The art of music. Vol. 01 (of 14)

In Short

This book offers a comprehensive, narrative history of music, beginning with the earliest rhythmic expressions of primitive tribes and advancing through the Greek, medieval, and Renaissance periods to the peak of the Baroque era. It examines how music shifted from a social and religious ritual—often tied to poetry and dance—into an independent, sophisticated art form defined by melody, harmony, and structural design. By blending technical analysis of musical systems with biographical sketches of pivotal figures like Bach, Handel, and the early Troubadours, the text explains the philosophical and social conditions that allowed specific musical movements to flourish. It serves as a foundational library for those who wish to understand the "why" and "how" behind the development of Western musical traditions.

The Story

The narrative begins with the premise that mankind’s artistic journey moves through three stages: the spontaneous and unconscious, the self-conscious and analytical, and finally, the synthesis where technical mastery meets genuine human expression. This evolution is first observed in the most primitive societies, where the drum serves as the fundamental tool for accent rather than tone. From the Andamanese Islanders’ foot-drums to the sophisticated two-toned drums of the Aztecs, the book establishes that music’s core is found in the relationship between sounds.

As the narrative shifts to the ancient world, it becomes clear that music rarely existed as an independent pursuit. In Greece, mousikê was a vast umbrella encompassing poetry, mathematics, astronomy, and dance. The great poets like Homer and Hesiod were, in effect, the first musicians. This era highlights the essential role of the "hyporchema"—pantomimic dances—and the choral traditions that would eventually influence the structure of the early Christian liturgy. The history of the Church serves as a crucial bridge; while the church provided a sanctuary for music, it also integrated pagan festivals and folk melodies, ensuring that the older, more visceral traditions survived within the formal constraints of the liturgy.

The story then moves to the Middle Ages, documenting the slow, often obscure struggle to develop polyphony. Theorists like Hucbald of St. Amand defined the early, rigid "organum," where melodies moved in parallel fourths and fifths. This was the "Gothic" period of music, an intellectual construction that eventually softened as secular influences—such as the Troubadours of Provence—brought emotional warmth and individual expression back into the fold. The tragic suppression of these poet-musicians during the Albigensian Crusade marks a turning point, scattering their influence into the courts of Italy and Spain, and setting the stage for the Renaissance.

The focus shifts to Italy, where the "Ars nova" and the movement toward monody—solo melody with accompaniment—began to break the bonds of church-dominated polyphony. The Florentine camerata represents a key moment of rediscovery, as thinkers attempted to resurrect what they believed was the true Greek tragedy, a pursuit that inadvertently birthed the opera. This leads into the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, where the rise of the virtuoso and the perfection of the harpsichord by French and Flemish masters expanded the technical boundaries of what composers could achieve.

The arc concludes with the giants of the Baroque period. The book contrasts the wandering life of Domenico Scarlatti with the settled, often frustrated genius of J.S. Bach in Leipzig. It frames Bach not merely as a master of the old polyphonic style, but as a visionary who understood that harmony was the true essence of music. The narrative ends on the assertion that through the "well-tempered" system, Bach provided the foundational language for every composer who followed, reaching the very "beginning and the end of music."

How It Unfolds

The foundations of sound The book opens by distinguishing between the unconscious, spontaneous art of early man and the perfected organization of later masters. It emphasizes that music’s power lies not in isolated notes but in the relationship between every moment of a composition.

The Greek synthesis The narrative explores the broad scope of ancient Hellenic mousikê, where poetry and music were fused into a singular expression. It details the Spartan dance festivals and the role of the chorus in religious life, illustrating how early music was inextricably linked to physical movement and social ritual.

The medieval transition The text chronicles the long, technical development of polyphony from the rigid parallel movements of the ninth century to the more fluid experiments of the fourteenth. It highlights how the Church acted as both a guardian and a restrictive force, eventually absorbing secular, "vulgar" melodies into its own structures.

The Renaissance rebirth The focus turns to the rise of individualism, the decline of strict scholasticism, and the emergence of the Italian madrigal. It describes the quest to return to Greek ideals, which led a circle of intellectuals to invent the opera as a vehicle for dramatic human speech.

