20 THE NATURE OF MUSIC 



exist objectively, as we shall see. The acoustic 

 series, consisting of fundamental and overtones, 

 teaches us that every tone is a dissonance and proves 

 this to be a fact, and thus at the outset music and 

 acoustics are irreconcilable antagonists. But this 

 physical tone is not a dissonance in the specific 

 musical sense of the term ; it is in truth a discord, and 

 discords have nothing to do with music. Although 

 it is the custom in music-treatises to present only the 

 first six tones of the acoustic series, yet this arbitrary 

 omission of the remaining objectionable because dis- 

 cordant overtones does not eliminate them, they are 

 there just the same, and are met as they should be 

 by physical science. Whatever be their pitch all 

 tones have the same internal physical formation, 

 therefore all tones are discords. If one tone is a 

 discord what a blood-curdling horror such an amor- 

 phous physical composite as the chord ought to be! 

 But common music-feeling and perception reject 

 all this as false. If we really heard tones in their 

 actual physical forms all hands would be raised to 

 stop the ears. Notwithstanding all this most of our 

 music-theories are based on physical acoustics; a 

 scientific basis for music being required, and no 

 other being at hand we seize upon physics for an 

 initial chapter. Music's pure and perfect conso- 

 nance, music's specific form and relation of tone, 

 these things do not exist objectively, they are sub- 

 jective products of psychological development, direct 

 products of music-feeling, which is the feeling of 

 composite rhythm and harmony. Roughly stated, 

 elemental tone-rhythmic feeling impelled by an 



