The idea of harmony was a key concept of Western philosophy and involved cosmological, socio-political, and medical-physiological issues.

The prolific relationship between science and music permeated the studies of many philosophers, mathematicians, astronomers, and theologians that marked the beginning of modern science, such as Kepler, Mersenne, Galileo, Descartes, Kircher, and Newton. The idea of music, which embraced both the science of sounds and research on the concept of harmony (i.e. discordia concors), played a pivotal role in the macrocosm-microcosm correspondence, in astronomical and astrological topics, in the analysis of cosmological models, in metaphysical and theological discussions, as well as in the debates arose around different forms of musical temperaments, the birth of acoustics, the design of sonorous machines, and the survey on natural phenomena.