Mastering the scales and arpeggios

89 Pages·2016·10.4 MB·English

by  Cooke J.F.

MASTERING THE SCALES
AND ARPEGGIOS
4 COMPLETE AND PRACTICAL SYSTEM FOR
STUDYING THE SCALES AND ARPEGGIOS
FROM THE MOST ELEMENTARY STEPS TO
THE HIGHEST ATTAINABLE DEGREE OF
VELOCITY AND ARTISTIC PERFECTION
JAMES FRANCIS COOKE
DESIGNED FOR USE WITH ANY EXISTING
METHOD OR SYSTEM OF TEACHING THE
PIANOFORTE AND INCLUDING ALL THE
STANDARD FORMS EMBODIED IN THE
BEST SCALE WORKS OF THE PAST AS
USED BY LEADING TEACHERS AND THE
FOREMOST CONSERVATORIES
@ 1913 by
THEODORE PRESSER COMPANY
Clnauthorized copying, arranging, adapting, or record in^ is an infringement
of copyright. Infringers are liable under the Law.
0 MY PIANO PUPILS, WHO THROUGH
TWENTY YEARS GAVE ME THE EN-
THUSIASTIC SUI'PORrI' INDISPENSA -
BLE TO THE TEACHER'S WORK, THIS
BOOK IS CORDIALLY DEDICATED.
MASTERING THE SCALES AND ARPEGGIOS
CONTENTS
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Introduction 4
The Importailce of Studying the Scales and the Arpeggios
The History of the Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .i
Part I
Preparatory Section
LESSOX I
Constructing the Scales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
LESSON I1
Learning the Scale Notes and Key Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
LESSON I11
Learning the Minor Scale Notes and hlinor Key Names . . . . . . . . . .7
LESSON IV
Fingering of the Scales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Part I1
Practical Technical Work
The Scales in One Octave Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
The Scales in Two Octave Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
The Chromatic Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Accented Scales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Scales in Double Thirds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 8
Scales in Double Sixths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Scales in Octaves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Developing the Greatest Possible Velocity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Part 111
The Study of Arpeggios
Expanding the Hand Without Injury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
The Chords Employed in Arpeggios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Broken Chords and Arpeggios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Special Arpeggio forms in the Key of C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
A Useful Arpeggio Variant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Broken Chords and Arpeggios of the Dominant Seventh . . . . . . . . . 6 7
Exercises in the Arpeggio of the Dominant Seventh . . . . . . . . . . 73
Arpeggios of the Diminished Seventh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 4
Varied Forms of Arpeggio Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Introduction
The Importance of Studying Scales and Arpeggios
If it were possible ta assemble a congress of the great piano " The scale of C should reign supreme until the practice habits are
teachers of today and yesterday nnd put the question: formed so that they will reign supreme while playing the other scales.
''lLThat do you consider the backbone of the technic of pianoforte Pearls lie at the bottom of the sea. Most pupils seem to expect them
playing?'' floating upon the top of the water. They never float, and the one who
the answer would doubtless come with surprising unanimity, would have his scales shine with the beautyof splendid gems must
"The study of the scales and arpeggios." first dive deep for the gems"
lIere and there one might hear a dissenting voice but upon re- V. DE PACHMANN
viewing the careers of these objectors one would doubtless find
that they themselves had traveled much of their technical road a - "I have never known a piano student to finger well or read rapidly
long the lanes of scales and arpeggios. who was deficient in scale pract,icell
In this book an effort has been made to compile E. M. BOWMAN
n A book of scales and arpeggios explaining all of the hundred
and one technical points in the simplest possible manner " I consider the practice of scales important not only for the fin-
and yet so completely that everything neccessary will be ful- gers,but also for the discipline of the ear with regard to the feeling
ly comprehended by the pupil in the right pedagogical order. of tonality (key),u nderstanding of intervals, and the comprehension
b A book of scales and arpeggios with a preparatory section of the total compass of the piano"
covering the work which all beginners should undertake be- JOSEF HOFMANN
fore the actual scale playing is commenced. The scales as
usually taught are really very complicated studies involving " To the young student and to the performing artist the daily prac-
far too many different mental and physical processes to be tice of scales is alike indispensable. Nor has it been found possible
successfully taken up without preparation.By grounding the to supersede the practice of scales with any other form of exercise.
