Professional Documents
Culture Documents
In
the
2nd
century
AD,
the
great
Hellenistic
astronomer
and
music
writer,
Ptolemy,
wrote
a
famous
music
treatise
in
which
he
describes
various
musical
tunings.
To
do
so,
he
explains
different
possible
divisions
of
the
tetrachord
(the
perfect
forth),
which
are
described
in
the
most
common
way
of
the
time:
through
mathematical
ratios
between
string
lengths.
Among
the
tetracordal
divisions
of
Ptolemy
we
can
find
a
special
type
of
diatonic
genus
called
homalon
diatonic1
(translated
by
different
authors
as
even,
equal
or
equable
diatonic),
whose
mathematical
ratios
are
(from
low
to
high):
12/11,
11/10,
10/9.
According
to
Ptolemy,
this
genus
can
be
used
in
two
disjunct
tetrachords,
forming
an
octave
system.
Thus,
the
whole
homalon
diatonic
octave
system
would
be
(table
1):
String
lengths
18
Notes
nete
20
22
4/3
24
paranete
Trite
9/8
Paramese
mese
4/3
33
lichanos
parhypate
36
hypate
27
30
Ratios
Cents2
10/9
182
11/10
12/11
165
151
9/8
204
10/9
182
11/10
165
2/11
151
Table 1. Homalon diatonic as described by Ptolemy (ratios and string lengths) and put into cents.
Ptolemy,
Harmonics,
in
Greek
Musical
Writings:
Harmonic
and
acoustic
theory,
vol.
II,
trans.
Andrew
Barker
(Cambridge:
Cambridge
University
Press,
1989),
311312.
2
A
cent
is
the
1200th
part
of
an
octave,
the
100th
part
of
a
tempered
semitone.
357
In
this
shade
of
diatonic,
the
ratio
of
the
perfect
forth
(4/3)
is
directly
divided
by
two
means
of
an
arithmetic
proportion,
which
results
in
three
musical
intervals
close
in
size.
The
name
homalon
(even),
given
by
Ptolemy
to
this
system,
arises
precisely
from
this
characteristic
of
its
intervals.
Ptolemy
introduces
the
discussion
of
the
homalon
diatonic
when
he
is
talking
about
the
evenness
and
pleasentness
of
the
tense
chromatic.
This
chromatic
genus
arises
from
the
division
of
the
tetrachord
with
an
arithmetic
mean
into
two
almost
equal
intervals
(8/7
and
7/6)
and
then
further
dividing
the
pyknon
(the
smaller
interval
8/7)
into
two
new
intervals.
According
to
Ptolemy,
the
evenness
that
arises
from
the
arithmetic
division
of
the
forth
is
what
gives
the
tense
chromatic
its
specially
agreeable
quality.
Ptolemy
continues
explaining
that
the
sweetness
that
arises
from
the
evenness
of
the
tense
chromatic
made
him
investigate
whether
a
diatonic
made
out
of
three
almost
equal
intervals
would
also
be
appropriate,
in
other
words,
it
gave
him
the
idea
of
directly
dividing
the
tetrachord
into
three
almost
equal
intervals,
inserting
two
arithmetic
means
in
the
original
4/3
ratio.
Doing
so,
he
gets
the
homalon
diatonic,
where
that
evenness
is
found
in
the
three
ratios
of
the
intervals
of
the
tetrachord
and
is
extended
further
when
the
ratio
of
the
disjunctive
tone
(9/8)
is
placed
above
them.
Let
us
see
how
Ptolemy
presents
it:
In
the
segmentation
of
the
whole
tetrachord
into
two
ratios,
it
[the
tense
chromatic]
is
defined
by
the
ratios
that
are
nearest
to
equality
and
are
consecutive,
that
is,
by
the
ratios
7:6
and
8:7,
which
divide
in
half
the
whole
difference
between
the
extremes.
For
the
reasons
given,
then,
this
genus
seems
most
agreeable
to
the
ears.
It
[the
evennes
and
pleasentness
of
the
tense
chromatic]
also
suggests
to
us
another
genus,
when
we
set
out
from
the
melodicness
that
is
consituted
in
accordance
with
equalities,
and
investigate
the
question
whether
there
is
any
appropriate
ordering
of
the
tetrachord
when
it
is
initially
divided
into
the
three
nearly
equal
ratios,
again
in
equal
excesses.
The
ratios
comprising
this
sort
of
genus
are
10:9,
11:10,
12:11,
[...].
There
arises
a
tetrachord
close
to
the
tense
diatonic,
and
more
even
than
it,
both
in
itself
and
still
more
in
association
with
the
filling
out
of
the
fifth.
