Mersenne and Evolving Tonal Theory
Albion Gruber · Journal of Music Theory · 1970
Marin Mersenne, one of the most prolific writers to have devoted his attention to music, pursued his interest in the subject during a time which was critical in the development of tonal, harmonic theory. It was in the seventeenth century the century between Zarlino and Rameau that the first steps were taken by theorists to formulate the basic principles which were to culminate in Rameau's epochal treatises. The present study is an examination of Mersenne's conception of harmonic theory, with a particular focus on those ideas which seem to point toward future developments in tonal theory.