RHYTHM AND TONE S5 



as the root of a major consonance. The word root 

 defines the harmonic relation ; the term major conso- 

 nance defines the harmonic /orm. We shall soon find 

 tones reporting themselves as a third or fifth of this 

 consonance and in many other forms and relations. 

 In each of these relations we shall discover that the 

 tone arises in the mind together with elementary har- 

 monics, that the form varies with the relation, that the 

 form and relation of every tone are therefore harmonic; 

 in fine, that every tone is a harmony. Meanwhile the 

 original major consonance requires further analysis. 



22. A Tone's Harmonic Thread 



The harmonic complex which a tone generates and 

 reports in common feeling may be called the harmonic 

 thread of a tone. The harmonies of music form a 

 closely wrought web of innumerable harmonic threads. 

 Consciously and unconsciously we feel a tone's har- 

 monic thread, but unless we accurately observe its 

 harmonic thread we cannot appreciate the exact form 

 and relation of a tone. The thread of the major con- 

 sonance in the above example presents a root, third, 

 fifth and octave. Each higher and lower octave is 

 another root of a like series of harmonics wherefore 

 we may change the octave-number 8 into a root- 

 number 1 as follows: — 



1351351 1531531 



i 



BSEE ^ . . -H 



w- 



-^- * etc. * -^ -I^ 



This shows that the harmonic thread of a major 

 consonance extends through the whole range of tone- 