For
when
the
disjunction,
which
makes
an
epogdoic
ratio
[9:8],
is
conjoint
with
the
leading
note,
the
characteristic
of
equality
is
no
longer
produced
only
in
the
three
excesses,
but
in
the
four
that
are
contained
by
the
succesive
ratios
from
the
epogdoic
to
the
ratio
12:11.
The
first
numbers
that
make
this
kind
of
octave,
when
the
disjunction
is
placed
in
the
middle,
are
18
and
20
and
22
and
24
and
27
and
30
and
33
and
36.
When
a
division
is
taken
in
strings
of
equal
pitch
on
the
basis
of
these
numbers,
the
caracter
that
becomes
apparent
is
rather
foreign
[xenikoteron]
and
rustic
[agroikoteron],
but
exceptionally
gentle,
and
the
more
so
as
our
hearing
becomes
trained
to
it,
so
that
it
would
not
be
proper
to
overlook
it,
both
because
of
the
special
character
of
its
melody,
and
because
of
the
orderliness
of
the
division.
Another
reason
is
that
when
a
melody
is
played
in
this
genus
by
itself,
it
gives
no
offensive
shock
to
the
hearing,
which
is
true,
pretty
well,
only
of
the
intermediate
one
of
the
other
diatonics,
the
others
being
attuned
by
forcible
constraint
when
taken
by
themselves,
but
capable
of
being
succesful
in
a
mixture
with
the
diatonic
just
mentioned
[...]
So
let
us
call
this
genus
the
homalon
(even)
diatonic,
from
the
characteristic
it
has.3
358
This
explanation
of
the
origin
of
the
homalon
diatonic
has
made
several
scholars
think
that,
as
Ptolemy
himself
recounts,
this
genus
is
just
a
mathematical
speculation
which,
when
confronted
to
the
ear,
brings
out
an
agreeable
sensation.4
But
in
order
to
be
able
to
evaluate
Ptolemys
homalon
diatonic
we
must
take
into
account
some
further
considerations:
The
first
thing
we
must
consider
is
that
Ptolemys
procedure
to
present
his
different
divisions
of
the
tetrachord
follows
a
strict
method.
In
fact,
we
could
talk
of
Ptolemys
using
a
scientific
method
to
discover
all
the
possibilities
of
tetrachordal
divisions.
An
acceptable
tetracordal
division
must
follow
certain
rational
principles
(hupotheseis)
and,
at
the
same
time,
must
be
audibly
acceptable.5
Reason
and
perception
are
in
fact
two
faces
of
the
same
reality
and
must
agree.
Perception
gives
more
general
considerations,
while
reason
is
much
more
accurate
and
is
the
only
way
to
give
certainties.
But,
and
here
is
the
interesting
thing
for
us,
the
homalon
diatonic
does
not
follow
Ptolemys
regular
procedure
to
get
his
tetrachordal
divisions.
It
does
not
follow
his
hupotheseis,
although,
as
Ptolemy
himself
exposes,
it
is
mathematically
beautiful
and
perception
approves
it.
Secondly,
after
presenting
all
his
possible
divisions
of
the
tetrachord
(divisions
that
match
both
reason
and
perception),
Ptolemy
discusses
which
ones
are
actually
used
in
real
musical
practice.
He
gives
diferent
kinds
of
octave
tunings
which
are
actually
used
in
lyres
and
kitharas,
the
only
instruments
discussed
by
Ptolemy.
In
these
instruments,
most
octave
tunings
are
made
out
of
two
diferent
types
of
genera.
In
other
words,
most
genera
cannot
be
used
by
themselves
to
get
a
complete
octave
system
in
kitharas
or
lyres.
The
exception
is
the
tense
diatonic,
which
is
used
by
itself.
The
homalon
diatonic
does
not
appear
among
the
possible
practical
tunings
of
kitharas
and
lyres
treated
by
Ptolemy.
But
at
the
same
time,
as
we
saw
earlier,
Ptolemy
recognises
that
the
homalon
diatonic
can
be
used
by
itself
in
an
octave
system.
As
we
said
earlier,
these
evidences
have
made
several
scholars
think
that
the
homalon
is
a
rational,
theoretical
possibility,
which
perception
approves,
although
it
does
not
exist
as
an
actual
practical
tuning.
This
idea
has
been
clearly
defended
by
Barker,
who
thinks
that
the
homalon
diatonic
did
not
exist
in
actual
musical
practice,
nor
was
it
described
in
any
earlier
treatise,
and
therefore
it
was
just
a
theoretical
invention
of
Ptolemys
mathematical
thinking.
Barkers
arguments
are
the
most
consistent
and
representative
of
this
doctrine
about
the
genus,
so
let
us
present
them.
