ABSTRACT
The relationship of music to mathematics, magic, and astrology additionally contributes to its perceived potency. Music was one of mathematics' main branches along with arithmetic, geometry, and astronomy. Central to the power of music is the theory of humors, because music was believed to literally alter human physical chemistry. Human bodies were thought to be made up of four types of humors, likely sanguine, melancholic, choleric, and phlegmatic. To a Renaissance audience, the above quotation underscores alchemy's prevalence to the degree that, for example, alteration from a melancholic to a sanguine personality might be seen in alchemical terms, if only metaphorically. The most noticeable feature of sanguine, or cheerful music is its use of regular rhythms, which are believed to mimic the human heartbeat of a person in excellent health. Melancholic music is the near opposite of sanguine. Feminine music is characteristically slow, erratic, has minor harmonies, and is filled with chromaticism.
