Harmony is one of the fundamental aspects of music, being it the simultaneous sounding of two or more notes. The study of harmony can be interpreted as the study of a combination of sounds that are pleasant to the ear, as Rameau (1722) says, as well as how they are merged through their significance. A considerable amount of literature has been written about this subject, and two very important ones were Rameau’s Treatise on Harmony and Schönberg’s Theory of Harmony. However, if the idea of harmony had stayed the same through the centuries, why did these authors feel the need to write about it? To answer this question, this study aims to compare and discuss how these two major composers and music theorists from different periods, Rameau and Schönberg, perceived harmony, more specifically modulations.
This will be done through historically contextualizing both authors, so that their motivation can become clear to the reader. In order to better understand their theories behind modulations, two vocal works will be analysed, one from each composer: Schönberg’s Opus 13 Friede auf Erden (1911) and Rameau’s RCT. 16 Laboravi (1722).