In
Barkers
words:
The
idea
of
the
homalon
diatonic
being
just
a
mathematical
speculation
was
suggested
by
R.
P.
Winnington-Ingram,
The
Spondeion
Scale,
The
Classical
Quarterly
22,
no.
2
(1928),
83-91,
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=865B14190F5D2C5CCFD07A353A1
8E8AA.tomcat1?fromPage=online&aid=3573076.,
and
more
recently
has
been
very
cleverly
presented
by
Andrew
Barker,
Scientific
method
in
Ptolemys
Harmonics
(Cambridge:
Cambridge
University
Press,
2000).
We
can
find
the
same
idea
in
Pedro
Redondo
Reyes,
La
Harmnica
de
Claudio
Ptolomeo:
edicin
crtica
con
introduccin,
traduccin
y
comentario,
Ph.
D.
(Universidad
de
Murcia,
Spain,
2002).
I
myself
had
that
opinion
when
I
first
encountered
Ptolemys
theories,
as
I
wrote
down
in
my
doctoral
dissertation,
published
as:
Amaya
Sara
Garca
Prez,
El
concepto
de
consonancia
en
la
teora
musical:
de
la
escuela
pitagrica
a
la
revolucin
cientfica,
Biblioteca
Salmanticensis
289
(Salamanca:
Publicaciones
Universidad
Pontificia,
2006).
5
Here
we
will
not
present
the
whole
argument.
A
thorough
study
of
Ptolemys
scientific
procedure
is
made
by
Barker,
Scientific
method
in
Ptolemys
Harmonics.
359
This
is
what
Barker
thinks
on
the
subject,
but
things
can
be
interpreted
in
another
way.
First
of
all,
when
Ptolemy
is
describing
the
audible
character
of
this
system,
he
does
not
describe
it
as
smooth,
or
even,
or
something
of
that
kind,
which
would
be
the
appropriate
thing
if
the
mathematical
evenness
was
the
principal
feature
giving
this
system
its
agreeable
sound.
In
fact,
he
uses
the
words
rustic
(agroikoteron)
and
foreign
(xenikoteron)
to
describe
it
in
a
rather
despective
manner.
If
we
take
a
look
at
Ptolemys
paragraph
cited
above,
we
can
clearly
see
that
he
argues
in
favor
of
the
system
in
spite
of
its
rustic
and
foreign
character.
Secondly,
lets
then
take
a
look
at
the
words
foreign
and
rustic.
The
word
foreign
could
serve
to
describe
something
never
heard,
but,
how
can
something
sound
rustic
that
has
never
been
heard
before?
The
word
rustic
clearly
alludes
to
an
extra
musical
reference:
to
something
rude,
not
sophisticated,
not
urban
but
rural,
from
a
pastoral
context.
Musical
sound,
in
itself,
cannot
be
rustic,
but
the
object
or
the
person
making
that
sound
can
be.
And,
as
we
can
see,
that
rustic
characteristic
is
something
not
much
appreciated
in
Ptolemys
time.
In
fact,
if
we
come
back
to
the
word
foreign,
it
could
also
mean
something
thought
of
as
non
hellenic,
something
that
would
not
correspond
to
the
cultivated
hellenic
tradition
in
which
Ptolemys
treatise
is
inserted;
and
therefore,
in
this
sense,
the
word
foreign
would
also
allude
to
an
extra
musical
reference.
And
both
rustic
and
foreign,
have
a
negative
meaning
to
the
eyes
of
Ptolemy.
6
360
Thirdly,
as
we
can
infer
from
Ptolemys
treatise,
the
homalon
diatonic
was
not
an
actual
musical
tuning
in
Ptolemys
time,
in
string
instruments
(kitharas
and
lyres),
which
are
the
only
ones
discussed
by
the
author.
But
he
says
nothing
about
other
types
of
instruments.
Forthly,
Ptolemy
does
explicitely
say
something
very
important
to
us
about
this
genus:
it
can
be
used
by
itself
in
an
octave
system
formed
by
two
disjunct
tetrachords.
In
fact,
when
he
proposes
string
lengths
for
the
system,
he
assumes
a
whole
octave,
something
he
has
not
done
when
talking
of
all
other
genera,
which
were
always
presented
just
in
a
tetrachord
system.
So,
we
could
say
that
for
Ptolemy,
the
natural
way
of
using
the
homalon
diatonic
is
in
an
octave
system
made
out
of
two
disjunct
tetrachords.
And
finally,
the
procedure
followed
by
Ptolemy
to
get
this
homalon
diatonic
is
not
derived
from
his
principles
(hupotheseis)
in
the
ordinary
way,
as
has
been
correctly
pointed
out
by
Barker
(2000,
239).
