Eric Kisch wrote:

>John Dalmas writes:
>
>>Had Charpentier (or Purcell in England) been the politically correct model,
>>Rameau undoubtedly would have been a greater composer than J.S. Bach.
>
>What do you mean 'undoubtedly'?

Without doubt.

Bach is representative of a magnificent culmination in the baroque style.
But great as Bach was, coming at the end of a cycle, Rameau was a true
innovator, a radical inventor, as much in composition as in theory, at
the beginning of one.  In fact, in developing his theories Rameau created
problems for himself that could be resolved only by abandoning tonality
completely.(How 'bout that?) Rameau imagined that every thought or mood
could be accurately expressed in music, and he believed every sound and
harmony had its own feeling.  His imagination and daring harmonies make his
comtemporary Bach look like a museum curator.  The French consider Rameau
the father of program music, leading in France to Mehul and ultimately to
Berlioz.

Unfortunately, a drag on Rameau's potential was the Lullian model that had
preceded him, which was still held in high esteem in France, not only by
Rameau's enemies but also by his friends.  Forced to modify his theories,
Rameau gave up trying to push the envelope, although about a dozen years
before he died he admitted privately his want to turn from Lully and take
Pergolesi as his model.

John Dalmas
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