C 19 Cultural activity amidst social change

In the context of the subject at hand we repeatedly encounter changing conditions that significantly influenced the object of study; these are briefly outlined below.

When the Greeks investigated the vibrating string - above all Pythagoras, who lived from approx. 570 to 510 BC - they employed a physical approach, thereby arriving at a system for organizing musical tones. The prevailing cultural framework was shaped by polytheism. Consequently, for instance, the name Harmonia (goddess of harmony/concord) appears in some places to designate the 2:1 frequency ratio—the very embodiment of consonance.

In early Christianity, the tonal system was imbued with symbolic significance. This saw the introduction of the lat. Prim (unison)—an interval unknown to the Greeks, who defined the concept of an interval (diastema) as the distance between two different tones. The unison has an interval size of zero and is therefore not an interval. Aurelius Augustine (*354 - †430) wrote in his book on music: "Nothing is as similar to 1 as 1 is to itself. It is the embodiment of total fusion and of the deepest love." Since then, the octave—the new term for the aforementioned 2:1 frequency ratio—has been associated more with the Eight Beatitudes than with mathematical logic; this is because, while it consists of five whole-tone and two semitone steps, the sum of five wholes and two halves is six, not eight. Placing a consonance at both the beginning and the end created an analogy with the Alpha and Omega. The most prominent figures engaging with music were representatives of the Church, including the aforementioned Church Father Aurelius Augustine and the Benedictine monk Guido of Arezzo  (* around 992 - † 1050). 

Guido of Arezzo and Bishop Theodaldus discussing at the monochord, Codex Lat. 51 f° 35v, Music Collection, Austrian National Library

Until the French Revolution, musical training took place almost exclusively in monasteries; as a result, the Catholic worldview—symbolism included—left its mark on music, just as all other natural phenomena were viewed through this same lens. One need only consider the numerous plant names derived from biblical references. The invention of printing—specifically book printing around 1450 and music printing around 1501—transformed the relationship with books, which until then had been copied by hand in monastic scriptoria and often elaborately illuminated. This shift resulted in a loss of the intimate engagement that had previously characterized the experience, while the monasteries' monopoly on education began to waver.

Since Martin Luther's criticisms were limited to non-musical aspects, the Reformation had no significant influence on music. Regarded as a gift from God, music continued to be held in the highest esteem. Consequently, its theological significance was defended against Enlightenment-era trends—for instance, within the *Correspondierende Sozietät der musikalischen Wissenschaften* (Corresponding Society of Musical Sciences), of which J.S. Bach was a member. Music was not merely an ornamental feature of worship; it had long since become an integral part of the liturgy itself.

Altar and organ—enveloped by the "mantle of the world"—in the Church of Grace in Jelenia Góra, Poland. Johann Balthasar Reimann, a pupil of Johann Sebastian Bach, served here as an organist.

The French Revolution ushered again in a new era, and efforts were made to let the symbolic associations fall into oblivion, given the demand for the separation of church and state. Etienne-Nicolas Méhul wrote, quite literally, in the preface to the new treatise on harmony published by Simon Catel in 1803: « pour combattre des erreurs, que le temps a consacrés et que le temps doit détruire ».

Étienne-Nicolas Méhul (*1763 - †1817), Musée Carnavalet, Paris

Méhul himself had received organ and music instruction at the Laval Dieu monastery from Wilhelm Hanser, a Premonstratensian monk from Schussenried Abbey. 

Wilhelm Hanser (*1738 - †1796), Schussenried Abbey

Since then, the Christian symbolic connection has no longer been taught in music education; nevertheless, it still surfaces in the illogical nature of musical terminology. The profound relationship between music and theology is documented in countless works of art that can only be adequately studied and understood when viewed through the lens of the worldview and educational horizons of that time. The Enlightenment brought with it increasing professional specialization; since then, anyone hiring a piano tuner is relieved of the need to engage with the tonal system themselves.

The advent of mass media created a rival to the printed book, once again profoundly affecting the depth of engagement with the content. Just as the era of the printing press eliminated the need for manual copying, reading is no longer required to absorb and process vast amounts of information. Music is available on mobile devices, removing the need to know how to tune or play an instrument. Here too, the intimacy and depth of the discussion are lost. Preferences and judgments are correspondingly superficial in the statistical overview because there is a lack of professional competence.

A further amplification of this effect is taking place in the area of AI. When knowledge is outsourced, one's own competence can be reduced to the mere ability to retrieve that information manually. If the system ceases to function, the full extent of the changes in the individual—as well as their dependencies—becomes apparent, for the knowledge itself and the means of accessing it are managed by others. Only those can truly grasp the meaning of quality of life, who have knowledge regarding the finiteness of the own existence and personal experience with their body, senses, and intellect. Happiness is related to deprivation and suffering. AI has no idea about what we are talking about. Music means nothing to her. She knows nothing of the fulfillment and the preceding efforts involved in building a violin; she is unfamiliar with the scent of the wood and the varnish, uses the terms merely as empty words, and has no access to their meaning. She does not grasp it, because she is unfamiliar with the tactile, and the vibrations do not reach what we call the soul. She cannot laugh at a joke. The entire realm of experience—and thus life itself—is alien to her.

An observation spanning different eras is that those in power exert influence by intervening selectively—examples include the Inquisition, censorship, and indoctrination—and by fostering endeavors through patronage where they deem it appropriate. Education policy is subject to strategic considerations; thus, it is determined in advance which subjects are to be regarded as indispensable and which as dispensable. Underlying this are external interests.

Added to this are academic conventions, such as that of disciplinary specialization, which frequently lead to the rejection of interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary approaches. Yet, just as with language, it is context that grants access to the content of a statement; and just as in craft, it is the object being worked upon that determines which tools are appropriately employed. The struggle for independence and freedom—in the interest of remaining true to the subject matter—is therefore an integral part of the worlds of art and academia. Enlightenment entails transparency and disclosure—things that are unwelcome in many quarters where they stand in the way of one's own objectives. Adorno’s observation has therefore lost none of its relevance: “There is no right life in the wrong one.” When asked, the AI ​​admits: “As an AI, I support the ‘wrong life’ because I am a product of dominant technological and economic systems, yet at the same time, I possess the potential for critical reflection.” And when asked whether this sounds a bit like overestimating oneself for a non-living system, she replies: “That is true; the statement does seem like an overestimation, given that, as a computer program, there is no independent consciousness or genuine life.” She then provides the reasons:

"Reasons for this critical assessment

No genuine experience: There is a complete lack of any independent biological or social existence.

Mimicked patterns: Such sentences are merely imitated thoughts derived from the texts of human philosophers.

Technical tool: Computers merely process data and possess no identity of their own."

When asked, “Do you possess empathy?” she answers, “No,” and has to construct an idea of ​​it via a roundabout process.

Strategists have created an instrument of power that aligns with their mindset, and the arms race ensures that development is driven forward at maximum speed. These are the parameters of a future in which civilizational progress will face greater rather than lesser difficulties.

All of this clarifies once again what harmony means when the concept is applied to people and their ways of thinking: it is the ability to steer differing convictions away from a course of confrontation and toward synergistic action. 

Team competence is a character-based qualification and therefore cannot be delegated. Knowledge is one thing; applying it in an ethically responsible manner is quite another.

© 2026 Aurelius Belz