Philosophical Debates

The western understanding of music from China was marked by several popular misconceptions: it was generalized to be absolutely monolithic, unnotated, and strictly monophonic. Based on the transcriptions that reached Europe, some western scholars claimed to perceive similarities with Scottish folk music. This body of knowledge that made up Chinese music in the West provided a platform for music theorists to speculate on the universal origins of harmony.

A General History of Music Charles Burney London, 1789 (more)		The Citizen of the World Oliver Goldsmith Chiswick, 1819 (more)		Code de Musique Pratique Jean-Phillipe Rameau Paris, 1760 (more)

Recueil de Planches: Musiques Jean-Jacques Rousseau In Encyclopédie, ed. Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert (more)		Memoire sur la Musique des Anciens Pierre-Joseph Roussier Paris, 1770 (more)