates ongoing discourse in the field.

While remaining true to its original structuralist outlook, the journal also addresses the influences of philosophy, mathematics, computer science, cognitive sciences, and anthropology on music theory.

View Aims & Scope

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Metrics & Ranking

Impact Factor

Year	Value
2025	0.3
2024	0.70

Journal Rank

Year	Value
2024	15029

Journal Citation Indicator

Year	Value
2024	22

SJR (SCImago Journal Rank)

Year	Value
2024	0.354

Quartile

Year	Value
2024	Q1

h-index

Year	Value
2024	17

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Abstracting & Indexing

Journal is indexed in leading academic databases, ensuring global visibility and accessibility of our peer-reviewed research.

• Scopus
• Google Scholar
• Web of Science

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Subjects & Keywords

Journal’s research areas, covering key disciplines and specialized sub-topics in Arts and Humanities, designed to support cutting-edge academic discovery.

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Most Cited Articles

The Most Cited Articles section features the journal's most impactful research, based on citation counts. These articles have been referenced frequently by other researchers, indicating their significant contribution to their respective fields.

• Neo-Riemannian Operations, Parsimonious Trichords, and Their "Tonnetz" Representations

  Citation: 166

  Authors: Richard

• Maximally Even Sets

  Citation: 137

  Authors: John, Jack

• Introduction to Neo-Riemannian Theory: A Survey and a Historical Perspective

  Citation: 132

  Authors: Richard

• Parsimonious Graphs: A Study in Parsimony, Contextual Transformations, and Modes of Limited Transposition

  Citation: 119

  Authors: Jack, Peter

• Temporal Gestalt Perception in Music

  Citation: 110

  Authors: James, Larry

• Variety and Multiplicity in Diatonic Systems

  Citation: 103

  Authors: John, Gerald

• A Cognitive Theory of Musical Meaning

  Citation: 86

  Authors: Candace

• Style as Information

  Citation: 82

  Authors: Joseph E.

• Linguistics and the Computer Analysis of Tonal Harmony

  Citation: 82

  Authors: Terry

• Entropy as a Measure of Style: The Influence of Sample Length

  Citation: 71

  Authors: Leon, William

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