Text: The followers of the system of Pythagoras, in which the consonance or dissonance of an interval was judged by the ratio of the vibrations without appeal to the ear. The Aristoxenians, on the other hand, held that the ear should be the sole judge of right or wrong in music. The former were called Canonici, because they appealed to the monochord or harmonic canon for their laws, the latter Musici, because they made the ear and practice their guide.

See Also: CANONICI, MUSICI, ARISTOXENIANS

Source: 125