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.

 

Burney, A General History of Music Goldsmith, The Citizen of the World Rameau, Code de Musique Pratique
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)

Rousseau, Recueil de Planches, Musiques Amiot, Memoire sur la Musique des Anciens
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)

 

Next Collection: Domestic Chinoiseries

 

Oct 1, 2013

Harvard University Department of Music
North Yard
Cambridge, MA 02138

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