In
other
words,
it
does
not
follow
Ptolemys
scientific
method.7
Moreover,
its
presentation
in
chapter
16
of
book
I
is
made
aside
from
the
other
genera,
all
of
them
discussed
in
chapter
15.
Only
one
of
the
other
genera
does
not
follow
Ptolemys
regular
procedure,
the
tonic
diatonic
(9/8,
9/8,
256/243),8
although
it
is
discussed
together
with
all
other
genera,
and
its
inclusion
is
justifyed
by
Ptolemy
by
the
fact
that
it
is
used
in
actual
musical
practice.
On
the
contrary,
two
genera
discussed
by
Ptolemy
(the
enharmonic
and
the
soft
chromatic)
are
derived
by
his
regular
procedure,
but
Ptolemy
himself
admits
that
they
are
no
longer
in
use.9
The
homalon
diatonics
case
is
a
different
one.
Let
us
consider
that,
as
Barker
thinks,
it
does
not
respond
to
a
tuning
actually
heard
by
our
author
in
real
musical
praxis.
Why
would
then
Ptolemy
follow
an
awkward
procedure
to
get
a
non
existing,
never
heard,
musical
system?
2.
The
homalon
diatonic
and
3/4
tone
intervals
Before
we
continue
our
discussion
one
thing
must
be
clarifyed.
Even
though
Ptolemy
describes
the
homalon
diatonic
as
even,
and,
actually,
the
three
intervals
of
this
system
are
rather
similar
in
size,
to
someone
accustomed
to
think
of
music
space
in
terms
of
tones,
semitones,
quartertones,
etc.
the
intervals
of
this
homalon
diatonic
would
roughly
sound
like
two
lower
3/4
tone
intervals
and
an
upper
interval
of
a
tone,
as
has
been
already
pointed
out
by
many
scholars,
like
Winnington-Ingram,
Schlessinger
or
Chalmers.10
Although
writers
following
the
pythagorean
tradition
(and
Ptolemy
could
be
included
in
this
group)
presented
musical
tunings
in
terms
of
mathematical
ratios,
this
was
just
the
scientific
way
of
doing
it,
but
it
is
obvious
that
in
the
Classic
and
Helenistic
Antiquity,
music
space
was
intuitively
thought
of
as
being
constituted
by
tones
and
parts
of
a
tone.
7
The
regular
procedure
divides
the
fourth
into
two
epimoric
ratios
(ratios
of
the
form
n+1/n),
and
then
one
of
them
is
further
divided
into
two
smaller
epimoric
ratios.
In
the
homalon
diatonic,
the
fourth
is
directly
divided
into
three
epimoric
ratios.
8
As
we
can
see,
the
lower
interval
of
this
genus
has
a
non
epimoric
ratio,
something
that
contradicts
Ptolemys
principles
of
melodicness.
This
interval
is
the
leimma
(256/243).
9
Nevertheless
Ptolemy
is
forced
to
present
them,
both
because
they
derive
from
his
regular
procedure
and
because
they
respond
to
a
long
Greek
musical
theory
tradition.
10
We
will
discuss
these
authors
later
in
our
paper.
Let
us
remember
that
the
intervals
of
the
homalon
diatonic,
from
low
to
high,
are:
151
cents,
165
cents,
182
cents,
204
cents,
151
cents,
165
cents,
182
cents.
361
From
this
passage
we
can
infer13
that
auloi
(or
at
least
some
of
them),
at
the
time
of
Aristoxenus
had
six
holes
and
were
tuned
by
the
sequence:
3/4,
3/4,
1,
3/4,
3/4.
As
we
can
see,
the
lower
part
of
this
tuning
could
correspond
to
the
homalon
diatonic
tetrachord
(expressed
in
an
aristoxenian
way);
but
in
Ptolemys
system
there
are
two
disjunct
tetrachords,
while
in
Aristoxenuss
description
there
seems
to
be
a
lower
tetrachord
and
the
two
lower
intervals
of
a
conjunct
tetrachord.
Other
examples
of
3/4
tone
intervals
are
found
in
some
passages
by
Ps.
Plutarch
and
Aristides
on
the
spondeiasmos.
According
to
Aristides,14
an
ascent
of
three
incomposite
dieseis
was
called
spondeiasmos.
Likewise,
Ps.
Plutarch,15
talking
of
the
spondeion
scale,
mentions
an
interval,
characteristic
of
that
scale,
smaller
than
a
tone
by
a
diesis.
Scholars
agree
that
the
information
contained
in
both
passages
is
likely
to
come
from
11
The
relation
of
the
homalon
diatonic
to
Aristoxenus
hemiolic
chromatic
and
soft
diatonic
has
been
already
pointed
out
by:
John
H.
