Rameau

Summary

Dominique Pagani discusses Rameau mainly through his quarrel with Rousseau, whose "sworn enemy" he was. He regards him as a far greater composer than Rousseau: the music of Les Indes galantes has a power and subtlety beyond comparison with Rousseau's1, even if Rousseau's prose is more modern2. He sees him as the greatest French musician of his time and the musician of the established Enlightenment, while also hearing in his work the last flashes of the Ancien Régime, the "modern din" Rousseau denounced34. He also honours him as a theorist: his Treatise on Harmony is still an authority on tonal harmony5. He cites his harpsichord pieces as an example of the small French form, and mentions Debussy's homage to him and Marcelle Meyer's performances. He presents him as the model of the court musician John Lewis dreamed of. Finally, he notes that the French musicians of the 1820s are no better than Rameau, which shows that history is not linear6.

1. 1#15 Plato, Rousseau, Hegel and music9 Feb 2021 · 58:40
2. 2#3 What is called modern music?3 Dec 2020 · 1:18:33
3. 3#15 Plato, Rousseau, Hegel and music9 Feb 2021 · 1:00:17
4. 4John Lewis: classical or jazz?29 Jun 2022 · 1:36
5. 5#11 Modal and tonal music24 Jan 2021 · 1:11:16
6. 6Evil, or the “unknowing” of the self2 Dec 2024 · 55:15

Summary produced automatically from 22 of the passages below, to be reviewed; the numbers link to the moment in the session.