Alfred Day

Alfred Day (1810 – 11 February 1849) was an English homeopath and music theorist, known for his book A Treatise on Harmony, published in 1845.

Life Day was born in London in January 1810. Though showing very strong musical tastes, in accordance with his father's wishes he studied medicine in London and Paris, and, after taking a medical degree at Heidelberg, settled in London in practice as a homeopath. For several years he devoted himself during his leisure hours to maturing a plan which he had conceived for forming a complete and logical theory of harmony out of the existing mass of isolated and often inconsistent rules.

The results of his study were published in 1845 as A Treatise on Harmony. In almost every branch of the scientific basis of music Day proposed some reform. The work was unfavourably received, though its originality attracted the attention of a few scientific musicians.

The Treatise on Harmony ... proposes an entirely new theory of music, professing to distinguish between the artificial principles upon which the earliest composers wrote, and the natural feelings from the dictates of which the greatest beauties of the modern school have been produced.... With these ambitious pretensions the work is, at least, worthy the careful examination of all who are interested in the advancement of the arts; but it is at the same time exposed to the prejudices arising from the wilful tenacity of old and habitual notions....

George Alexander Macfarren adopted much of Day's theory, and mainly by his advocacy the work became a recognised authority on many of the subjects of which it treats. in the preface, he wrote:

Day died of heart disease, after a long illness, on 11 February 1849.