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Aspects of Newtonianism in Rameau's Génération Harmonique

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Aspects of Newtonianism in Rameau's Génération Harmonique Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 10-24-2014 12:00 AM Aspects of Newtonianism in Rameau’s Génération harmonique Abigail Shupe The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Kevin Mooney The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Music A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Abigail Shupe 2014 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the European History Commons, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine Commons, Musicology Commons, and the Music Theory Commons Recommended Citation Shupe, Abigail, "Aspects of Newtonianism in Rameau’s Génération harmonique" (2014). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 2507. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/2507 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Aspects of Newtonianism in Rameau’s Génération harmonique (Thesis Format: Monograph) by Abigail Shupe Graduate Program in Music Theory A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Music The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada © Abigail Shupe 2014 Abstract This dissertation studies the influence of Newtonianism as a cultural phenomenon on the theoretical writings of Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764). Rameau’s Génération harmonique (1737) shows a change in his thinking from his earlier work that bears witness to the debates around Newtonian science in the scientific community. Scholars have discussed possible connections between Génération harmonique and Newton’s Opticks (1704) but none has studied this issue in detail. I argue that Rameau was influenced by Newtonianism rather than by Newton’s works, and that Rameau was not always aware of this influence. In order to situate Rameau’s work within the larger body of Newtonian works, I have compared it with Newton’s writings as well as other scientific texts of the early eighteenth century. First I provide a background on Newtonianism and its central figures, focusing especially on Voltaire’s Lettres philosophiques (1734) and the scandal surrounding its publication. I discuss Rameau’s use of experiments to demonstrate his concept of the corps sonore (the resonance of a vibrating body) and the connection between these experiments and other scientific works of the time. These experiments were based largely on the work of Dortous de Mairan (1668-1771) and can be understood as a part of Rameau’s attempt to gain status inside the Académie royale des sciences . Next I study Rameau’s use of certain terms that strongly resonated with Newtonian physics, especially as Voltaire had popularised it. Rameau’s use of these terms can be understood as his attempt to gain social status outside of the Académie by aligning his work with popular scientific works of the time. Finally, I consider the lack of Newtonian influence on Rameau’s works written after the 1730s. I interpret Rameau’s removal of Newtonian concepts and methods as a reflection of his larger goals to gain social status and to elevate music theory to the level of prestige accorded to the sciences. From his later works we can see that he used scientific methods and ideas ii opportunistically. Studying Rameau from this perspective situates his work within larger trends in Enlightenment science and demonstrates how music theory can be seen as a cultural product. Keywords Newtonianism, Rameau, Voltaire, Castel, Fundamental Bass, Corps Sonore , Experience, Enlightenment, Science, Music Theory iii Acknowledgments I wish to thank everyone who helped me complete this project. The faculty members and staff of the Don Wright Faculty of Music have been supportive of my work. In particular, I am grateful to have had Dr. Kevin Mooney as my primary advisor and mentor. Every student should be so lucky to have an advisor as patient and knowledgeable as he is. I am grateful that he never made anything easy. I also wish to thank my second reader, Dr. Richard Semmens, for reading the entire document and meticulously editing my translations. This project greatly benefitted from his careful reading. Other faculty members were especially supportive of my work at UWO, including Dr. Emily Ansari, Dr. John Cuciurean, Dr. Catherine Nolan, and Dr. Peter Franck. I am also grateful to administrative assistants Shelly Koster and Audrey Yardley-Jones for their help throughout my degree. In addition, I wish to thank Dr. Maryam Moshaver, whose feedback on my conference proposal greatly improved my dissertation. My colleagues at UWO were a constant source of encouragement. Matthew Toth, Ian Seiss, Emilie Marshall, Lauren Cooke, Kristen Wallentinsen, Peter Lea, Emily Adamowicz, and Katie Walshaw made my time at UWO enjoyable and provided much needed feedback throughout the completion of my dissertation. I would also like to thank my friends, Tim Best, Dr. Carla Aguilar, Dr. David Farrell, and Dr. Anna Gawboy for their guidance throughout my graduate studies. In particular, I am indebted to my friend Mark Chilla for reproducing Rameau’s table as a plate in this dissertation, and for his support and friendship from the beginning of our graduate studies. I wish to thank my family for their ongoing support. My parents, Janet and Andy Shupe, and my brother, Andrew, have always encouraged me and driven me to countless music lessons. Finally, I wish to thank my husband, John Pippen, who has always provided iv critical feedback on my work, reminded me to have a life outside of work, and always encouraged me to “write first.” v Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. iv Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... vi List of Plates .................................................................................................................... viii Chapter 1: Introduction and Overview ............................................................................... 1 Overview of the Topic: Rameau and Newtonianism ..................................................... 2 Literature Review ......................................................................................................... 19 Rameau’s Treatises ............................................................................................... 19 Enlightenment Figures .......................................................................................... 22 Secondary Scholarship on Rameau’s Theories ..................................................... 26 Secondary Scholarship on the French Enlightenment and the History of Ideas ... 28 Secondary Scholarship Connecting Rameau with Enlightenment Thought ......... 33 Methodology ................................................................................................................ 38 Brief Chapter Summaries ............................................................................................. 41 Chapter 2: Rameau’s Contemporaries .............................................................................. 45 Voltaire’s Lettres philosophiques ................................................................................ 46 Maupertuis ................................................................................................................... 60 Castel ............................................................................................................................ 66 Fontenelle ..................................................................................................................... 68 “Soft” Newtonianism ................................................................................................... 73 L’Encyclopédie ............................................................................................................. 74 The Newton Wars? ....................................................................................................... 78 Chapter 3: Rameau, Newtonianism, and Experience ........................................................ 81 Mairan and Rameau ..................................................................................................... 84 Rameau’s Propositions and Experiments ..................................................................... 88 Génération harmonique and Other Newtonian Writings ............................................. 99 Reviews of and Reactions to Newtonianism in Génération harmonique .................. 113 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 121 Chapter 4: Rameau, Voltaire, and Castel ........................................................................ 124 Voltaire, Castel, and the Journal de Trévoux ............................................................. 127 Rameau and Voltaire .................................................................................................. 129 Rameau and Castel’s Polemic ...................................................................................
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