The physiology of taste, or, Transcendental gastronomy : illustrated by anecdotes of distinguished artists and statesmen of both continents / by Brillat Savarin ; translated from the last Paris edition, by Fayette Robinson.

  • Brillat-Savarin, 1755-1826.
Date:
1854
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The physiology of taste, or, Transcendental gastronomy : illustrated by anecdotes of distinguished artists and statesmen of both continents / by Brillat Savarin ; translated from the last Paris edition, by Fayette Robinson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    53/358 (page 51)
    We must in the meantime remark, that if touch has acquired a great development as a muscular power, civilization has done almost nothing for it as an organ of sensation. We must, however, despair of nothing, but remember that the human race is yet young, and that only after a long sériés of years can the senses aggrandise tkeir domain. For instance. Harmony was only discovered about four centuries ago, and that celestial science is to Sound what painting is to colors. Certainly, the ancients used to sing and accompany themselves in unison. Their knowledge, however, ended there. They knew neither how to décomposé sounds, nor to appreciate their relations.* Tone was only reduced to System, and accords measured in the fifteenth century. Only then it was used to sustain the voice and to reinforce the expres- sion of sentiments. * We are aware that the contrary has been maintained ; the idea though cannot be supported. Ilad the ancients been accjuainted with harmony, their writings would hâve preserved some précisé notion on the matter, instead of a few obscure phrases, which may be tor- tured to mean anything. Besides, we cannot follow the birth and progress of harmony in tho monuments left to us ; tins obligation we owe to the Arabs, who made us a présent of the organ, which produces at ono time many continuous sounds, and thus created har- mony.