Elementa harmonica (Ἁρμονικὰ στοιχεῖα in Greek; Elements of Harmonics in English) is a treatise on the subject of musical scales by Aristoxenus, of which considerable amounts are extant.
Aristoxenus opposed the position of the Pythagoreans; he favoured an intellectual treatment of the subject in Aristotelian terms, i.e. by applying the exercise of inductive logic with attention to empirical evidence.
[6][12][15] In the first sentence of the treatise Aristoxenus identifies Harmony as belonging under the general scope of the study of the science of Melody.
As such, his writing contains criticisms of earlier approaches and attitudes, including those of the Pythagorean and harmonikoi, on the problems of sound perceptible as music.
[19] The parts of harmonics:[12][19][20] (1) The Genera - the ways in which the differences between these are determined (2) Distantia (Intervals) - the distinction of how these are differentiated (3) Notes - dynameis (4) Systēmata - enumerating and distinguishing the types, and explaining how they are put together out of Notes and Intervals (5) Tonoi (Modes) - including the relations between them (6) Modulation (7) Construction / Composition The use of dynamis (pl.
[26] Marcus Meibom included Aristoxenus' text in Antiquae musicae auctores septem (1652), his series of Latin translations of Greek music theory.
Paul Marquard translated it into German as Aristoxenou harmonikōn ta sōzomena: Die harmonischen fragmente des Aristoxenus (1868).