pupil in the theory of the keys, as well as giving him prac- W7thout their constant use, it is not possible to impart to playing
tical work at the keyboard minus the additional study of the certain qualities of fluency, neatness and consistency in running
usual scale fingering, much more rapid and thorough pro- passages, qualities universally recognized as charateristic of well
gress may be made. trained pianists"
c A book of scales and arpeggios including all the standard WILLIAM MASON
forms employed in private teaching and conservatory work,
and also additions leading to the highest possible velocity I believe this matter of insisting upon a thorough technical knowl-
"
and finish in performance. edge, particularly scale playing, is a very vital one.The mere ability
d A book of scales and arpeggios. far more comprehensive to play a few pieces does not constitute musical proficiency"
than any existing work, and yet one that may be employed S. RACHMANINOFF
at once, with any system or method,without requiring any
changes. "Few artists realize the beauty of a perfectly played scale and too
It seems quite unnecessary for the writer to make any comment few teachers insist upon it,"
upon the great importance of the study of scales and arpeggios. S. STOJOWSKI
It is, nevertheless, convincing to read the foLlowing quotations which
have been select-ed from hundreds of similar ones pertaining to " I play all the scales in different forms in all ke;ys once a day"
ecale playing. PEPITO ARRIOLA
You must sedulously practice all scales"
"
ROBERT SCIIUMANN
In most German conservatories the first word the pupil hears up
"Scales should never be dry. If you are not interested in them, on entering the teacher's room is "Torrleitar" (scales) The pupil
work with them until you become interested in them" then sits at the keyboard and plays through all the major and mi -
A. RUBINSTEIN nor scales, often in an altogether perfunctory manner. Those who
practice scales in a similar way cannot hope to derive the greatest
Give special study to passing the thumb under the hand and pass- benefits from them, for no form of technical work demands greater
"
ing the hand over the thumb. This. makes the practice of scales and concentration than scales and arpeggios. Fortunately no form of
arpeggios indispensable" technical study is more fascinating when properly performed.
J. PADEREWSKI
The sinckre thanks of the author are given to Dr. E. E. Ayers,
" Practice scales every day of your life" Dr. H. A. Clarke, Professor of Music at the University of Pennsyl-
WN. SHERWOOD vania, Dr. Ralph Dunst.an, of \Vestminster College, England, Mr.
U7aldo S. Pratt, and Mr. Jaroslaw de Zielinski for reading portions
" Do you ask me how good a player you may become?Then tell me of the work in manuscript and offering helpful suggestions.
how much you practice the scales"
CARL CZERNY
THE AUTHOR
"During the first five years the backbone of ail the daily work in
Russian music schools is scales and arpeggios. The pupil who at-
tempted complicated pieces without this preliminary drill would be
laughed at in Russia"
JOSEF LHEVINNE
O 1913 by Theodore Presser Co. All Rights Reserved International Copyright Secured
410-40017 Printed in U.S.A.
THE STORY OF THE SCALE
(This historical introduction may be omitted in the cases of young pupils, and introduced at the end of the pupils course in scales and
arpeggios. When this is omitted start with page five, Lesson L)
Usually the first questions that come up in t4hem indof the student scale are contained in the so called "chord of nature!' This term is
who has had his curosity aroused regarding the science ofthe tonal the name given by some theorists to a series of tones called overtones,
-
system, are,"How did it all come about? Why is there a major scale all of which may be contained in the composite tone heard from a vi
and a minor scale? Why are there not. other scales equally im - brating string. It is difficult to conceive of the tone we hear when we
portant?" strike one of the lower strings of a piano,as being composed of several
Possibly the best way in which to answer these questions is to tell different tones less perceptable to the ear. This however, is easily
the student that there have been many other scales employedbyother demonstrated in the physical laboratory,vr41ere the student may learn
peoples in other days and that our scales came down through the that the over-tones (often called harmonics) are the characteristics
rages from sources about which we have no absolutely positive in- which give quality to a tone. It is indeed, not unlike a rose, which we
formation. Like the Pyramids of ancient Egypt, we know that they see as one object of a certain color, but which is usually composed
exist but the gropings of historians have not revealed their real of a great number of petals.
