The Harmonic Institutions

11

And thus, through the movement of the body, the reason of sound, and the words accommodated to the Song, the harmony is made perfect, and the music called Harmonica harmonic or Natural is born. Artificial instruments are human inventions; they derive from Art and form artificial music, which is the harmony that arises from such instruments. This is done in three ways, because it either arises from instruments that produce sound through natural or artificial breath, such as organs, pipes, trumpets, and the like; or from stringed instruments, where no breath is needed, such as zithers, lyres, lutes, harpsichords, dulcimers, and the like, which are struck by the fingers or quills, or played with bows. Finally, it arises from percussion instruments, such as drums, cymbals, tabors, bells, and other similar things, which are made of hollow wood, animal skins stretched over them, and metal, whenever they are struck by anything whatsoever. Thus, artificial music is found in three sorts: Wind, String, and Percussion. Natural music is of four sorts: Plain, Measured, Rhythmic, and Metric, although these four can also be attributed to artificial music for reasons we shall state elsewhere. Of Animastica living/soul-based music, we shall similarly make two parts, placing Worldly music in the first and Human music in the second, as appears in the division below.

A circular branching diagram enclosed in a double-line frame classifies music. At the top, "MVSICA" splits into "Mondana" (Worldly), "Animastica" (Soul/Living), and "Humana" (Human). Below "Animastica," the diagram splits into "harmonica o naturale" (harmonic or natural) and "Arteficiata" (artificial), which converge into "Organica" (instrumental). From "Organica," five horizontal circles branch out: "Piana" (plain), "Misurata" (measured), "Arteficiata" (artificial), "Rithmica" (rhythmic), and "Metrica" (metric). The "Arteficiata" circle branches into "Da fiato" (wind), "Da chorde" (string), and "Da battere" (percussion).

And although some have made a distinction between the music that arises from wind instruments, naming it Organica instrumental, and that which arises from strings without breath, calling it Rithmica rhythmic, I have nevertheless wished to call both of them indiscriminately Arteficiata artificial. First, because it is not of much importance to name them one way rather than another; and second, to preserve the meaning of the word "organ," whence comes this name "Organic," which includes in a general way all sorts of artificial instruments; and besides this, to avoid equivocation, since by saying "Rhythmic," one could understand not only that harmony which arises from artificial stringed instruments, but also that which results from well-composed Prose. But let us now see what each member of the division shown above is.