In What Manner Melody and Number Can Move the Soul, Disposing It to Various Affections, and Induce Various Habits of Character in Man

It would be no great marvel if it seemed strange to anyone that Harmony and Number should have the power to dispose the soul and induce it into diverse passions, being without any doubt outward things, which do nothing, or little, to the nature of man. But in truth it is only too manifest that they do have it: for the passions of the soul being placed in the sensitive appetite, bodily and organic, as in their true subject, each one of them consists in a certain proportion of hot and cold, and of moist and dry, according to a certain material disposition — so that when these passions are produced, one of the qualities named always superabounds in whichever of them it may be.

Whence, just as in Wrath the hot and moist predominates, the cause of its incitement, so in Fear the cold and dry predominates, which induces the contraction of the spirits. The like happens also in the other passions, which are generated from the superabundance of the qualities named.

And all these passions are without doubt reputed vicious in the Moral man, except that when such superabundances are reduced to a certain mean, there arises a middle operation which may be called not only virtuous but praiseworthy as well.

This same nature the Harmonies have also. Whence it is said that the Phrygian Harmony has the nature of stirring up wrath, and has something of the passionate in it; that the Mixolydian makes a man more mournful and more gathered into himself; and that the Dorian is more stable, and belongs much to the habits of the strong and temperate, seeing that it is the mean between the two named. And this is seen in the diverse alteration of the soul which occurs when these Harmonies are heard.

For which cause we may hold it for certain that those same proportions which are found in the qualities related are found also in the Harmonies: since for one single effect there is but one proper cause, which in the qualities already named, and in the Harmonies, is Proportion.

Whence we may say that those same proportions which are found in the cause of Wrath, or of Fear, or of any other passion in the aforesaid qualities, are found also in the Harmonies, which are the causes of stirring up like effects.

These things, then, being contained under like proportions, there is no doubt that, just as the passions are various, so also the proportions of their causes are various; because it is only too true that of contrary things the effects are contrary.

The passions, then, which predominate in bodies by virtue of the qualities named being like (so to speak) to the complexions which are found in the Harmonies, we may easily know in what manner the Harmonies can move the soul and dispose it to various passions.

For if anyone is subject to some passion, whether with delight or with sadness, and hears a harmony which is like it in proportion, such a passion takes increase — seeing that Likeness (as Boethius will have it) is friendly to everyone, and Unlikeness contrary and hateful.

But if it happens that he hears one of a different proportion, such a passion diminishes, and a contrary one is generated from it. And it is said that then such a harmony purifies him who hears it of that passion, by the corruption of the one and the generation of another contrary thing — as is seen when someone is troubled by some passion which comes with sadness, or with the kindling of the blood, such as Wrath, and hears a harmony of contrary proportion which contains some delight: then Wrath ceases in him and is corrupted, and immediately gentleness is generated. Which is wont to happen in the other passions also.

For everyone naturally takes more delight in that harmony which is more like, agreeable, and proportioned to his nature and complexion, and according as he is disposed, than in that which is contrary to him.

The diverse dispositions in men arise, then, from nothing else than the diverse movements of the Spirit, which is the first Organ of every faculty of the soul, both of the sensitive and of the motive, whether by alteration or by local motion. From which movements there comes about sometimes a gathering, sometimes a seething, and at times the dilation of the Spirits.

Which diverse movements arise not only from the diversity of musical Harmonies, but from Numbers alone as well, as is manifest. For while we attentively hear Verses read or recited, some hold a man in a certain modesty; some move him to liberal and delightful things; some incite him to light and vain things; and others induce in him a violent motion. And of this it will suffice to give only the example of Archilochus, of whom Horace says:

Proprio rabies armauit Iambo.

[Rage armed him with its own Iambus.]

From which things it may be understood in what manner Melody and its parts can, by a certain disposition, diversely change the passions and habits of character of the soul.

But because I said above that everyone naturally takes more delight in that harmony which is more like, agreeable, and proportioned to his nature or complexion, and according as he is disposed, it is therefore to be noted that I said according as he is disposed; and now I say that Melody can change the habits of character of the soul. For undoubtedly (according to the doctrine of the Philosopher) the moral Virtues and the Vices are not born with us, but are generated by many good or bad habits frequently practised — in the way that one who plays or writes badly many times over becomes a bad Player or Writer; or on the contrary, exercising himself often well, becomes good and excellent.

Likewise in the moral virtues, he who often practises Injustice becomes Unjust by such a means; and he who practises Justice becomes Just — in the way that he who accustoms himself to fear dangers becomes timid, and, not esteeming them, becomes bold. So that such as the operations are, such are the habits; and from good ones the good arise, and from bad ones the bad.

The Harmonies and the Numbers being, then, like to the passions of the soul, as Aristotle affirms, we may say that to accustom oneself to the Harmonies and to the Numbers is nothing else than to accustom and dispose oneself to diverse passions, and to diverse moral habits and habits of character of the soul. For those who hear the Harmonies and the Numbers feel themselves transmuted according to the disposition of the soul, sometimes into love, sometimes into wrath, and sometimes into boldness. Which comes about from nothing else (as I have said) than from the likeness which is found between the aforesaid passions and the harmonies.

And this is seen, seeing that one who has many times heard one sort of Harmony, or of Numbers, will take the greater delight in it, having already accustomed himself to it.

We ought, however, to take note, for the better understanding of what has been said, that although Number is taken (as we saw in the First part) for the multitude composed of several unities, and for the Air (so to speak) of some song — as the Poet understood it when he said:

Numeros memini, si verba tenerem;

[I remember the measures, if only I could hold the words.]

— and in many other ways besides, nevertheless in this place it is nothing else than a certain measure of time, short or long, in which is discerned the proportion, or measure, of two movements, or more, compared together according to a variable relation of time of those movements. And it is discerned in the feet of the Metre and of the Verse, which are composed of several Numbers, with a certain order or determined space.

But the Metre and the Verse is a certain composition and order of feet, devised to delight the hearing; or rather it is an order and composition of several voices, bounded by Number and mode.

I might now state the difference which is found between the Metre and the Verse, but for brevity I will pass it over: for those who should desire to know it will, by reading chapter 2 of the Third book of Augustine’s On Music, be able to be satisfied in all their desire.

Only this will have to be noted: that Rhythm differs from Metre and from Verse in this, that the Metre and the Verse contain in themselves a certain determined space, whereas Rhythm is more universal and has its spaces free and undetermined.

Whence it is as the Genus, while the Metre and the Verse are less universal and are as the Species: for from the one is had the quantity, or the matter, and from the others the quality, or the form.

Certain others say that Metre and Verse are reason with modulation, and Rhythm modulation without reason. But let this be said as sufficient concerning such a matter.