origin. For this reason we have had to content ourselves with theo- By pressing down the keys on the piano, represented by the upper
ries little more definite than the measurement of universal space. note€ in the following example silently and hclding them down,-
Contrary to opinion our modern scales are by no means altogether then striking the lowest key a resounding blow, the student will ob-
natural to man. That is, no savage people has developed a scale like serve that the upper tones vibrate in sympathetic vibration. This
o um~a jor or our minor scale-These scales are in fact, a legacy &om is because they are over-tones and are contained in the lower tone,
the ages of culture which have preceded us and are the result of a although scarcely audible to the human ear. Other tones also vi-
slow development which called for the best brains nf many different brate but these"harmonics" will be detected first. The student will
nations and peoples. also observe that the notes with X under them, form most of the
One thing we do know, however, and that is that the notes of our notes of the major scale of F IIajor.
In fact, a similar series of notes resulting from the fifth degree all of the notes used in the given scale.
of the scale of C (known as the dominant) will produce practically
It is reasonable to assume from this, that out scale is one natur~l It is not however, until we consider the amazing Greeks of ancient
to the physical science of music. but as we determine the higher ov- times, that we encounter scales which bear resemblances to the scales
-
er tones or harmonics, it becomes obvious that so many other tones now in use. The moment we attempt to find out exactly what the old
-
are included, that the numerous divisions of the scale made by Greek scales or modes were like,we meet with so many different o
some Oriental peoples and even advocated by some of our modern pinions, of so many different authorities,with so many different rea-
composers, are by no means foreign to the scheme of nature. In in- sons for believing their opinions correct, that we can only conclude
vestigating the history of our own scale, however, we are surprised that the Greek Scales are clouded with much obscurity and content
at the very start to learn that antiquarian evidence seems to point ourselves with an approximate idea of their form and use.
to the fact that the modern major and minor scales heve been e - Several years of study with some score of authorities have failed
valved by descendants of the white or Aryan race rather than by to reveal to the author, a means of presenting an understandable de-
people of any of the colored races. scription of the musical system of Ancient Greece.The difficulty does
Well known writers upon the history of music have been able to not lie in the lack of manuscript outlines by great Greek writers.
trace the interval of the eighth (octave) in the music of several of Aristotle, Aristoxenus, Euclid and the Alexandriein astronomer Clau-
the civilized peoples who lived before the time of Christ. The Chi- dius Ptolemy, all did their share in attempting to preserve records
nese, the Egyptians, the Chaldeans,the Babylonians, the Persians, of what had been accomplished by their predecessors. However, the
the Phoenicians and the Arabs, discovered this division of music- reader must take into consideration three things in reflectingupon
al sound. these records. First, Greek musical endeavor extended over several
Some of these wonderful peoples had scales,but so far as we know, centuries; second, the records of the above writers were frequently
these scales differed for the most part from those of modern music, made many years after the musical systems they describe had been
in that the series of intervals used were unlike those of our eceles. invented; third,there is believed to be no absolutely sure means
For instance, the Chinese employed B scale of five tones in which the of interpretating these writings 00 that their meaning in modern
intervals resembled those which would occur if we made a scale musical terms may be accurately understood.
from the five black keys of the pianoforte. This scale is known as The fact that there is no sure method of interpretating ancientGreek
the pentat.onic sctlle. It is frequently found in Scotch music and folk music in our modern musical notation is perhaps, the most serious
songs like Auld Lang Syne and Bonnie Doone are forthe most part obstacle in the path of the conscientious investigator. Perhaps the
made up of this scale. future may bring us some method of solving the mystery, like the
C.S.- 87
1 I
Etosetta Stone which enabled Egyptologists to interpret the hiero - Since the chromcttic and enharmonic forms lead to systems quite
glyphics which up to that time had locked up a large chapter in the foreign to modern music, we shall leave them to the student of eth -
history of the world. Even the latest articles published in the new nology and devote our attention to the diatonic tetrachord from which
Encyclopedia Brittanica fail to give an absolutely definite key to our modern scale is supposed to have been evolved.
