“Although more than a quarter of a century has passed since this essay was first published in Munich…it is just as timely today as it was then…Musicologists and music theorists ought to find this fascinating reading…The arguments are well-presented and his evidence cannot be dismissed lightly. Applying the basic theme to music, we find evidence to support the principle that western music has rational properties which are produced by the social development of occidental insti­tutions.” —Journal of Music Theory.