60 THE NATURE OF MUSIC 



songs exemplify the introduction of the whole step and 

 half step. The evolutionary sequence of regnant har- 

 monies begins with the Major Tonic. The evolu- 

 tionary sequence of intervals begins with the intervals 

 formed by the tones of this first regnant harmony. 

 The Major Tonic-harmony is the only harmony which 

 has entered into consciousness hy way of its root. 

 We shall see that the Dominant-harmony was intro- 

 duced by its fifthy the Subdominant-harmony by its 

 third. 



While we may affirm with certitude that the Major 

 Tonic-harmony was the first of all harmonies, we can- 

 not tell what was its exact pitch or key, simply because 

 we do not know. However, the terms Major and 

 Tonic imply mode, relation, tonality and also relative 

 pitch but not fixed pitch, since this Major Tonic arises 

 on any isolated tone of any pitch. Like the birds we 

 sing melodies and correctly express their inherent har- 

 monic relations or tonality, completely unconscious the 

 while of fixed pitch or key, although we are expressing 

 key-relations. Fixed pitch is indicated when we say 

 C Major, D Major, E Major, and so on, by which we 

 mean that the Major Tonic is pitched or keyed on 

 C, D, E, wherefore the notes C, D, E are called key- 

 notes and wherefore the terms keynote and Tonic are 

 used interchangeably. Because the feeling of the 

 harmonic relations we call tonality are common to all 

 of us, because they underlie all music of bird and man, 

 because they would exist even though systems of fixed 

 pitch and notation had never been invented and 

 adopted, because they are the essential thing to appre- 

 ciate and know, because our complex system of nota- 