Chalmers,
Divisions
of
the
Tetrachord
(Hanover,
NH:
Frog
Peak
Music,
1993).
12
Aristoxenus,
Elementa
harmonica,
in
Greek
Musical
Writings:
Harmonic
and
Acoustic
Theory,
vol.
II,
trans.
Andrew
Barker
(Cambridge:
Cambridge
Unviersity
Press,
1989),
154.
13
As
does,
for
example,
Martin
Litchfield
West,
Ancient
Greek
music
(Oxford
University
Press,
1994),
97.
14
Aristides
Quintilianus,
De
musica,
in
Greek
Musical
Writings:
Harmonic
and
Acoustic
Theory,
vol.
II,
trans.
Andrew
Barker
(Cambridge:
Cambridge
University
Press,
1989),
cap.
430.
15
Andrew
Barker,
Greek
Musical
Writings:
The
Musician
and
his
Art,
vol.
I
(Cambridge:
Cambridge
University
Press,
1984),
116.
362
Aristoxenus,
and
that
diesis
refers
to
the
enharmonic
diesis
of
a
quarter
of
a
tone.
The
spondeiasmos,
as
mentioned
by
Aristides
and
Ps.
Plutarch,
would
then
be
an
interval
characteristic
of
the
spondeion
scale,
and
it
would
be
a
3/4
tone
interval.16
From
these
evidences
Winnington-Ingram
reconstructed
the
Spondeion
as
a
pentatonic
default
scale
used
in
wind
instruments,
and
in
a
haphazard
way
he
tries
to
relate
it
to
the
homalon
diatonic.
He
says:
Still
more
interesting
is
the
homalon
diatonic
of
Ptolemy
(Harm.
I
16),
of
which
the
lowest
interval
is
12/11
-i.e.
roughly
a
three-quarter
tone-
the
complete
tetrachord
being
12/11x11/10x10/9.
It
does
not
occur
in
the
lyre
scales
he
describes
in
Harm.
II
16.
In
fact,
the
account
suggests
that
Ptolemy
had
invented
it
himself.
It
may,
however,
be
a
more
or
less
concious
reflection
of
the
Spondeion,
which
may
not
have
become
completely
obsolete
by
then.
If
so,
the
original
intervals
of
Olympus
scale
[the
spondeion
scale]
were
E
12/11
F
11/9
A
9/8
B
12/11
C.17
As
we
can
see,
the
first
thought
of
Winnington-Ingram
is
that
the
homalon
diatonic
was
invented
by
Ptolemy
(as
we
said
earlier).
But
then
he
opens
the
door
to
the
existence
of
a
practical
tuning,
the
spondeion
scale,
which
Ptolemy
would
be
describing.
The
spondeion
(as
described
by
Ps.
Plutarch)
is
a
pentatonic
default
scale.
In
Winnington-
Ingrams
version
of
the
spondeion,
there
is
a
first
interval
of
12/11
(which
would
correspond
to
the
first
interval
of
the
homalon
scale),
a
second
interval
of
11/9
(which
would
correspond
to
the
second
and
third
intervals
of
Ptolemys
homalon,
undivided),
a
third
interval
of
9/8
(which
would
correspond
to
the
disjunction
tone)
and
a
fourth
interval
of
12/11
(which
would
correspond
to
the
first
interval
of
the
upper
tetrachord).
The
upper
part
of
the
scale
does
not
appear
at
all.
The
resemblance
of
the
spondeion
scale
with
Ptolemys
homalon
is
not
evident,
and
less
so
if
we
consider
that
in
the
original
description
of
the
spondeion
scale
by
Ps.
Plutarch
all
we
can
find
is
a
reference
to
the
use
of
a
3/4
tone
interval
as
the
bottom
interval
of
the
upper
tetrachord.
In
fact,
other
scholars
have
interpreted
the
Ps.
Plutarch
and
the
Aristides
passages
in
a
different
manner.
Barker,18
for
instance,
has
proposed
a
rather
different
version
of
the
spondeion
scale,
a
version
which
has
nothing
to
do
with
Ptolemys
homalon.
Apart
from
these
references
to
3/4
tone
intervals,
we
have
found
no
other
hint
in
ancient
texts
that
could
help
us
find
the
origin
of
Ptolemys
homalon
diatonic.
In
any
case,
it
is
worth
noting
that
most
references
we
have
found
of
3/4
tones
appear
in
the
context
of
wind
instruments:
on
the
one
hand,
the
spondeion
scale,
which
presents
intervals
of
3/4
of
tone,
was
used
in
wind
instruments;
on
the
other
hand,
at
the
time
of
Aristoxenus
auloi
were
tuned
using
3/4
tone
intervals.
