Some things never change

The old musicians side more with Reason, but the new with the Ear...

Musicians of the past, we know, chose two judges in music: Reason and the Ear.

The choice would be correct since both are indispensable to music; yet, because of the use of these two concomitants, the present cannot reconcile with the past, and in this the past is blamed for two errors.

First, it wrongly classed the two judges and placed the Ear, the sovereign of music, below the rank of Reason or would divide its commanding authority with the latter. Whereupon the blameless Ear must immediately cede half of its monarchical domain...

In those innocent times (in which one knew nothing of present-day good taste and brilliance in music, and every simple harmony seemed beautiful) they thought Reason could be put to no better use than the creation of supposedly learned and speculative artificialities of note writing.

Therefore, they began on the one hand to measure out theoretically innocent notes according to mathematical scales and with the help of the proportioned yardstick, and on the other hand, to place these notes in musical practice on the staves (almost as if they were on a rack) and to pull and stretch them, to turn them upside down, to repeat and to change their positions, until finally from the latter resulted a practice with an overwhelming number of unnecessary instances of contrapuntal eye-music and from the former resulted a theory with amassed metaphysical contemplations of emotion and Reason.

Thus, one no longer had cause to ask if music sounded well or pleased the listener, but rather if it looked good on paper. In this way, the visual imperceptibly gained the most in music and used the authority of imprudent reason only to cover its own lust for power. Consequently, the suppressed Ear was tyrannized so long that finally it hid behind table and chairs to await from the distance the condescending, merciful glance of its usurpatores regmi (ratio and visus).

This grave injustice to the musical sovereign, the Ear, has been reprehended more by present-day musicians than by those of the past. They have begun vigorously to understand the many absurd and preposterous principles of the past and to form completely new ideas about the noble art of music unlike those of the learned ignoramuses. Above all, they return to the oppressed Ear the sovereignty of its realm; they displace reason from its judicial duties and give it to the Ear, no as Domino or co-regent, but as an intelligent minister and counselor with the absolute mandate to warn its master (the occasionally deceived Ear, if indeed deceived can be spoken of) of every false step; but otherwise, Reason differs in opinion, it must serve (the Ear) with complete obedience and employ all of its skill, not for the visual appearance on paper, but to give the Ear the satisfaction of an absolute ruler...

The (art of) painting is for the eye, music, however for the ear. Similarly, food is for the taste and flowers for the smell. Would it not be ridiculous to say the dinner was especially good because it smelled good, even though it was disagreeable to the taste and stomach?...

As we must now admit unanimously that our Finis musices is to stir the affections and to delight the ear, the true Objectum musices, it follows that we must establish all our musical rules according to the Ear. And in this Frau Vernunfft (that superintelligent ratio) will have her hands full, even more than we can imagine in our times...

Johann David Heinichen, Der General-Bass in der Composition (Dresden, 1728)