A chord which when struck or sung requires to be resolved into a concord. [A Dictionary of Musical Terms]
A combination of tones that are unresolved, jarring.
Keely
"That tuning forks can be so constructed as to show coincident or concordant association with each other, is but a very weak illustration of the fact which governs pure acoustic assimilation. The best only approach a condition of about a fortieth, as regards pure attractive and propulsive receptiveness. By differentiating them to concordant thirds, they induce a condition of molecular bombardment between themselves, by alternate changes of long and short waves of sympathy. Bells rung in vacuo liberate the same number of corpuscles, at the same velocity as those surrounded by a normal atmosphere, and hence the same acoustic force attending them, but are inaudible from the fact that, in vacuo, the molecular volume is reduced. Every gaseous molecule is a resonator of itself, and is sensitive to any and all sounds induced, whether accordant or discordant." [attractive and propulsive receptiveness] [Snell Manuscript - The Book, GRADUATION OF MACHINES, page 5]
"Every harmonious condition of Nature's evolutions is governed by one incontrovertible law; that of concordant assimilative harmony. This concordant key is the ruling one over all the antagonistic, negative, discordant ones; the one that diverts the disturbance of sympathetic equilibrium to one general concentrative centre for redistribution. Harmony concentrates, Harmony distributes. The focalising point of concordant sympathetic concentration is the percussive electric field, where the velocity of its sympathetic streams rebounds with a power that throws them far out into universal space; and so far beyond their equative centre of equilibrium, as to bring them in sympathy with the universal attraction of the combined neutral centres of all planetary masses." KEELY. [True Science]
"No such thing as discord exists in the molecule. Discordance results from chords producing differentiation and may be equated by the proper chord of harmony. Every gaseous molecule is a resonator to any and all vibrations, whether concordant or discordant. That which we term discord exists in sound itself, not in matter." [Snell Manuscript - the book, DISCORD - Snell]
"I find in my researches, as to the condition of molecules under vibration, that discordance cannot exist in the molecule proper; and that it is the highest and most perfect structural condition that exists; providing that all the progressive orders are the same. Discordance in any mass is the result of differentiated groups, induced by antagonistic chords, and the flight or motions of such, when intensified by sound, are very tortuous and zigzag; but when free of this differentiation are in straight lines. Tortuous lines denote discord, or pain; straight lines denote harmony, or pleasure. Any differentiated mass can be brought to a condition of harmony, or equation, by proper media, and an equated sympathy produced." [Keely and His Discoveries, Chapter VII]
"Differentiation of mass, produces negatization to coincident action. By changing the balance of the triune polar flows, one differentiates the mass chord and disrupts any possibility of harmonious or "coincident action". The mass is the result of a combination of these flows." [Keely and His Discoveries]
"Discord, indeed, involves a continuous change of phase, and it will be seen that if the penduluums are purposely adjusted for a slight discord, the pen will trace all the possible phases of the approximate harmony in succession." [|Harmonies of Tones and Colours - Developed by Evolution, page 38]
"Inaudible vibrations are tested by the magnetic needle and sound colours. Every gaseous molecule is a resonator of itself and is sensitive to any and all sounds induced, whether accordant or discordant. At the normal density of the atmosphere we hear a volume of sound, focalized by the combined association of every molecule brought under sound influence. When we reduce the atmospheric volume of a chamber to 50/100, then the ear is sensitive to the reduction of the acoustic force evolved on the same ratio, and so on, until sound becomes inaudible. This inaudibility to our organ of hearing is no proof whatever of any reduction of the acoustic force evolved on the introductory impulse given to the bell. If is only a proof that the number of the molecules left for the acoustic force to act upon has been so reduced by increasing the vacuum, that the concentration of sound from the diminished number cannot be heard. The ear is not susceptible to the acoustic force emanating from one molecule, nor even from the concentration of one hundred millions of billions molecules. The highest vacuum that can be induced, taking but a cubic inch in volume to act upon, will leave a residual number of molecules one hundred billion times as great as the above given number and yet be perfectly inaudible when all their acoustic force are focalized." [Vibratory Physics - The Connecting Link between Mind and Matter]
"There is good reason for believing that insanity is simply a condition of differentiation in the mass-chords of the convolutions, which creates an antagonistic molecular bombardment towards the neutral or attractive centres of such convolutions. This may be compared to a knot on a violin string. As long as this knot remains, it is impossible to elicit, from its sympathetic surroundings, the condition which transfers pure concordance to its resonating body. Discordant conditions (i.e., differentiation of mass) produce negatization to coincident action. Pure sympathetic concordants are as antagonistic to negative discordants as the negative is to the positive; but the vast volume the sympathetic holds over the non-sympathetic, in ethereal space, makes it at once the ruling medium and re-adjuster of all opposing conditions, when properly brought to bear upon them. Josiah Royce is right as regards correspondent sympathetic association between two conditions. If concordance can be established, even of unlike states, no matter whether it be of the high tenuous forces of nature, gases with liquids, liquids with solids, solids with gases, the structural conditions can be perfectly adverse. Their neutral centres are the focalized seat of sympathetic concordance for controlling any differentiation that may exist outside, or in the mass that surrounds them. Certain orders of vibration can reach these centres and establish a concordant flow of sympathy, independent of any mass antagonism; in other words, certain orders of sympathetic vibratory transmission can correct and equate all differentiation that may exist between physical organisms and their cerebellic flows. Discord is disease. Harmony is health.''" - [Keely." [[Vibratory Physics - The Connecting Link between Mind and Matter]
Ramsay
circumstances. And if we may add D to the subdominant chord of d F A C, so we may also, in other circumstances, add the subdominant chord as harmony to D, thus - D f a c, and no discord occur. There is only the interval of a second between F and G in this dominant 9th, and only an interval of a second between C and D in this subdominant 6th; a second standing alone is a discordant interval, as a poison by itself may kill; but as a poison by the processes of nature in chemistry compounded with something else may be an excellent medicine, so may a second when mixed and compounded with something else in music become an excellent harmony. Music is a great apothecary, skillful in compounds. [Scientific Basis and Build of Music, page 81]
See Also
destructive force
discord
Enharmonic
Figure 1.7 - From One on left comes all diversity