104 THE NATURE OF MUSIC 



chords, are so many stages of harmonic evolution. 

 Hence this logical conclusion. Root, trunk and over- 

 spreading boughs, all music from first to last is one 

 growth of one psychological tree of tone-relations and 

 forms of harmony. All tone-relations and forms of 

 harmony in one voice, where did their genesis take 

 place.? In feeling, under the impulse of indwelling 

 causes. In what form were they first embodied and 

 expressed ? In melody, the original voice and vehicle 

 of tone-language, the indissoluble composite of rela- 

 tion and form in time (rhythm) and relation and 

 form in space (harmony), the essence, heart and soul 

 of music. All that is essential and potential in 

 homophony is embodied in melody. Thus our study 

 of homophony resolves itself into that of the common 

 reports of our common feeling and perception of 

 melody. Are we not all of us melodists ? What is 

 all primitive music but primitive melody, formal 

 music but conventional melody, modern music but 

 free melody.? All along the line, are not all the 

 great composers melodists ? Are not their works 

 immortal because their melodies are immortal.? 



This introduction to the several chapters before us 

 may be concluded with a few observations which 

 will focus our attention upon the special subject 

 directly before us. One regnant harmony after an- 

 other had its genesis in feeling and was embodied 

 in and reported by melody. In a book published 

 fourteen years ago [" The Septonate "] what I now call 

 harmony in one voice I there named meloharmony, 

 the inherent harmony of melody; what I now call 

 regnant harmony I there named ruling or governing 



