Composers and Theorists Who Influenced Rameau

I asked ChatGPT4o: "Which composers and theorists influenced Rameau in developing his theory of harmony?"

Jean-Philippe Rameau was influenced by several composers and theorists in the development of his theory of harmony. While deeply understanding musical traditions, he innovated them through his unique methods.

1. Giovanni Battista Doni (1595–1647)

Doni was an Italian theorist active during the transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque period, researching early theories of tonality.
Although Rameau did not directly reference Doni, his search for a scientific approach to tonality and harmony may have been influenced by the ideas in Italian music theory of that era.

2. The Tradition of Renaissance Polyphony

Renaissance polyphony (multi-voice music) practically provided the foundation for concepts such as "triads" and "inversions" in Rameauʼs harmony theory.
The harmonic coherence found in the works of Palestrina and Josquin des Prez likely had an indirect influence on Rameauʼs concept of tonality.

3. Jacques Moderne (16th Century)

A French music theorist active during the Renaissance who presented elementary theories on harmony.
Although his influence was not direct, Rameau may have inherited the tradition of French music theory.

4. Johann Joseph Fux (1660–1741)

There is no record that Rameau directly read Fuxʼs *Gradus ad Parnassum*, but Fuxʼs counterpoint theory (mainly Palestrina-style polyphony) shares similarities with Rameauʼs concepts of harmonic stability and voice leading.

5. Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643–1704)

Charpentier, a French composer of the previous generation, fused French and Italian musical styles, demonstrating sophisticated uses of harmony.
His music, with its rich harmonic progressions and sense of tonality, likely influenced the foundation of Rameauʼs operas and harpsichord works.

6. Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632–1687)

Lully laid the foundation for French Baroque music, characterized by stable and disciplined harmonic progressions.
While inheriting Lullyʼs tradition, Rameau aimed to develop harmony by incorporating more scientific harmonic analysis.

7. Isaac Newton (1642–1727)

Rameau was influenced by Newtonʼs scientific ideas when treating music theory scientifically.
His methodology of understanding music as a physical phenomenon (acoustics) and deriving harmonic regularities from the overtone series and sound frequencies reflects Newtonʼs application of natural science to music.

8. René Descartes (1596–1650)

Descartesʼ rationalist philosophy influenced Rameauʼs approach to seeking "universal principles" in music theory.
Descartesʼ *Compendium Musicae* presents a mathematical analysis of music, inspiring Rameauʼs study of the mathematical structure of music.

Rameauʼs Originality

Rameau did not simply inherit these traditions and ideas. He proposed concepts such as triads based on the overtone series (natural harmonics) and the theory of harmonic functions (tonic, dominant, subdominant), establishing the foundation of tonal music. In doing so, he scientifically restructured Renaissance and early Baroque harmony theory, profoundly impacting later music theory.

Site search by Google

Parents

< Rameau