The Modes of Ancient Greek MusicMonro, D. B. (David Binning)
History
The Modes of Ancient Greek Music
Monro, D. B. (David Binning)
Music, Greek and Roman
Westphal (_Harmonik und Melopöie_, 1863, p. 255) supposes a
much deeper corruption. He would restore [Greek: ta de lydia
[kai iastia hoi tou migmatos tou syntonou diatonou tou ... ta
de ...] hoi tou toniaiou diatonou tou Dôriou]. This introduces
a serious discrepancy between the two passages, as the number
of scales in the second list is raised to eight (Westphal
making [Greek: iastia] and [Greek: iastiaioliaia] distinct
scales, and furthermore inserting a new scale, of unknown
name). Moreover the (unknown) scale of unmixed [Greek:
diatonon toniaion] is out of its place at the end of the list.
Westphal's objection to [Greek: lydia] as the name of a scale
of the _Dorian_ species of course only holds good on his
theory of the Modes.
The only other differences between the two passages are:
(1) In the scales of the lyre called [Greek: malaka] the
admixture, according to i. 16, is one of [Greek: chrômatikon
syntonon], according to ii. 16 of [Greek: chr. malakon]. But,
as Westphal shows, Soft Chromatic is not admitted by Ptolemy
as in practical use. It would seem that in the second passage
the copyist was led astray by the word [Greek: malaka] just
before.
(2) The [Greek: iastia] of i. 16 is called [Greek:
iastiaioliaia] in ii. 16. We need not suppose the text to be
faulty, since the two forms may have been both in use.
Another point overlooked in Westphal's treatment is that
[Greek: diatonon syntonon] and [Greek: d. ditoniaion] are not
really distinguished by Ptolemy. In one passage (i. 16) he
gives his [Greek: lydia] and [Greek: iastia] as a mixture with
[Greek: d. syntonon], adding that in practice it was [Greek:
d. ditoniaion]. In the other (ii. 16) he speaks at once of
[Greek: d. ditoniaion]. This consideration brings the two
places into such close agreement that any hypothesis involving
discrepancy is most improbable.
In practice it appears that musicians tuned the tetrachord _b-e_ of
this scale with the Pythagorean two Major tones and [Greek: leimma].
Of the remaining scales one, called [Greek: hypertropa], is Phrygian
in species (_d-d_), and of the standard genus:
_d_ 9/8 _e_ 28/27 _f_ 8/7 _g_ 9/8 _a_ 9/8 _b_ 28/27 _c_ 8/7 _d_
One, called [Greek: iastia], or [Greek: iastiaioliaia], is of the
Hypo-phrygian or _g_-species, the tetrachord _b-e_ being 'highly
strung' Diatonic or (in practice) Pythagorean, viz.:
_g_ 9/8 _a_ 9/8 _b_ 256/243 _c_ 9/8 _d_ 9/8 _e_ 28/27 _f_ 8/7 _g_
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