What Music Is in Universal, and of Its Division

Defining Music

We shall therefore give beginning to such an honest and honorable study, seeing first what Music is, and then of how many sorts it is found, assigning to each sort its definition; and this we shall do so as not to deviate from the good order which the ancients have held — who wanted that every argument about any thing, which is reasonably made, should begin from the definition, so that one understands that about which one has to dispute.

Therefore speaking in universal I say that Music is nothing other than Harmony; and we shall be able to say that it is that strife and friendship which Empedocles proposed, from which he wished all things to be generated — that is, a discordant concord, as one would say: a Concord of various things which can be joined together. But because this word Music has different significations, and reason requires that every thing which carries with it many significations should first be divided before being defined (especially when one wishes to declare every part of it) — therefore we shall first divide it, saying: Music is of two sorts, Animastic and Organic.

Animastic and Organic Music

The one is harmony which is born from the composition of various things joined together in one body, even though among themselves they are discrepant — as is the mixture of the four Elements, or of other qualities in an animated body. The other is harmony which can be born from various instruments. And this we shall again divide into two: for two sorts of instruments are found, that is, Natural and Artificial.

The natural ones are those parts which concur to the formation of voices — such as the Throat, the Palate, the Tongue, the Lips, the Teeth, and finally the Lung, formed by nature. Which parts being moved by the Will, and from the movement of them arising sound, and from sound Speech — there then arises Modulation, or Singing. And thus through the movement of the body, through the reason of sound, and through the words accommodated to Song, perfect harmony is made, and there is born the Music called Harmonic, or Natural.

Artificial Instruments and Their Kinds

Artificial instruments are human inventions and derive from Art, and form the artificial Music — which is that harmony which is born from similar instruments. And this is done in three ways: for it is born either from instruments which render sound with natural or artificial breath, like Organs, Fifes, Trumpets, and similar ones; or from stringed instruments, where breath is not necessary, like Citharas, Lyres, Lutes, Harpsichords, Dulcimers, and similar ones, which by the fingers and by the quills are struck, or are played with bows. It arises finally from instruments for beating — like Drums, Cymbals, Tabors, Bells, and other similar ones, which are made of hollow wood and of the skins of animals stretched above them, and of metal, when they are struck by whatever thing.

So that the Artificial is found of three sorts — From breath, From strings, and From beating — and the Natural of four: Plain, Measured, Rhythmic, and Metric; although these four can also be attributed to the Artificial, for the reasons which we shall say elsewhere.

The Division of Animastic Music

Of the Animastic then we shall similarly make two parts, placing in the first the Mundane, and in the second the Human — as appears in the division shown below.

[Here Zarlino’s original text contains a printed classification diagram. The diagram divides Music into Animastic (Mundane and Human) and Organic (Natural and Artificial), with Artificial further divided into From breath, From strings, and From beating, and Natural into Plain, Measured, Rhythmic, and Metric.]

On the Terminology: Organic versus Rhythmic

And although some have made a difference between the Music which is born from wind instruments — naming it Organic — and that which is born from strings and without breath — calling it Rhythmic — nonetheless I have wished to call both indifferently Artificial. First: because it is not of much importance to name them in one way rather than another; and then to preserve the signification of the word Organ, whence comes this name Organic, which comprehends in universal all sorts of artificial instruments. And beyond this to avoid equivocation: since saying Rhythmic, one could understand not only that harmony which is born from artificial instruments of strings, but also that which results from well-composed Prose. But let us now see what each member of the above-shown division is.