.
.
.

Facing facts, we have to admit that all the acoustical explanations of chord-structures—to the effect that they are developed from the simple ratios—are pseudo-scientific attempts to rehabilitate musical harmony and to give the latter a greater prestige. Though the original reasoning in this field resulted from the honest spirit of investigation of Jean Philippe Rameau (Generation Harmonique, Paris, 1737), his successors overlooked the development of acoustical science. Their inspiration was Rameau—plus their own mental laziness and cowardice.

The whole misunderstanding in the field of musical harmony is due to two main factors:

(1) underrating habit;
(2) confusion of the term “harmonic” in its mathematical connotation—i.e., pertaining to simple ratios—with “harmony” in its musical connotation—i.e., simultaneous pitch-assemblages varied in time sequence.

Joseph Schillinger