Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

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octave
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236 SCALE SCALE
chromatic steps in addition. The diatonic scale common use. And we may substitute for the
is of Greek origin, having been introduced about Greek word hemitone ' ' the modem term semitone,'
' the middle of the 6th century B.C. The main
which means the same thing.
' divisions of the octave were at the intervals called
the fifth and the fourth, and the subdivisions
Inttrvals of the Diatonic Scale/or the Major Mode.
were formed by means of two smaller divisions
called a tone and a heinitone respectively. The
tone was equal to the distance between the
fourth and the fifth, and the hemitone was
equal to a fourth minios two tones. The octave
Intervals of the Diatonic Scale for the Minor Mode.
was made up of five tones and two hemitones,
and the entire Greek diatonic scale of two
octaves, as settled by Pythagoras, may ^i
be
Ker
'
accurately represented in modern
note.
notation as
Key.
follows I
:
note. 9 i
The Greek Diatonic Scale.
Although these differ materially from each
other, it will be seen that the original Greek
diatonic form of the series is in each perfectly
preserved. It must be explained that the
minor scale is given, under particular circumstances,
-
S
-
S
„ s _
S S S
„
S S S S i s s certain accidental variations [see belOw],
but these are of a chromatic nature ; the normal
Thus the essence of the diatonic scale was that minor diatonic form is as here shown. The
it consisted of tones, in groups of two and choice of particular forms of the octave, and
three alternately, each group being separated the more prominent character given to their
by a hemitone from the adjoining one ; and, limiting notes, constitute the important feature
combining consecutive inter;^ls, any two tones of modern music called Tonality.
with a hemitone would form s, fourth, any three Secondly, a certain influence has been exercised
tones with a hemitone would form a, fifth, and
on the diatonic scale by modem Harmony.
any complete cycle of five tones with two When it became the practice to sound several
hemitones, would form a perfect octave.
notes of the scale simultaneously, it was found
Now it is obvious that in this series of notes, that some of the intervals of the Greek series
proved to be in use above two thousand years did not adapt themselves well to the combination.
This was particularly the case with the
ago, we have essentially our diatonic scale ; the
series corresponding in fact with the natural or interval of the major third, C to E : according
white keys of our modern organ or pianoforte. to the Greek system this consisted of two tones,
And as this series formed the basis of the but the perfect harmonious relation required
melodies of the Greeks, so it forms the basis it to be a little flatter. The correction was
of the tunes of the present day.
effected in a very simple manner by making a
Although, however, the general aspect of slight variation in the value of one of the tones,
the diatonic series of musical sounds remains which necessitated also a slight alteration in
unaltered, it has been considerably affected in the value of the semitone. Other small errors
its mode of application by two modern elements have been corrected in a similar way, so as to
—namely. Tonality and Harmony.
make the whole conform to the priuciple, that
First, a glance at the Greek scale will show every note of the scale must have, as far as possible,
that there are seven different diatonic ways in concordani harmonious relations to other notes;
which an . may be divided ; thus, from and in determining these, the relations to the
A to the A above will exhibit one way, from B tonic or keynote are the more important.
to B another, from to C a third, and so on The diatonic series, as thus corrected, is as
—keeping to the white keys alone in each case ; follows :
and all these various ' forms of the octave ' as
they werS called, were understood and used in
Major Diatonic Scale as corrected for Modern Harmony.
the Greek music, and formed different ' modes.
In modern times we adopt only two— one
corresponding with C to C, which we call the
Major mode, the other corresponding with A
to A, which we call the Minor mode. And in Ilia
each case we attach great importance to the The several intervals, reckoned upwards from
notes forming the extremities of the octave the lower keynote, are
series, either of which we call the Tonic or
C to D, Major tone,
Keynote. We have, therefore, in modern music,
,, E, Major third,
,, F, Perfect Foiu^th,