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<A>

a cappella of Palestrina style:*

According to Fux, Palestrina established4 basic guidelines:

  • the flow of music is dynamic, not rigid or static.

  • melody should contain few leaps between notes.

  • if a leap occurs, it must be small & immediately countered by stepwise motion in the opposite direction.

  • dissonances are to be confined to suspensions, passing notes and weak beats; if one falls on a strong beat (in a suspension) it must be immediately resolved.

 

​<B>

“Considered in relation to a statue of Myron, the art of a Poussin landscape is the same as that of a contemporary chamber cantata…”

Spengler is drawing on the dissimilarity between the Apollonian prime symbol (sculpture) and the Faustian prime symbol (instrumental music of the Baroque age). 

See Illustration B

​

<C>

“…that [the art] of Rembrandt [is the same] as that of the organ works of Buxtehude, Pachelbel

and Bach;”

Spengler is drawing on the similarity between the Faustian Baroque painting and Faustian instrumental music of the Baroque age. 

See Illustration C

 

<D>

“that [the art] of Guardi [is the same] as that of the Mozart opera”.  Spengler is pointing to the similarity between a Faustian painting and a Faustian opera. 

See Illustration  D

Decline of the West, Chapter VII: Music and Plastic. (I) The Arts of Form 
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