Leibniz, Harmony, Rhythm

As Deleuze shows, for Leibniz, musical harmony is an expression of pre-established inter-Monadic harmony. That is, the togetherness of two discrete tones expresses, according to Leibniz, a togetherness of two opaque Monads which obtains prior to, and independently of, the act of expression. Hence, Leibniz denies that what might be called 'rhythmic coordination' plays any part in the expression of musical togetherness. Rhythmic coordination entails at least some of the following--a time-signature common to each participant; physiological coordination between the perception of a sonic element and the production, e. g. via voice, of a subsequent one; and, the physiological inter-participant imparting of rhythm. In other words, Leibniz denies, for example, that toe-tapping can be caused by the irresistible beat of a drummer, a common and palpable phenomenon. In contrast, to acknowledge the actual effectiveness of rhythmic coordination is to recognize that musical harmony, and, in general, interpersonal togetherness, can be creatively established without the presupposition of its being pre-established