28. Flanco of Cologne, who flourished about the middle of the eleventh ceiling, made considerable advances in the art, which he is the first to call discant. lie divides con cords into three classes, 1)N:fed, impelfeet, and mean. The perfect are unison and octave, the imperfect are the thirds, and the mean are the fourth and fifth. The sixths, major and minor, lie ranks among the discords, though he says they may be allowed in (fiscal». The lesser second, ereater fourth, and greater seventh, he says are perfect discords, and intolerable to the ear. Ile recommends the mixture of thirds, major and minor, with unisons and fifths. Dr. Burner gives the following specimen of his method of interweaving imper fect with per.fect concords.
" Though this fragment," says Ile, " may neither please nor interest the modern contrapuntist, yet whoever compares it with the compositions of Hubald, Odo, and Guido, must regard it with wonder." 29. After Franco, music seems to have continued much in the same state, as far as regards harmony, for two centu ries. Succeeding writers seem to have regarded him as their master. About the end of the thirteenth century, however, me find a commentator on Franco, more interesting than the rest, and who deserves to be ranked among the improvers of harmony, 1Nlarchetto of Padua; one of his treatises on mu sic is dated 1274. This, however, tnust have been written at an early- age, as there is another treatise of his dedicated to Robert, King of Naples; who reigned from 309 to In his works are found the first examples of the use of the *:c, and of chromatic modulations; as in the following examples, which clearly evince that the art had made very considera ble advances.
MarcheIto is the first who speaks of the resolution of dis cords, and lays it down as a rule that no two-sevenths, or fourths used as discords, should succeed each other ; that af ter a discord, the part which has offended the car should make it amends by becoming a concord, while the other stands still.
30. In the fourteenth centnry, flourished John de 3Iuris, so called probably front the place of his birth at Meurs, Normandy ; to whom many inventions in music have been attributed. " Ills Art of Conaterpoint," says Dr. Burney, " though comprised in a very few pages, is the most clear and useful tract on the subject which those times can boast." Ile begins by informing his reader that all beyond the oc tave is repetition. That " within the octave there are six species of concord, three perfect, and three imperfcct ; of the first kind are the unison, 8th, and 5th ; and of the second the two 3tls, and major fith. The tirst of the perfect," he says, is the unison, which though by some not allowed to be a concord, yet, accordin7 to Boethius, is the source and origin of all consona»ce. rale unison naturally requires after it a
minor 3d; which, on the contrary, for variety, is best suc ceeded by a perfect concord. The 5th, being of the perfect kind, is well followed by a major 3d, and e contra. The octave, another perfect concord, may be succeeded by a ma jor 6th ; after which a perfect or imperfect concord may be taken. It is the same with the minor 311, which being of the imperfect kind, inay be succeeded either by a perfect or imperfect concord. The major 3d, though best followed by a 5th, yet may be succeeded by another 3c1, but then it must be minor. 'file major 6th too, though best followed by an 8th, may yet be succeeded either by a perfect or impel fect concord of another species, for the sake of variety; it can be followed by a 5th only when the under part rises a major or minor 3c1; but by 3ds and 6ths at pleasure. Every com position should begin and end on a perfect concord; and it must be remembered that no two parts should ascend or descend in perfect concords, though imperfect may be used without limitations; and, lastly, care must be taken that when the under part ascends, the upper should descend, and the contrary." 31. " Most of these rules," the Dr. continues, " were give» by Franco, but with less clearness and precision; and as they will not only show that harmony had made some pro gress in the fourteenth century, but are such as would not shock modern ears, I shall present then) to the musical reader in notes.
" The minor 6th, I know not why, is called a discord by Franco, and has no admission among concords by John de iNfuris; though it is only an inversion of the major 3d, which both allow to be a concord.
" John de Muris makes no mention of the 5th in this 'Tract, though in his Speculum Musicce, he gives rules for discanting on a succession of fourths under the barbarous tern) diatessaronarc.
" Prosdocimus de Behlemandis (in a Tract on Counter point, written 1412,) is the first who allows the minor 6th a place in the catalogue of concords, and is explicit in speak of the 4th as a discord. However," he says, " it is less a discord than the 2d or jth, and may, be placed in a middle class between concords and discords." 33. 'The first compositions in harmony were in simple counterpoint, i. e. note against note. But even this required the chant to proceed with a uniform pace, and the relative length of the notes to be sigriitied by a proper notation. Bence the invention of the titne-table. 'Phis has been ascribed to John de Muris, and to Franco. It appears, however, to have arisen between the times of Guido and Franco, and to have made some progress before the latter extended and improved it, and gave it that form which it kept for several ages.