the venerable mystery. Dr. Hugh A. Clarke, of the University of Pennsylvania, has given e
How perplexing and bewildering the whole matter really is may very clear idea of how this tetrachord was joined to other tetrachords
be inferred from the following quotation from the little history of ultimately resulting in what was then termed the Greek Perfect b'gststn.
music by W. S. Rockstro (right name, Rackstraw) one of the best This system was not reached until Greek music had passed through
known popular English historians. \tockstro had an excellent train- several intermediate stages.
ing and hns been the pupil of Sterndale Bennett, blendelssohn , Terpander,"the Father of Greek lfusic:' a famous philosopher who
Hauptmann and Plaidy. He wrote the chapter upon the church lived about seven centuries before Christ, added three strings to the
modes in the Grove Dictionary a.nd is known to havegiven an im- lyre, making seven in all.This made it possible to include two tetra-
mense amount of serious attention to the music of Greece. His atti- chords on the instrument and was considered a great advance in the
tude upon the subject is therefore very interesting. In his little work art. Without attempting accurate notation, this may be roughly indi -
published in 1839 he treats the entire matter by throwing up his cated in the following example.
hands in despair in the following manner:
-
"That this system is bused, to a certain extent, upon pure math-
Y
-
ematical truth. is indisputable; but modern critics differ so wide
ly in their ir~terpretationso f the expressions usedby the ancient First 'Petrachord Secohd 'Iktrachord
writers, that it is difficult in the face of conflicting opinions, to
+
arrive at s clear understanding even at the first principles. To at- One hundred years after Terpander came that astonishing gpnius
tempt in the present state of our knowledge to reconcile the theo- thagoras,who did much to advance musical theory ma8thematically,
ries of rival commentators would be a waste of time!, but who laid down laws regarding the tuning of the intervals of the
But the makers of musical histories continue to describe the Greek major and the minor third which served as a monumental obstruction
scales or modes and the student who pursues his work sufficiently to musical art. Edward Mac Dowel1 in his posthumous collection
-
far will inevitably reach this tangle which seems to baffle all at of critical and historical essays (Published in 2912) claims that
tempts at unraveling. Because of this no story of the scale would Pythagoras "did more to stifle music for a full thousandyears,than
be complete without some comment upon the subject, even if only can easily be imagined'.' Nevertheless, the activities of Pythegoras
an outline of the muddle which some well meaning writers have were too important to be ignored.
made of it. With an instrument known as a canon (later called monochord 1
Among the early settlers of Greece were the Pelasgians,arace of composed of il string stretched over a long sounding board,he found
Aryan origin. Their descendants in Greece,ct~mteo be divided into that by dividing the string into two equal parts,one part when vibre-
tribes known as Lydians and Phrygians.Residents of other parts ted would give the pitch of the octave above the natural pitch of the
of Greece were known as Dorisns, Aeolians, Ionians and so forth. whole string. Dividing the string into three equal parts, he found
These peoples were believed to have been very musica1,but the his- that by sounding two thirds of the string, the interval of a fifth a-
tory of the tribes is so mixed up with mythology that it is difficult bove the tone of the string could be created. In similer manner three
to draw the line between fact and fancy. It may be assumed, how- quarters of the length of the string would produce the interval of a
ever, that the principal musical instrument of the tribes was the fourth. He is reputed to have secured his wisdom from the Druids
Zyr6 or four -stringed harp, said to have been called in early times, of Gaul, the Brahmins of Indis, the Magi of tbe temples of Babylon
the tetrachordon. and the priests of Egypt. Evidetly it was the custom even in thoee
It is believed that the strings of the lyre formed the basis of a se days to go abroad for musical study. Pythagoras' discoveriee were
ries of four notes known as a tetrachord. The account in the Grove carefully described by the great mathematician Euclid, who lived a-
Dictionary (New Edition) written by H. S. Bfacran,gives the follow- bout two hundred and fifty years later. A somewhat comprehensive
ing form of tetrachords. The sign X indicates that the note under account of his activities may be found in the "PAilosop,lro~f Htdnic"
which it is placed is to be raised one quarter tone. by Wllliam Pole, Mus. Doc., Oxon.
