Harmonic Rhythm presents the first comprehensive theory of this musical experience. After reviewing the history of the problem, the book outlines a method for making pictures of the harmonic rhythm of any passage, a method that aims at theoretical rigor and objectivity while remaining sensitive to musical context. The book goes on to propose a theory of interpretation of these pictures, explaining how to read the ebb and flow of harmonic-rhythm tensions that arise from the motion of harmony and its contrapuntal changes. Swain shows how these interpretations of tensions and resolutions can supplement traditional approaches to music criticism for music as diverse as the works of Machaut and of Debussy."--BOOK JACKET.