Fragrance Quote
In 1855 the perfumer G.W. Septimus Piesse wrote that “there is, as it were, an octave of odours like an octave in music.” The comparison still shapes how fragrance is described.
In His Own Words
“Scents, like sounds, appear to influence the olfactory nerve in certain definite degrees. There is, as it were, an octave of odours like an octave in music; certain odours coincide, like the keys of an instrument.”
— G.W. Septimus Piesse, The Art of Perfumery (1855)
Essential Details
Piesse on the Octave of Odours at a Glance
- Speaker: G.W. Septimus Piesse (1820–1882)
- Source: The Art of Perfumery, London, 1855
- Status: Public domain
- Theme: Notes, chords and fragrance structure
Why the Quote Resonates
Piesse borrowed the vocabulary of music to explain how scents relate to each other. The words perfumers use today, notes, chords, accords and harmony, follow from that comparison. He proposed that odours could be arranged like keys, with some sounding well together.
From Octave to Pyramid
Modern writing about fragrance often describes a top, heart and base. You can see how that works over time on The Stages of a Fragrance, and browse the materials behind each note in the Fragrance Library. For an earlier attempt to explain how scents blend, read Theophrastus on Odours and Mixture.
Why it matters
Much of the language of notes and chords traces back to this comparison with music.