Notwithstanding the fact that Pythagorasl mathematical compu -
tations led to conclusions which made the intervals of the octave,
the fourth and the fifth practically the only intervals available for
use in the musjcal compositions of seve~ahl undred years ensuing,
-
he nevertheless made experiments which are believed to have re
sulted in the scale represented below. As in all our other examples
-
of Greek music, the pitch is only rela.tive. The bar lines in the follow
ing example are inserted by the present writer.They do not refer to
time but are introduced to indicate how the original series of four
-
notes (Tetrachords)b ecame the centre of a series of other tetra
chords inclyded within the other bar 1ines.Eoch note of this scale
had its own name, the lowest tottering u~tderth e awe inspiring title
of Proslambanomenos (additional note). The middle note, n, which
joins the two central tetrachords, was called .Ifese and was supposed
to have been very important. The series was known as the (?leekD in-
inttic: ScnEe or the Greek R~enfeSry .ste?/~
Proslambanomenos $~eseoE ~ e ioer
Lowest Note Middle Note Highest Note
1 I
The characteristic names given to the several notes remained for ar the highest of the extreme Nete
some centuries and when the Romans took it upon themselves to g* the second highest of the extreme Paranete
make a change, they designated the notes by the letters of the a.1- f' the third of the extreme Trite
phabet from A to P. Pole a,nd other authorities give Pope Gregory I, e* the highest of the disjunct Nete
"the GreatUcreditf or having designated the notes of each octave d' the second highest of the disjunct Paranete
by seven different letters, Staff notation, it should be remembered, c' the third of the disjunct Trite
did not. appear until about the year nine hundred, when a single b the one next to middle Paramese
red line was used. The special names given to notes by the Greeks ct the middle note Meee
have a fascinating interest and indicate the imaginative nature of g the forefinger note of the middle Lichanos
that wonderful nation. f the last but one of the middle Parh-ypate
e the lowest of the middle Hypa t e
Dr. Hugo Riemann,the noted German musical savant gives the d the forefinger note of the low Lichanos
names of the degrees as follows, with their derivation from the c the last but one of the low Parhypate
names of tetrachords etc. B the lowest of the low Hypate
A the added note Proslambanomenos
It should always be remembered that the Greeks looked upon their
scales us pasbing Rom above downward and not from below upward
as we look upon it.
Dr. Ralph Dunstan of ( ambridge, gives an interesting account of how the notes of the seven stringed lyre were each given 8 characteristic
name in the following ma aner.
Hypa te Pnt4,ypail: L ich nrtos Jfescr fir?)?e s ~ Pnmrrete 4%d a
(longest ( next to (likened ( Middle (likened (likened (likened
string Hypate, to string, t o to the to the
giving the likened to Blars) was the Mercury) Moon, Moon)
-
highest Jupiter) princi Venus)
note, pal or
-
likened to key note.
Saturn) Likened
to the
Sun)
.-. a
b o 8
CVI rn m U I 1
I I - -- II 1
I I I I I
Indeed, the ancients thought that these notes were produced by Doritzn half-tone tone tone
the harmonious motions of the Heavenly bodies. It is this which Example E F G A
Shakespeare doubtless had in mind, when he wrote,- P/lr#grgr@kt tone half - tone tone
"There's not the smallest orb which thou heholdest Example D E F G
But in his motion like an Angel sings, Lydia td tone tone half - tone
Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubins!' Example C D E F
It is from this same thought that we have the terms "Music of the Rom this the following principal Greek modes are alleged to have
Spheres" and "Harmony of the Spheres:' been evolved. The word or prefix Hypo comes from a Greek preposition
Thus far we have been trading upon comparatively secure ground "underl'and corresponds to the Latin "sub".One Greek writer, however,
fortified by numerous authorities. The moment we commence the claimed that it merely denotedulikeness"or similarity in its connection
-
investigations of the so-called Greek modes or scales,we meet many with scales. In the examples given below, the sign signifies a whole
perplexing and paradoxical statements. tone and the aign vsignifies a half tone. The scales or modes as here
The Greek modes were supposed to have been founded upon the given, are found in many authoritative works, such as Emil N~uman's
following tetrachorde, represented in the next column. "History qfAM~[sic:D' r. Hugo Riemann's "Dicliortu~~oyj h ftrsic nttd Mtr -
sicians:' The pitches given are only relative and do not convey any posi-
tive information in that direction.
