Playable BooksTraité de l’harmonie
Harmony
& composition
The French treatise, in English and in music.
Before you start Reading Rameau’s Treatise on Harmony
Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Traité de l’harmonie (1722) develops a theory of harmony, then applies it to composition and accompaniment. Its terminology and rules belong to the musical practice of its time.
Start with a short passage and one example. Choose Simplified English, English, or Caveman for different levels of language, and switch to French to compare the original wording.
Listen to an example, then follow one voice at a slower tempo. Read the source notes for uncertain details and alternative readings. Where a separate fundamental bass demonstrates the harmony, the example’s notes explain how it is heard.
Open the original page when a detail matters. The scans preserve the printed notation and annotations alongside the reading edition.
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