Declaration of Musical Instruments

Praises of Music

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If a man cannot entirely banish evil from within himself, he will at least be moderated by seeking remedies. We must, therefore, work so that nature may be restored. Seeing himself in need, man began to think of how he might be helped. From understanding was born Theoretical science, and through necessity, he found work governed by understanding: which is practical science. Thus, practice is born from theory. If the curious were to ask me which of these two sciences in Music is better: I would respond that theory holds the primacy. And so that no one considers me bold, I shall prove my intent. Boethius Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius (c. 480–524 AD), a philosopher whose "De institutione musica" was the standard music theory textbook for a millennium. says a higher thing: it is better to know how to work than to do the work itself, because the crafted thing, being a corporeal matter, serves science and art. Reason (in which science resides) commands like a queen and lady; the hands and the voice obey like servants. Just as the soul surpasses the body, so does theory exceed practice. Because theory has its dwelling in the soul, and practice in the body. Reason, being the lady in the kingdom of the faculties, has need of the service of all the members in the exterior powers, which she commands. Therefore, if the soul possesses science, it will know how to command rightly; and if it lacks it, the work will not be correct. To speculate, reason has no need of work; but the works of hands are of no value if they are not guided by reason. Do you wish to see the excellence of Music in speculation and its lowliness in the work? Look at the names we give to each of them. All those who practice Music on some instrument, says Boethius, take their name from that instrument. The organ player is called an organist, the flute player is called a tibicina original: "tibicina," a Latin term for a flute or pipe player., and the player of the vihuela or harp is named a citharista original: "citharista," a Latin term for one who plays the kithara or lyre.: but the theorist of this same science takes the title of Musician. And if practitioners achieve the name of musicians, it is with a lessening addition. "Musician of organs," "musician of vihuela," and so we call all the others. What I tell of Music is true in all the arts. He is called a musician who has the knowledge to speculate on musical proportions, modes, and genres of music. He who learns to play or sing without art cannot be called a musician, since he does not have musical science; which does not reside in the nimbleness of the fingers, nor in the tuned voice:

but in the soul. Augustine Saint Augustine of Hippo, author of "De Musica." will surely grant me that science does not lie in the nimbleness of the fingers, since it must be attributed to understanding alone. Although the soul can command the fingers to move, the voice to form, and the ear to be attentive, the science of music is found in the soul alone. Without knowing how to sing or move one's fingers on instruments, one can be a musician. Thus, the speculative or theoretical musician is placed before the practitioner. Victory in battle is not attributed to the soldiers who fought, but to the captain who gave the counsel and the industry for the victory, even if he had not taken a sword in his hand. What happens in all the arts that are practiced, let us not exclude Music from it. With art, a man learns more and with more certainty in one month than in a whole year by practice alone. Let not the novices in Music be deceived, thinking that knowing its art consists of the sixteen letters, or the twenty, and the signs, the five or seven deductions The "deducciones" refer to the segments of the Guidonian hexachord system used to teach singing., the six voices, the two or three clefs, the mutations of the square B original: "♮ cuadrado," the natural sign, used for "hard" music. and the soft B original: "b mol," the flat sign, used for "soft" music., and other things they put in the little manuals; for all this is but the A B C of Music. Just as one cannot be a Latinist if he does not first know the Latin letters, yet this is not enough to be a Latinist; so no one will be a musician by only knowing the manual of singing, although without it he cannot be one. To teach singing, musicians wrote those things as the first elements and letters of Music. The art of Music is more than all the aforementioned: and I suspect that in our language no one has written it. Some who are used to singing and playing say they do not want to learn the art because with what they know they earn their living, and those who hear them are satisfied. If they were to play or sing "depths," there are no ears to understand them. To such people, Augustine responds in the first book of his Music, in the sixth chapter, that they confess without torment that they do not learn for the sake of knowing, but to be praised. Against them he argues in this manner: It is a manifest thing that the purpose for which something is done is most excellent and superior to the thing we do. The end is better than the means. The end of human life is glory, and the means for it are good works; therefore, glory is better than good works. So feels Saint Paul, saying: They are not worthy, or merit A reference to Romans 8:18: "Non sunt condignae passiones huius temporis ad futuram gloriam..." (The sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the future glory)....