Abstract

The book examines the principal philosophies of music put forward during the period extending, roughly, from Descartes through Rameau. In musical chronology, that would include the late Renaissance and most of the Baroque, hence “l’âge classique” makes reference to a cultural epoch, centered principally in France, and not the period in musical history known as “classical.” Composers whose works receive mention include Monteverdi, Lully, and of course Rameau. However, this is a book about theorists, not musicians.