Curiosities of Music - online book
Rare facts about the music traditions of many nations & cultures
| Share page | Visit Us On FB |
|
|
||
|
306 CURIOSITIES OF MUSIC. |
||
|
|
||
|
tones) were found practicable for composition and singing.
Gregory's system was founded on the division of the octave into two intervals; a perfect fifth and perfect fourth. The fifth was, next to the octave, the most important interval.
The added modes (called plagal, signifying "oblique, sideways"), were so called to distinguish them from the authentic tones or keys (D, E, F, G, A), a synopsis of the entire set of tones would be as follows,—
 »There were four authentic modes, viz.,— D, E, F and G, and four plagal, as follows,—A, B, C and D.
To give a description that would be at all adequate, of the system of Gregory, would require much space, and many plates and engravings. We shall therefore touch but lightly on the tone systems and notations of the early and middle ages. The founding of the scale from a fifth and fourth, led to one grave mistake ; these intervals were supposed to be of prime importance, and more perfect than others, and finally were employed in harmonies which were decidedly harsh. But to such an extent did the evil spread that no composition (in the dark ages) was thought to be pure or classic, without containing a series of |
||
|
|
||