224 THE NATURE OF MUSIC 



sonant order, to which belong all the myriad new 

 harmonic percepts and forms which are distinctively 

 the products of polyphonic and chorded music. All 

 the new harmonic percepts derived from multi-voice 

 music are inseparably linked to and rooted in the 

 above nine and, as we shall find, are either combina- 

 tions, compounds or modifications of the nine. Hence 

 the importance of the nine. In pursuing this study of 

 melody's evolution of harmony which we trace in its 

 common self-reports two things should be borne in 

 mind : first, the harmonic percept, important because 

 it comprises a complete harmonic thread ; next, the 

 regnant harmony, important because it determines 

 the exact relations of tones. 



48. A Tone's Harmonic Pedigree 



Observe that each of the above nine percepts arose 

 on a specific tone; next, that these percepts are repro- 

 duced on other tones ; next, that certain percepts when 

 thus reproduced on certain tones generate new tones 

 in the concomitant harmony. For example, sol was 

 the first large fifth, namely, 5 of I in major. When 

 this large fifth was reproduced on ti in minor a new 

 tone, the chromatic si, was generated in the concomi- 

 tant harmony, in which it reported itself as large third. 

 This fact, in conjunction with the thesis that all the 

 nine percepts are potential in all tones and with the 

 rhythmo-harmonic laws of causation which we have 

 set forth, throws light upon the processes by which 

 melody gradually expanded the tone-system and tonal- 

 ity and evolved so much out of so little. But the fact 

 that a harmonic percept originated on a specific tone 



