INTRODUCING FIRST PRINCIPLES 21 



inherent immutable principle, equilibrium, has re- 

 solved objective physical sound or discord into sub- 

 jective harmony. 



The rejection by music-feeling and perception of 

 physical acoustics as a basis directly points to psy- 

 chology for the solution of music's ultimate problems 

 and the discovery of music's cardinal principle. 

 Though the conviction that there is such a princi- 

 ple has often been expressed the psychologist has 

 thus far been unable to explain what it is; he has 

 left the true nature of common music-feeling shrouded 

 in mystery and, like the physicist and physiologist, 

 has left the problem of consonance and dissonance 

 unsolved. The psychologist has followed one of 

 two courses: either he has made a comparative 

 study of music and music-feeling in the light of the 

 data of physics and physiology, like C. Stumpf, or 

 he has delved more or less deeply into metaphysical 

 speculations and aesthetics. The physiologist deals 

 with the physical organ of hearing and its function, 

 and in his hands the question What do we hear? 

 assumes the form How do we hear.? which is a 

 subordinate question that predicates a knowledge 

 of music's ultimate what When psychology has 

 once answered the ultimate question, then only will 

 physics and physiology gain a legitimate subject 

 for musical research the importance and value of 

 which to music can alone be estimated in the 

 future. 



The writer's position thus roughly sketched may be 

 summed up as follows: The true nature of music 

 per se, of its specific forms and relations, of its 



