Augustine's "De Musica"

 

De Musica is an early work of Augustine, consisting of six books - the last of them written after his baptism in 391. It is a treatise of numbers, movement, rhythm and measure more than that of music (in the sense we understand the word). Initially Augustine aimed to dedicate a book to all the liberal sciences. However, the only accomplished works came to be De Musica and De Dialectica.The vision behind these books was a prominently Neo-Platonist one: through the study of these sciences that belong to the physical world, one could arrive at the incorporeal reality of God (per corporalia cupiens ad incorporalia quibusdam quasi passibus certis vel pervenire vel ducere). De Musica was a highly influential textbook throughout the Middle Ages. All subsequent authors on musical theory – Cassiodore, Boethius as well as Isidor – relied upon Augustine in a way or another.

At the outset Augustine defines music in as scientia bene modulandi. This idea is difficult to translate concisely, but one alternative is to render it as “the science of measuring well.” Another equally acceptable interpretation is “the knowledge of proper movements.” The verb modulari means to measure, and modus is not only “a measure”, but also “a rule”. To perceive a measure or a rule also presupposes movement. Therefore Augustine says that music can be also defined as scientia bene movendi, “the knowledge of moving well”. If music is about moving, it easily suggests dancing. As Christianity in general, Augustine did not favor dance. Therefore the word bene is important. Music does not mean any musical movement, but only the good and proper ones. It is also important that music is scientia, not ars. For Augustine, the difference between them is the same as between ratio and imitatio. In short, it is far more valuable to understand (have a ratio) something than merely execute (imitari) it. Augustine provides examples of artisanship or surgery, where the architect or doctor may be less able in practical matters than the artisans or nurses, yet the mastery of these sciences is attributed to those who operate with science and meditation rather than by practice and imitation. In a similar manner, it is more valuable to have the knowledge (scientia) of music than to be able to sing or play (ars). Music is therefore a mathematical discipline, dealing with numbers in their relationships and in their movements and belongs to the quadrivium of the liberal arts with arithmetic, astronomy and geometry. At the end of the first book Augustine suggests the spiritual usefulness of this discipline:

"Since music somehow issuing forth from the most secret sanctuaries leaves traces in our very senses or in things sensed by us, must not we follow through these traces to reach without fail, if we can, those very places I have called sanctuaries."



To Augustine, numbers are unquestionable, eternal, and real. Numbers also guarantee certainty, serving as a proof of immortality and God’s existence. Numbers are the being of things and without them, nothing exists. Furthermore, all beauty is based on numerical ratios and equality and accordingly, knowledge of numbers is the core of all learning and understanding. Like Plato, Augustine sees numbers as the mediating link between body and soul (cf. Timaeus 31b-c). It also follows that being a science of numbers, music is a theologically relevant branch of knowledge.

In the sixth book of De Musica, Augustine explains in terms of numbers what happens when we hear music. The relevant question that Augustine poses is whether are the numbers are in the sound that we hear, or is it more accurate to say that numbers are formed in the ears as a sense perception. One can also consider as them belonging to the act of one who utters with one’s voice, or to memory, since one recognizes the sound. Augustine answers with a set of five classes of numbers. The first is the one that is generated by beating a physical body (pulsu corporum) and that exists even when there is no one to perceive it, referred to as numerus sonans or “sounding number.” Second, the numbers pertaining to ears are numeros occursores. It means that the numbers “occur” when they meet our ear. The task of these numbers is to receive the sounding numbers, thereby being completely dependent on them and opening to them the entrance of our soul. Hearing sounds also evokes in us spontaneous movements that are the third class of numbers, the numeros progressores. These are not necessarily connected to physical sounds, since a person can move to music without actually hearing it. The fourth class is the sound retained in the memory, even when neither heard nor thought of and it is referred to as numerus recordabilis. Finally, there are numeros iudiciales according to which we evaluate the sounds. This evaluating number delights in the equality of a perceived number and is offended when it fails.

Since De Musica is decidedly striving towards permanent and eternal numbers, the question remains as to which of these five classes of numbers are eternal. Except for numeros iudiciales, they do not endure. But the evaluating numbers belong permanently to the human nature that approves harmonies and rejects discords (approbando numerosa, perturbata damnando). In short, the task of evaluating numbers is to be delighted (delectari) in recognizing orderly numbers. Delight appears as problematic: If numeros judiciales are the highest rank of numbers, delight is the highest thing to do. This necessitates a further class of numbers, with which the delight of numeros judiciales is judged. These numbers are pertaining to reason (ratio). These rational numbers are the true evaluating numbers, since they evaluate whether the delight of numeros judiciales is right. As for delight, Augustine observes.


"Delight is a kind of weight in the soul. Therefore, delight rules the soul. ‘For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’ Where delight, there the treasure; where the heart, there happiness or misery. "


If delight is the weight of soul, it can only be governed by a greater weight. The carnal love of temporal things can be redirected only by some sweetness of eternal things. In other words, numbers direct our delight towards its right source and they force us to inquire about what it is that pleases us in perceivable objects. The answer is that we can only love beautiful things (non possumus amare nisi pulchra) and that beauty is established in aequalitas and numerositas. Moreover, God has created everything with numbers, so that even a sinner may be moved by numbers and set numbers into movement. These movements may be less beautiful, but they cannot be entirely without some of the beauty that resides in the numbers. The aim of musical studies is that “with a restored delight in reason’s numbers, our whole life is turned to God, giving numbers of health to the body, not taking pleasure from it.” This quote reflects another Augustinean tenet: the bodily sensations are the operations of the soul. The soul is therefore the very agent of the passions of the body. Should it be otherwise, it would jeopardize the soul being the ruling part of a human being. Furthermore, the soul should not take pleasure from the sensations of the body, but strive towards eternal and spiritual numbers. The pleasures of music in De Musica are of an intellectual sort.