Both Jean-Philippe Rameau and Johann Philipp Kirnberger deal with the issue of analysis in their treatises on music theory, especially in Nouveau systême de musique théorique (Rameau) and Die wahren Grundsätze zum Gebrauche der Harmonie (Kirnberger). This presentation investigates according to which principles both authors proceed, and how they relate to each other. What are the differences and similarities in their approaches? Finally, it explores the significance of musical analysis within a historical context in a more general sense.