Page "Harmony" Paragraph 5

It was not until the publication of Rameau's ' Traité de l ' harmonie ' ( Treatise on Harmony ) in 1722 that any text discussing musical practice made use of the term in the title, though that work is not the earliest record of theoretical discussion of the topic.

The underlying principle behind these texts is that harmony sanctions harmoniousness ( sounds that ' please ') by conforming to certain pre-established compositional principles.