From
these
evidences
we
agree
with
Barker
in
the
assumption
that
the
homalon
diatonic
had
not
before
been
named
or
described
by
any
earlier
author.
According
to
our
view,
the
homalon
diatonic
is
then
an
heterodox
diatonic.
We
dont
think
its
origin
can
be
related
to
earlier
described
systems.
But
that
does
not
necessarily
mean
that
it
did
not
16
For
further
discussion
on
the
subject,
see:
Winnington-Ingram,
The
Spondeion
Scale.
Barker,
Greek
Musical
Writings:
The
Musician
and
his
Art,
I:
255257.
Andrew
Barker,
Greek
Musical
Writings:
Harmonic
and
acoustic
theory,
vol.
II
(Cambridge:
Cambridge
University
Press,
1989),
430.
17
Winnington-Ingram,
The
Spondeion
Scale.
18
Barker,
Greek
Musical
Writings:
The
Musician
and
his
Art,
I,
255257.
363
exist
as
an
actual
tuning
system
in
Ptolemys
time.
In
fact,
from
Ptolemys
words,
we
can
infer
that
it
could
correspond
to
a
type
of
music
that
would
be
thought
of
as
rustic,
non
sophisticated,
of
foreign
origin
and,
therefore,
not
taken
into
acount
by
earlier
writers,
commited
themselves
only
with
cultivated
music
and
with
the
long
tradition
of
Greek
musical
theory.
4.
The
homalon
diatonic
in
actual
musical
practice
That
Ptolemys
homalon
could
be
describing
an
actually
used
musical
system
has
been
already
pointed
out
by
some
scholars.
Appart
from
Winnington-Ingrams
problematic
connection
with
the
spondeion
scale,
at
least
two
other
scholars
have
discussed
the
subject.
The
first
one
is
Kathleen
Schlesinger.
In
1936
she
participated
in
a
discussion
on
the
origin
of
the
modern
major
and
minor
scales.
Talking
of
Ptolemys
homalon
as
the
origin
of
the
modern
minor
scale,
she
said:
The
name
of
the
scale
is
the
Homalon
or
Equal
diatonic.
The
ratios
of
that
pentachord
are
12/11,
11/10,
10/9,
9/8,
which
produce
on
the
tonic
a
minor
third
and
a
perfect
fourth
and
fifth
in
just
intonation.
That
scale
has
been
traced
in
use
in
the
Greek
Church
in
Asia
Minor
up
to
1870,
so
one
reads
from
Joh.
Tzetzes,
who
was
born
in
Asia
Minor
and
brought
up
there.
He
states
that
the
scale
was
still
being
played
in
many
of
the
Greek
Churches
in
Asia
Minor
in
that
year.
That
would
give
the
first
tetrachord
of
our
minor
mode
in
just
intonation.
The
only
note
that
is
different
is
the
intermediate
note
of
the
minor
third,
the
d,
if
you
take
the
scale
of
c
minor.
The
d
is
less
than
the
meantone
d.
It
is
of
151
cents,
practically
a
3/4
tone.
That
scale
continued
from
those
Greek
times
and
through
the
Middle
Ages.
Here
and
there
it
may
be
traced
right
through
the
centuries.
It
may
be
found
also
in
the
music
of
the
Folk.
I
have
it
on
a
flute
made
by
a
peasant
in
Sicily,
and
I
have
it
on
flutes
from
Java,
India
and
other
parts
of
the
world.
It
also
appears
in
the
vibration
frequencies
that
have
been
taken
from
phonographic
records
of
scales
in
all
different
parts
of
the
world.
So
I
suppose
that
that
would
give
an
indication
of
how
our
minor
scale
came
to
birth.19
As
she
correctly
points
out,
the
interval
formed
between
the
first
and
third
degrees
of
the
scale
is
a
minor
third
in
just
intonation
(of
ratio
6/5),
and
the
first
interval
is
not
a
tone,
but
3/4
of
a
tone.
The
interesting
thing
is
that
she
refers
to
have
listened
to
this
type
of
intonation
in
flutes
and
actual
music
all
over
the
world.
It
is
curious
that
she
does
not
mention
the
whole
homalon
octave
(as
Ptolemy
himself
presents
it),
but
only
the
lower
pentachord,
as
though
it
was
only
this
pentachord
which
would
be
present
in
those
refered
folk
flutes
and
recordings.
Further
on,
Schlesinger
presents
an
interesting
theory
about
the
homalon
diatonic
in
her
book
from
1939,
The
greek
aulos.
The
ideas
she
presents
in
this
book
are
quite
peculiar
and
aside
from
the
main
stream
and
have
therefore
not
received
much
attention
of
later
scholars.
