Symposium On Seventeenth-Century Music Theory - France
Symposium On Seventeenth-Century Music Theory - France
Symposium On Seventeenth-Century Music Theory - France
Albert Cohen
Journal of Music Theory, Vol. 16, No. 1/2. (Spring - Winter, 1972), pp. 16-35.
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SYMPOSIUM ON
SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY
FRANCE
ALBERT COHEN
Notable m u s i c i a n s a r e r e p r e s e n t e d in t h i s l i t e r a t u r e , , such a s
J e a n Titelouze (1583-1633), the o r g a n i s t - c o m p o s e r , who p r o -
vides, e a r l y in the c e n t u r y (1623), a detailed study of the i n -
t e r v a l of the fourth a s a t h e o r e t i c a l phenomenon ( p r e f a c e t o
Hyrnnes de 1'Cglise); G u i l l a u m e - G a b r i e l N i v e r s (16 32 -17 14),
o r g a n i s t , c o m p o s e r , and leading t h e o r i s t , whose w r i t i n g s i n -
clude i m p o r t a n t contributions t o the developing t h e o r i e s of
modality, counterpoint, harmony, and thorough b a s s ; and M a r c -
Antoine C h a r p e n t i e r (1634 -1 704), whose p r i m e r on the "Rules
of Composition," w r i t t e n f o r the Duke of O r l e a n s and dated c .
1692, r e f l e c t s a c u r i o u s m i x t u r e of both p r o g r e s s i v e and con-
s e r v a t i v e thinking s o c h a r a c t e r i s t i c of F r e n c h m a n u a l s a t t h e
t i m e . And of n o n - m u s i c i a n s , one c a n cite t h e philosopher RenC
D e s c a r t e s (1596-1650), whose Musicae compendium (c. 1618)
proved t o b e e n o r m o u s l y influential throughout t h e seventeenth
c e n t u r y ; t h e g r a m m a r i a n and J a n s e n i s t Claude Lancelot (1615 -
1695), who includes a m o n g h i s m a n y w o r k s t r a c t s contributing
t o the t h e o r i e s of plain chant and modality; t h e l e x i c o g r a p h e r
and m a n of l e t t e r s Antoine F u r e t i e r e (1619-1688), whose Dic-
t i o n n a i r e universe1 (1690) i s t h e f i r s t encyclopedic d i c t i o n a r y
of the t i m e t o include c o m p r e h e n s i v e c o v e r a g e of m u s i c a l
t e r m s and t h e o r e t i c a l concepts; the a r c h i t e c t and physician
Claude P e r r a u l t (16 13 -1688), whose investigations into m u s i c
include e s s a y s on the n a t u r e of sound and on ancient G r e e k
m u s i c ; and the m a t h e m a t i c i a n and physician J o s e p h S a u v e u r
(1613-1716), who l a i d the foundation f o r the m o d e r n s c i e n c e of
musical acoustics.
An i m p o r t a n t f e a t u r e of t h i s activity in F r a n c e i s i t s c e n t r a l -
i z a t i o n in t h e city of P a r i s - l a g r o s s e t d t e de F r a n c e , then a s
now - a f e a t u r e that m a d e exchange and influence n a t u r a l , and
that l e d by the end of the c e n t u r y t o the e s t a b l i s h m e n t of what
c a n r e a s o n a b l y be r e f e r r e d t o a s a school of m u s i c t h e o r y i n
F r a n c e , s i n c e by then, m o s t contributions t o F r e n c h t h e o r y c a n
be t r a c e d t o a m a i n c u r r e n t of evolving i d e a s and concepts
c u r r e n t in P a r i s . T h i s i s t r u e f o r products of o t h e r F r e n c h
c e n t e r s a s well. F o r example, the l i t e r a t u r e s of t h e o r y f r o m
Lyon, which r e t a i n e d a t l e a s t s o m e vestige of i t s e a r l i e r f a m e
a s a publication c e n t e r , and f r o m Bordeaux, which developed
i t s own Academy b y t h e e a r l y eighteenth century, a r e m i n o r ;
even t h e i r m o r e authoritative productions c l e a r l y take t h e i r
cue f r o m P a r i s . One can c i t e f r o m t h e f o r m e r city, t h e t h e o -
r e t i c a l w r i t i n g s of Philippe F o r n a s , Borjon d e Scellery, and
PherotCe de L a Croix, and f r o m the l a t t e r , the works of P i e r r e
T r i c h e t and S a r r a u de Boynet. Certainly, the printing monopoly
held by the B a l l a r d family i n P a r i s played a conspicuous r o l e
i n t h i s development. But if we place this i n t e r e s t against the
background of the socio-economic and political predominance
that c h a r a c t e r i z e s F r a n c e ' s position on the Continent at the
time - a position that i n many ways w a s considered (in the
w o r d s of Martha Ornstein)*l "the t o r c h - b e a r e r of civilization,"
a t l e a s t in the view of the eighteenth century - then i t i s c l e a r
how in m u s i c theory, a s i n o t h e r disciplines, activity i n P a r i s
a t t r a c t e d special attention throughout Europe.
1 M. Ornstein, T h e Role of Scientific Societies in the 17th Century. 3rd ed. (Lon-
don: Archon, 1963), p. 164.
A CHECKLIST OF SOURCES
La Croix, A. Pherotee de. L 'art de la poesie franpoise e t latine. avec une idee de
la musique ...
Lyon: T. Amaulry. 1694. (3e partie, pp. 617-662: "Idee de l a
musique.")
La Hire, Philippe de. "Explication des differences des sons de l a corde tendue s u r
l a trompette marine." Memoires de 1'Academie Royale des Sciences. Depuis
1666 jusqu'h 1699. Tome IX. P a r i s . 1730. Pp. 330-350. Also issued in:
Memoires de mathematique et de physique. P a r i s : Imprimerie royale, 1694;
Oeuvres diverses, P a r i s : Compagnie des Libraires, 1730; Oeuvres melees,
Amsterdam. 1759.
Lancelot. Claude. L'art de chanter ou methode facile pour apprendre en fort peu de
temps l e s vrays principes du plein-chant et de l a musique. P a r i s : A . P r a l a r d ,
1685.
Leon, Frangois. L'Acadhmie des sciences et des arts. pour raisonner de toutes
choses et parvenir la sagesse universelle. 3 Vols. P a r i s : C. Osmont, 1679,
reissued 1680. (Vol. 11, pp. 1-25: "La musique.")
Marius, Jean. "Clavecin brise, invent6 par M. Marius (1700)." Machines et Inven-
tions approuvees par 1'Academie Royale des Sciences. Tome I. P a r i s , 1735.
No. 58, pp. 193-194 & fig.
Ouvrard,R. Lamusique retablie depuis son origine e t l'histoire des divers progrez
qui s'y sont faits (c. 1674-1694). Tours, Bibl. Municipale. MSS 821-822.
Sauveur. J . Systeme general des intervalles des sons, et son application B tous l e s
systemes et B tous l e s instrumens de musique." Histoire de 1'Academie
Royale des Sciences. Annee 1701. Avec l e s Memoires. P a r i s , 1743. In
Memoires, pp. 299-3613, Also issued separately.
Souhaitty, J.-J. Epigramme pour et contre la nouvelle methode de chant par chif-
fres. [n.p., c. 1678.)
Anon. Lettre 11. Sur cette question, s'il est permis de jouer, d'aller B l'opera, B l a
comedie, e t au bal. Toulouse: J.-P. Douledoure, 1701.
Anon. Methode nouvelle pour apprendre l e plain-chant en fort peu de temps. Lyon:
B. Martin, 1700.