Hypo - Dorian -
The Greeks attributed special ethical values to each one of the with the major mode and sadness with the rninor mode.
scales or modes, apart from whatever pitch they assumed.Fbr instance, Dr. H. A. Clarke, who has admitted that "the Greek system is still
the Dorian was thought to be especially useful in the education of a subject of controversy about which very little is known" has cleared
youth, It was supposed to inspire a love for the law, strict obedience, away much uncertainty by pointing out that the Greeks used the words
courage, selfesteem and independence. Plato thought that the Lydian Dorian Octave, Phrygian Octave, etc., in such a manner that some mod-
scale was voluptuous sensual and suitable for orgies. Aristotle at - ern commentators assumed that the word meant scale. This is very
tributed to the Phrygian scale,the magic of being able to inspire, to unlikely and asW . S.Rockstro declares in the Grove Dictionary,"it
the Dorian, dignity and repose and to the Lydian which Plato declared seems probable that Differences of Pitch were felt to be of lese im -
so vicious, the power of awakening. a love for purity and modesty. This portance and distinctions of species (differences in the arrangement
does not seem so odd,when we recollect that we associate brightness of intervals in the octave) were more highly appreciated:'
C.9.- 87
1IV
In the "Oxford Hystory of Music',' H. E.M'ooldridge,?tl.A. has given ing by the same series ot tones and half-tones, it is obvious that
the following means of determining the keys of the Greek modes. the mode known as the Phrygian mode (E to E) if applied to the
Starting with the series of notes in the scale supposed to have been octave A to A would result in the following series of intervals.-
evolved by Pythagoras, which includea the octaveA to A and measur-
Applying t,he same principle to other modes adjusted to the octave A to A, the following would result.-
The Same Series of Intervals
Possible Original form of Greek Modes
Applied to the octave A to A
Doubtless, for this reason, the key signature of the Greek Scales or Despite all the authorities, a writer to whom great credence has
Modes is frequently given in the following manner, as in the valuable been given (Monroe, author of ",lfodes o f drtcie~Pf mekBfitsic") had no
dictionary of Dr. Dunstan, which was carefully read and reread by hesitancy in declaring that there is absolutely no definite reference
many of the most noted musical savants of England.It will be noticed in ancient Greek authorities to distinctions in modes. Why then, have
that the notes of the scales are so arranged that while the accident- we gone to such trouble to discuss the matter?Largely because it is
als employed affect the same notes as in the previous example, from interesting for the student to have eome guide in i~~vestigatintgh is
A to A,yet the notes are arranged in such a way that the authentic intricate subject and some means of helping him to form opinions
scales, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixo-Lydian, are merely trans - of his own.
positions of each other and similarly with Plagal Scales, Hypo-Do- bloreover, it is a well established fact, that the church modes, sup
riun, Hypo - Phrygian, etc. posed to have been evolved from Greek Scales, have been used by
Dorian. . - - e some of the great composers and are continually being more and
am V Q I more discussed by modern composers as a means of securing va-
w
riety in harmonic treatment and style. Indeed, in a rare copy of
A. B. Marx' dft~sicndC orfipo.rifion now in the writer's possession,
the church modes and the Greek &lodes are discussed in several
chapters. This work was published as late as 1851.
--
2 It- U The historical bridge between the Greek musical writers and the
Lydian ' . , e Q = ? writers of the church, is a slender one. No Greek writers of conse-
II quence appeared after the fourth century and no Latin manuscripts
of great consequence to the history of music have been found earlier
than those of the ninth century. In the meantime, the world was evi-
dently groping for a means of musical expression. Unquestionably,
those who would make music were continually hampered by the
theorists who were always ready to tell them that they could only
make music in the weys permitted by their laws.
Hypo -Dorian Gradually, the systems became more and more involved until thir -
teen or fifteen modes on different pitches were recognized. Obviously
music was leading in the wrong direction and Ptolemy,thepat Alex-
.. -
Hypo - Phrygian andrian mathematician and astronomer, was one of the first to re -
- - II m 1 V 0 duce the number of modes to seven.
V
As music became a part of Christian worship the church fathers
Hypo - L-y dian. . - evidently foresaw what an important role it was to play in the future.