But
some
of
the
theories
presented
in
this
book
can
help
us
understand
a
little
better
the
question
of
intonation
in
wind
instruments;
and,
as
we
have
seen,
most
19
James
Swinburne,
The
Ideal
Scale:
Its
tiology,
Lysis
and
Sequel,
Proceedings
of
the
Musical
Association
63
(Enero
1,
1936),
60.
364
references
we
have
discussed
up
to
now
are,
in
some
way
or
another,
linked
with
wind
instruments.
Schlesingers
hypothesis
is
that
the
old
Greek
harmoniai
derive
from
the
intonation
of
wind
instruments,
particularly
auloi.
Her
point
of
departure
is
that,
as
ethnomusicologists
have
found,
most
pipes
in
most
musical
cultures
of
the
world
have
equidistant
fingerholes.
Then,
she
presumes
that
Greek
auloi
had,
at
least
at
an
early
stage,
equidistant
fingerholes,
and
these
determined
the
intonation
of
the
different
harmoniai.
From
a
pipe
divided
in
12
equal
parts,
having
a
hole
in
each
one
of
the
divisions
(up
to
the
division
6
which
marks
the
octave),
she
derives
what
she
calls
the
old
Phrygian
harmonia,
which
would
correspond
to
the
ratios:
12/11,
11/10,
10/9,
9/8,
8/7,
7/6.
The
scale
she
gets
is
a
defective
scale,
of
only
6
sounds
per
octave.
As
we
can
see,
the
lower
pentachord
of
this
scale
corresponds
to
the
homalon
tetrachord
plus
the
tone
of
disjunction.
The
upper
part
is
a
default
tetrachord
(with
only
one
infix
instead
of
two)
and
does
not
correspond
to
Ptolemys
homalon
octave
system.
Schlesinger
follows
that,
in
a
later
evolution
of
ancient
Greek
music,
an
extra
infix
was
inserted
dividing
the
originally
undivided
pyknon
of
the
upper
tetrachord
and
getting
a
complete
scale
of
seven
sounds
per
octave.20
This
division
was
made
by
inserting
an
extra
fingerhole
between
the
two
holes
bordering
the
upper
pyknon,
again
at
equal
distances:
12/11,
11/10,
10/9,
9/8,
16/15,
15/14,
7/6.
As
we
see,
Schlesingers
Phrygian
scale
of
seven
sounds
per
octave
does
not
correspond
to
Ptolemys
homalon
octave
system.
Only
the
lower
pentachord
corresponds.
This
gives
us
a
hint
of
why
in
her
discussion
of
1936
she
only
talks
of
the
lower
pentachord,
and
not
of
the
whole
octave.
The
whole
homalon
octave
system
cannot
be
obtained
by
seven
or
eight
equidistant
fingerholes
or
by
adding
extra
fingerholes
dividing
in
equal
parts
the
distances
already
presented,
as
she
does
to
get
her
Phrygian
harmonia-,
and
therefore
it
surpasses
Schlesingers
point
of
departure.
A
section
of
Schlesingers
book
is
devoted
to
scales
of
folk
music
traditions,
and
there
she
argues
that
the
Phrygian
harmonia
(with
six
or
seven
sounds
per
octave)
can
still
be
found
in
folk
pipes
from
Sicily
and
Greece.21
She
also
recalls
to
have
identified
a
scale
consisting
of
two
conjunct
Phrygian
tetrachords
in
records
of
gamelan
orchestras
from
southeastern
Asia
and
of
African
marimbas.22
The
other
scholar
who
has
related
the
homalon
with
actually
used
musical
scales
is
Chalmers
in
his
book
Divisions
of
the
tetrachord.
As
he
says:
The
equable
diatonic
has
puzzled
scholars
for
years
as
it
appears
to
be
an
academic
exercise
in
musical
arithmetic.
Ptolemy's
own
remarks
rebut
this
interpretation
as
he
describes
the
scale
as
sounding
rather
strange
or
foreign
and
rustic.
Even
a
cursory
look
at
ancient
and
modern
Islamic
scales
from
the
Near
East
suggests
that,
on
the
contrary,
Ptolemy
may
have
heard
a
similar
scale
and
very
cleverly
rationalized
it
20
365
according
to
the
tenets
of
Greek
theory.
Such
scales
with
3/4-tone
intervals
may
be
related
to
Aristoxenoss
hemiolic
chromatic
and
may
descend
from
neutral
third
pentatonics
such
as
Winnington-Ingrams
reconstruction
of
the
spondeion
or
libation
mode,
if
Sachs's
ideas
on
the
origin
of
the
genera
have
any
validity.23
Further
on
he
devotes
a
section
to
the
medieval
Islamic
theorists.
