Sect. IV.] Music: 147 



U'ho have rendered themselves famous by the ex- 

 cellence of their personal performances. 



The principles of music have been considerably 

 improved during the last age. The origin and 

 laws of Harmouy were little understood before the 

 commencement of this period. Facts and rules 

 were known ; and the improvements of the cele- 

 brated Corelli, in Counterpoint, at the close of the 

 preceding age, have received great and just praise. 

 But the philosophy of harmony had been very im- 

 perfectly developed until M. llameau, a scientific 

 musician of France, early in the century, under- 

 took the investigation of this subject, and intro- 

 duced into it more light and order than had been 

 before known. He exhibited the foundation and 

 the principles of harmony, and the source of that 

 pleasure which it affords ; he analysed the conso- 

 nances in music; he explained the mutual de- 

 pendence of harmony and melody, and formed the 

 laws of each into a distinct code, in a manner more 

 luminous and satisfactory than any of his predeces- 

 sors *. The result of his labours was given to the 

 world in 1752, when he was considered by many 

 as the great monarch of the musical world, as '' a 

 theorist to whom this art was as much indebted 

 as physics and philosophy to Newton/' And al- 

 though this opinion of his merit, entertained by 

 Ids countrymen, may be more honourable than he 

 deserves, yet the science of music is doubtless in- 

 debted to him as one of its greatest cidtivatorsand 



" See d'Alembert's Elanens dc Miis. Thtur. ct Prat, suhans lc>i 

 Vrindpcs dc Rameau, 17 62. 