0 8
n am Vd-. II Ambrose, a famous Bishop of Milan, is eaid to have reduced the num-
V
ber of modes to four, retaining those resembling the Greek niodes
.
Hypo- hiixo- L-yd ian a known as Phrygian, Dorian, Hypo -Lydian and Hypo-Phrygian.This,
a V AV 0 8 fl however,is emphtlticnllycontradicted by some authorities.
r
The connection of Pope Gregory (who lived about the sixth century) in the following example. Later writers came to call these modes the
with the history of the church scales has also been strongly contested. Gregorian tones and each tone was known by a number.The ritualistic
However, many historians give Gregory the credit of calling t4hef our music of the Catholic Church of to - day is based to a large extent upon
Ambrosian modes A~therrticJ fodes and then adding four others which these tones. It will never be possible to measure the indefatigable la-
he called Plagal Modes. The Plagal Modes were composed of the same bors of the church fathers in their efforts to develop music st a time
notes 8s the Authentic Modes but began four notes lower as shown when so very little was known about the a.rt.
AUTHENTMICO DES PLAGALM ODES
I First Tone (Dorian) I1 Second Tone (Hypo -Dorian)
_
11
I
I11 Third Tone (Phrygian) IV Fourth Tone (Hypo- Phrygian)
I V Fifth Tone (Lydian) VI Sixth Tone (Hypo-Lydian) , 1
VlII Eighth Tone (Hypo -Mix0 - Lydian) I1
'Phis division of the modes was to the best of our knowledge,em- I Former Greek Names Names supposed to have been
ployed for several centuries. According to Dr. Pole, much confusion given by Glareanus
was caused by the abtempts of the Swiss educator Glareanus (right Phrygian Dorian D to D
I
name Loris,) to bring some order out of the chaos which then ex- D0ria.n Phrygian E to E
isted. Glareanus lived in the sixteenth century,when manwasmak- Hypo - Lydian Lydian F to F
I
ing the way for the great artistic progress that was to follow. He Hypo - Phrygian Mixo- Lydian G to G
fashioned modes after the Greek modes and the church modes,but Lydian Ionian C to C
is supposed to have changed the names in some inetances. Some Hypo - Dorian Aeolian A to A
of the names which Glareanus is said to have applied to the modes It will be noted that the Ionian scale (Glareanus name) corresponds
are so much better known than the original Greek names, that the to the modern scale of C Major and that the Aeolian scale corres~onds
modes are more frequently called by them than by the Greek names. to the normal minor scale. These two modes, strange to say, were not
According to accounts, Glareanus attempted to institute twelve modes, advocated for use by the church in the ecclesiastical modes. The con-
but was not successful in establishing more than six, which are now nection between the names applied to some of the old Greek modes
known by the following nemee. and the Church modes (Glareanus names)is shown in the following,
(See Dr. Pole's Philosophy of Music.) given by Dr. Hugh A.Clarke of the C'niversity of Pennsy1vania.The late
I Dr. John K. Prtine of Haward in his Histor# o f Music to the Dentlr o f
Scltttbert, says upon this subject:-"The medieval musicians named
I their modes after the Greek modes but misapplied the names entirely."
GREEKO CTAVE
Pitch given by
Ptolemy - oft* Q e - - 0 - a - -- *
Q
4;F: #c " " III n . . rr I. I Urr c1 a.
Phrygian Dorian
Octave -
- - - 9 8 - e Q 52 - a e Q "
rr am C1 IB rr .m u 0 P .a n I
Y
Dorian Phrygian Phrygian
Octave
I P
Hvpo - Lydian Lydian Lydian
Octave
-- - --
Hvpo - Phrygian Mixo- Lydian Mixo- Lydian
Octave
Gioseffo Zarlino (1517-1590) or possibly his teacher Adrian Wikert, The major, minor and chromatic scales have been amply discussed
the famous Belgian master who lived near the middle of the sixteenth in the preceding chapters. Other scales of interest are the Gypsy Seale
century, are said to have introduced the division of the octave into which is often found in Hungarian music.
twelve equal semi- tones. making way for our modern system of
sharps and flats. This led to our modern scale and the harmoybased
upon it. This scale is known as the diatonic scale in both t.he major
and the minor forms.