This first volume of The Physics of Sound and Music: A complete course text is a textbook providing a complete resource to accompany undergraduate courses on the physics of sound and music, and is supplemented by the lab manual in volume two of this two-volume set. This textbook is written in an accessible, clear and conversational style with the intent of engaging students and teaching physics without appearing overwhelming. The book starts with an introduction to sound and music, then discusses various aspects of sound, from how it is produced to how it propagates and how we hear it. The remainder of the book focuses on the various aspects of music, from musical tones to musical instruments, and concludes with a discussion of how sound can be recorded for replay. Problems and solutions are provided in each chapter.