Author: Doni, Giovanni Battista - manuscripts of italian music theory ...

than the thickening, because they show little concern for the melody that derives from
it, as one can see from the multitude of diesis (which they use), since, consequently, it
is not possible for anyone to sing them, but the voice can sing up to three of them.
One can see from this that there were some who dealt with these divisions without
considering whether they were viable or not. But let us move on to Aristides
Quintilianus, a most learned and elegant writer, who did not deserve to remain hidden
for such a long time in libraries. As one can see, he compiles a summary and a short
explanation [--] of all music with the help of Aristoxenus' works which were
available at the time, since he lived certainly before the fall of the Roman Empire.
Therefore, he says this [Harmonia men oun kaleitai to tous smikrotatois pleounasan
diastemasin apo tou synermoustai; diatonon de to tonois pleonazon epeide sfodroteron
he phone kat'auto diateinetai khroma de to di’hemitonion syntononomenon hos gar to
metaxu leukou hos melanos chroma kaleitai; outo kai to dia meson amphoin
theorgmenon chroma proseretai [[technokoteron]]], which means “So, Harmony
(which means the Enharmonic genus, which was call this without any other
specification) is called (that genus) which is most rich of very small intervals from
their being tuned together (which the Greeks call harmozesthai). However, the
Diatone (or Diatonic) is the one that is rich in Tones, because the voice is extended
more strongly in this genus (he means that the word [tonos] derives from teinesthai),
but the Chroma (namely, the Chromatic one) which means colour or colouring, and
here it means the chromatic genus, is the one that extends itself (or rises) through
semitones, since what is halfway between white and black is called colour, thus it has
been called chromatic the one that is considered halfway between the two mentionead
above.” The follower of Plato Theon does not depart much from this when he says, on
Aristoxenus' authority, that the Diatonic is called thus [hetoi hoti dia ton tonon to
pleiston diodeuse e hoti semnon ti kai erromenon hai eutonon ethos epifainei] which
means “because it mostly proceeds by tones or because it shows something which is
grave, robust and intense.” [chromatikon de dia to paratetraphthai kai exellachtai tou
prosthen; goeroteron kai pathetikoteron ethos emphainei] “But the Chromatic, which
is different and other than the first one, shows a more pathetic and plangent quality.”
Finally, the Harmony or Enharmonic genus was called in this way [dia to arista einai
apenenkamenon tou pantos hermosmenou ten prosegorian] “because it derived its
name from the entire System of sounds, since it enacted what they called the
[hermosmenon]). [--] As far as Manuel Briennius is concerned, one has not to
give it much consideration, as far as his reporting of ancient matters is concerned
(although one has to value his speculations and all his work where he shows that he
understood Ptolemy and the others well) because he is a modern author, and does
almost nothing else but copying Aristides, without considering Authors whom we do
not possess, albeit his speculations have to be valued and all the work that he has
written in three books, because it clarifies greatly the most ancients, and particularly
Ptolemy whom he shows to have understood well. Therefore, it will suffice
that he agrees with Aristides and with others in his description of the genera, and to
explain the smaller intervals of the Chromatic and Enharmonic. As to Nichomacus of
Gerace, a very able mathematician, whose very beautiful work on arithmetic is
available in print and two books of Harmonics, albeit incomplete, and was followed
closely by Boethius, it will be enough to quote this, where he says [to de euarmonion
tou procopen physikos toiauten ekhei diesis; hoper esti hemitoniou hemisu kai palin
alle diesis, syamphoterai hemitonio isai.hemitoniou emisou kai palin alle diesis,
sunakfoteroi hemitono isan]