A Theory of Harmony With Questions and Exercises for the Use of Students

1. Difference between Sound and Noise.-—In what respect Sounds differ from each other.—Pitch.—Stave.—Clef.—C Clef.—Alto Clef.—Soprano Clef.—Bass Clef.—Use of Tenor Clef.—Notes representing Sounds of different Durations.—Corresponding Rests.—Dot.—Double Dot.—Signs expressing Absolute Duration of Sounds.—Accent.— Bar.—Double Bar.—Rhythm.—Time.—Signs regulating Intensity of Sound
2. Natural recognition of the Interval of an Octave.—The Divisions of the Octave.—Scale.—Chromatic Scale.—Diatonic Scale.—Normal Scale. —Sharps, Flats, Naturals. — Signature. — Accidentals. — Different Forms of the Minor Scale. —The Relative Minor. —The Tonic Minor.—Intervals.—Intervals in their normal State.—The Major Fifth.—Minor, Augmented, and Compound Intervals.—Diminished Intervals.—Names of the Degrees of a Diatonic Scale
3. The Material of Harmony.—Chord.—Formation of Chords by Thirds.— Importance of the Interval of a Third.—An Interval smaller than a Third discordant. — Discord.—Resolution.—Implied Discord.— Resolution variable.—Method of cataloguing Chords.—Tonic and Dominant, Ground-notes of Chords.—Original Position of a Chord. —Root or Ground-note.—Position of a Chord unchanged by alteration of relative position of Upper Notes.—Inversion.—Method of calculating Inversions.—General Rule for finding the Number of Inversions of any Chord
4. Examples of its Inversions.—Chord of Subtonic and Minor Third formed by combination of three Thirds.—Examples of the Chord of the Subtonic and Minor Third, and its Inversions.—Combination of four Thirds forms the Chord of the Major Ninth and Minor Third.— Examples of the Chord of the Major Ninth and Minor Third and its Inversions.—Combination of five Thirds forms Chord of Tonic Eleventh.—Called also Chord of Five and Four in the Minor Key.— Examples of the Chord of the Tonic Eleventh and its Inversions.— Combination of six Thirds forms the Chord of the Tonic Minor Thirteenth.—Examples of the Chord of the Tonic Minor Thirteenth and its Inversions.—End of Tonic Series of Chords formed from the Minor Scale

The British composer John Stainer (1840-1901) was organist at St Paul's Cathedral from 1872 to 1888, and in 1889 became Professor of Music at Oxford. In this third edition of A Theory of Harmony he ceased to call it a theory founded on the tempered scale, as he had previously. He wrote in the Preface that he now believed the theory to be perfectly applicable to the system of just intonation. A further reason, in his view, was that the attitude of scientific men toward modern chromatic music had recently improved, as they could see that their system would never be adopted as long as it threatened the existence of a single masterpiece of musical literature. However, the system would be accepted when it rendered such works capable of more perfect performance. This influential Victorian textbook is now reissued for the benefit of those interested in nineteenth-century composition and analysis.