Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Influence on Harmonic Theory in Spain

Abstract

Abstract It is well known that the music-theoretical ideas of Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683–1764) were disseminated throughout much of Europe in large part by the summary editions issued by the mathematician and philosopher Jean Le Rond d’Alembert (1717–83) and certain German, English, and Italian translations that followed. Little is known, however, about how Rameau’s revolutionary and controversial theories appeared in Spain, and even less about how they were received and interpreted. In response, we offer a contextual analysis of the effects that these ideas had on both forward-looking intellectuals as well as on conservative professional musicians grounded in music of the past.