The Baroque mastery The final movement profiles the transition from the lute and early harpsichord music toward the harmonic complexity of the eighteenth century. It concludes by positioning Bach as the ultimate synthesist, whose work bridges the gap between ancient polyphony and modern harmonic expression.

The People

The book presents its history through the lenses of those who pushed the boundaries of their respective eras. Hucbald of St. Amand appears as a pivotal, if somewhat enigmatic, figure of the Middle Ages, whose theoretical writings defined the strict, parallel rules of early polyphony, even as he acknowledged their limitations. Beatrice, Countess of Die, represents the creative spirit of the Troubadours, whose secular, emotive songs provided a necessary counterweight to the austerity of church music.

Dufay serves as the vital link between the medieval and Renaissance worlds. His education at the cathedral of Cambrai and his subsequent travels illustrate how the "most beautiful" musical traditions of the Netherlands were disseminated to Rome. Alessandro and Domenico Scarlatti embody the shifting nature of the musician's life; while the father was a master of his time, his son Domenico is portrayed as a wandering genius whose flight was encouraged by his father’s recognition that the nest had become too small.

Handel is depicted as a man of immense generosity and adaptability, a German-born composer who thrived by embracing the specific demands of British public taste. His career is contrasted with that of J.S. Bach, whom the text portrays as a man of great courage and occasionally volatile temper. Bach is the book’s intellectual hero, a figure who navigated the indifference of the Leipzig town council to produce a body of work that, through his pioneering use of equal temperament, unlocked the potential for all major and minor keys. He remains the standard by which the author measures the ultimate realization of musical organization.

In Its Own Voice

It is in that last phase that the greatest works of musical art are produced; and it is in such works of art that the approximation to perfection may be found, in which there is no part which has not some relation to every other part.

The author explains the criteria for true artistic organization, arguing that greatness is achieved when every element of a work serves the central idea.

But who cannot read the character of a composer through his average color scheme? The flighty, empty-headed trickster with his sparkling piccolo and his gas-jet noises on violins, and the bombastic vulgarian posing as a man of great feeling with his roars of blatant brass.

The editor uses these vivid, sharp descriptions to warn that a composer's personality is always reflected in the tonal "colors" they choose.

What It's Really About

At its core, this volume argues that music is a mirror of human development. It suggests that artistic progress is not a straight line but a process of alternating between spontaneous creativity and rigid, intellectual organization. The central question is how an artist maintains human "warmth" and "inner idea" when trapped by the "blackness of the medieval night" or the commercial demands of a modern public. The book asserts that true art is always a matter of relations—the way a single note, rhythm, or modulation relates to the whole. Whether discussing a primitive drum or a complex Bach fugue, the argument remains consistent: the goal of organization is simply to put things in their right places. When the relations are true, the music carries conviction; when they are false, the music is a "hollow sham," regardless of the technical skill displayed.

Why Read It Today

This book is intended for the serious listener or musician who finds comfort in a methodical, scholarly journey through time. It is not a casual read; it demands patience as it navigates the technicalities of "mensural notation," "figured bass," and the various schools of early polyphony. Readers who enjoy digging into the origins of their favorite pieces will find immense value here, as the text demystifies the "why" behind the shift from church liturgy to the secular concert hall.

The prose is warm and authoritative, yet it carries the distinct, sometimes stern, scholarly tone of the early twentieth century. You will encounter occasional references to "savages" or "the medieval night"—period-specific attitudes that reflect the academic climate of 1915. Despite its age, there is a refreshing precision in how the author dissects the "average color schemes" of composers like Brahms or Beethoven, showing a deep, almost tactile appreciation for the music itself.

You will come away from this volume with a sense of the vastness of the musical tradition. It does not feel like a dry textbook, but rather like a long, well-researched conversation with a guide who truly loves the subject. While the length of the full fourteen-volume series might be daunting, this first volume stands as a beautiful, self-contained study of the roots of Western sound. It is for those who want to understand the architecture of music, and who, like the great masters described within, believe that a deep understanding of structure only enhances the joy of the listening experience.