DICTIONARY OF MUSIC - El Atril

230 GREEK MUSIC GREEK MUSIC
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F. Tonality and Modality.— The most
vexed question presented by Ancient Greek Music
is that of its tonality or modality. Modern music
exhibits two modalities, that of our major and
that of our minor mode. The major and the
minor scales differ from one another essentially
in this that each admits note-relations tliat the
other excludes. Thus the im'itiediate relation
of CJt to A—not resolved into any other rela-
tions, since A is the tonic—is essential to
the scale of A major, but is not to be found
in the minor scale. For though Cjt and A
both occur in the minor scale of Fj, they are
there mediated by the relation of both to Fj
as tonic. Similarly the immediate relation of
C to A, essential to the minor scale of A, is
not to be found in the scale of A major. Thus
difference of modality means a difference of
note -relations. Does, then. Ancient Greek
nmsic admit differences of modality ? According
to the account given above, it does not
and the only modality to be found in it resembles
tliat of our minor scale without the
sliarpened leading note :
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But it has been customary (see the works
of Westphal, Bellermann, Marquard, etc.) to
take quite another view of the matter. The
modes called Lydian, Dorian, Phrygian, etc.
(which in tlie account given above have been
distinguished merely by their inle^tud pitch-
relation) have been commonly regarded as
so many modes differing from one another
in such a way as our major and minor modes
differ, that is, in respect of tjie note-relations
which they include. On this view, for example,
the opening phrases of ' God save the
King ' would be
(a) In the Dorian Mode.
with A as tonic.
(b) In the Phrygian Mode.
with G as tonic.
(c) In tlie Lydian Mode.
with F as tonic.
But apart from its inherent improbability,
tlie following arguments may be adduced against
this theory.
(1) There is absolutely no reference in the
ancient Greek authorities to any such modal
distinction (see Monro, Modes of Ancient Greek
Music).
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(2) All the analysis of the Greek authorities
reduces scales to tetrachords of the form
(and, of course, its Chromatic and Enharmonic
equivalents) in which the extreme notes are
determined as notes fixed by concord, while
the intermediate notes are variable. Such an
analysis would be radically false if modal
distinctions in the modern sense existed. Thus
any analysis of our major scale of C would be
false that failed to recognise C and G as abso-
lutely determined notes.
(.3) Distinct ethical character is attributed to
the several Greek modes. But it is attributed
to them in virtue of their pitch. If now the
modes differ in tonality, they cannot differ in
pitch. It would be absurd to say that our
major scale in general is higher or lower than
our minor.
(4) The Greek modes, as we have seen, are
regarded as severally suited for voices of different
ages. But differences of modality in the
modern sense would not account for tliis. In
what way is our major mode more or less
adapted to the failing voice of an old man than
our minor ?
G. Ethos.—The Greeks had a keen apprecia-
tion of the potent effects of music on the etlios
or mood, and through this on the character ;
and they are explicit as to the particular moods
evoked by particular kinds of music. Thus
(Aristides Quintilianus, ed. Meibom, p. Ill)
Diatonic music was held to be manly and
severe, Chromatic sweet and plaintive, Enharmonic
stirring and pleasing ; again (see Plato,
liepiiblic, iii. 39S E ; Aristotle, Politics, v. (viii.)
5. 1340 a 38) high-pitched music was felt to
be passionate and expressive of violent grief,
low-pitched music to be sentimental and
licentious, The moods attributed to the modes
depended on the intrinsic pitch of the latter.