Treatise on Harmony: Book

Name: Treatise on Harmony: Book
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 06-224619
Price: 21.95 USD
Availability: InStock

By Philip Gossett

Item: 06-224619

$21.95

Shipped

One moment…

One of the most Important books in Western music. Detailed explanation of the principles of diatonic harmonic theory, mathematical foundations of music, interrelations of constituents of music, principles of composition etc. New 1970 translation of the 1722 edition by Philip Gossett. Many musical examples. 491 pgs. 6 x 9.

Treatise on Harmony: Book isn't in MakeMusic Cloud just yet...but it could be. Let us know you'd like to see it, and you'll help shape what comes next. In the meantime, start a free trial and dive into thousands of interactive titles your students can play along with today.

Request This Title

Tell us you want it.

Start Your Free Trial

Explore everything that's ready to play right now.

No sample pages found.

No sample audio found.

No sample videos found.

Series: Dover Edition

Publisher: Dover Publications

ISBN10: 0-486-22461-9

ISBN13: 978-0-486-22461-9

UPC: 9780486224619

SKU: 06-224619

More about this title

About the Author: Philip Gossett

Philip Gossett is a musicologist and editor whose scholarly work shaped how we understand and teach music history and theory. His 1970 translation of Rameau's Treatise on Harmony brought a foundational text into modern English, making centuries-old harmonic principles accessible to contemporary musicians and students without sacrificing the mathematical rigor of the original.

Show moreShow less

Why we love this

This is the definitive English-language version of Rameau's groundbreaking work, and having it available as a Dover edition means serious students can actually afford to own it. The 1970 translation maintains scholarly precision while remaining readable, and the abundance of musical examples turns abstract harmonic theory into concrete patterns you can hear and analyze.

Who it's for

Music theory teachers, composition instructors, and advanced students who want to understand the intellectual foundations of tonal harmony. Anyone studying the history of harmonic thought will find the original source material invaluable.

How to use it

Assign excerpts in upper-level theory courses to show students how harmony was systematically conceived and codified. Include sections in a music history curriculum alongside works by composers who studied from Rameau's principles. Faculty teaching composition benefit from consulting Rameau's reasoning about voice leading and chord function.

Skills your students will build

Understanding diatonic harmonic progressions from first principles
Recognizing the mathematical relationships underlying chord construction
Analyzing voice leading through the lens of 18th-century compositional practice
Reading and interpreting historical music theory texts