Both
Al-Farabi
(ca.
950)
and
Avicenna
(ca.
1037)
present
tetrachordal
divisions
with
3/4
tone
intervals,
which,
according
to
Chalmers,24
resemble
the
homalon
diatonic.
He
even
places
this
fact
as
evidence
of
the
actual
use
of
3/4
tone
intervals
in
Ptolemys
time:
The
resemblance
of
these
to
Ptolemy's
equable
diatonic
seems
more
than
fortuitous
and
further
supports
the
notion
that
three-quarter-tone
intervals
were
in
actual
use
in
Near
Eastern
music
by
Roman
times
(second
century
CE).
These
tetrachords
may
also
bear
a
genetic
relationship
to
neutral-third
pentatonics
and
to
Aristoxenos's
hemiolic
chromatic
and
soft
diatonic
genera
as
well
as
Ptolemy's
intense
chromatic.25
Any
scientific
book
on
Arabe
scales,
from
the
Middle
Ages
to
the
present,
discusses
the
use
of
3/4
tones
intervals.
According
to
Touma,
for
example,
the
interval
of
3/4
tones
is
characteristic
of
Arabe
music
throughout
history
and
it
is
still
common
today.26
In
fact,
three
of
the
eight
modes
(which
constitute
the
general
material
from
which
the
different
maqams
are
made
of)
of
todays
Arabe
music
divide
tetrachords
in
a
way
similar
to
Ptolemys
homalon
(that
is,
with
two
intervals
of
3/4
tones
and
one
interval
of
a
full
tone).
So
is
the
case
of
mode
Rast,
mode
Bayati,
and
mode
Sikah.27
5.
Shepherds
and
pipes
in
Ptolemys
time
Let
us
come
back
to
Ptolemys
sentence:
the
character
that
becomes
apparent
is
rather
foreign
[xenikoteron]
and
rustic
[agroikoteron],
but
exceptionally
gentle,
and
the
more
so
as
our
hearing
becomes
trained
to
it,
so
that
it
would
not
be
proper
to
overlook
it,
both
because
of
the
special
character
of
its
melody,
and
because
of
the
orderliness
of
the
division.
To
our
eyes,
this
sentence
makes
it
clear
that
Ptolemy
had
already
listened
to
the
scale
when
he
described
it
and
gave
it
the
name
homalon.
But
it
also
makes
clear
that,
to
the
eyes
of
Ptolemy,
the
normal
thing
to
do
when
confronted
with
this
intonation
schema,
would
be
to
overlook
it
because
it
was
a
rustic,
foreign,
musical
system.
Nevertheless,
Ptolemy,
fascinated
by
its
mathematical
properties,
tried
it
out
on
strings
and
found
that
it
did
not
sound
that
bad
after
all.
In
fact,
it
sounded
rather
agreeable
in
spite
of
its
rustic
origin.
His
earlier
remark
on
the
evenness
as
the
feature
giving
it
its
agreeable
sound
would
just
be
a
justification
of
the
author
to
convince
himself
to
include
it
in
the
treatise.
Its
evenness
is
just
a
mathematical
one.
If
Ptolemy
did
actually
hear
such
a
scale,
it
must
have
sounded
foreign
and
rustic
to
him
because
of
the
foreign
and
rustic
origin
of
the
music
that
used
it.
But,
which
music,
in
the
time
of
Ptolemy,
could
have
sounded
foreign
and
rustic?
Obviously,
it
could
not
be
the
cultivated
music
of
string
instruments
such
as
the
lyre
or
the
kithara.
Rustic,
in
the
23
Chalmers,
1112.
Chalmers,
21.
See
also
The
Main
Catalog
in
Chalmers
book
where
he
presents
a
collection
of
all
the
discussed
tetrachords
(pp.
164-203).
25
Chalmers,
14.
26
Habib
Hassan
Touma,
La
musique
arabe,
Les
traditions
musicales
(Paris:
Buchet/Chastel,
1996),
3435.
27
Touma,
4149.
24
366
Ancient
Greek
and
Roman
times,
refers
to
rural,
pastoral,
in
other
words,
shepherd
music.
As
for
foreign,
it
may
reflect
anything
outside
the
Hellenic
tradition
of
string
instruments.
The
main
pastoral
instrument
in
Greek
Antiquity
was
the
flute
or
syrinx.
There
were
two
types
of
flutes:
the
more
common
syrinx
polykalamos
and
the
syrinx
monokalamos.
The
former
(a
pan
flute)
was
made
up
of
various
pipes
of
different
lengths
bound
together;
the
later
was
a
single,
simple
pipe
with
fingerholes.
Both
of
them
had
no
place
in
serious
art
music.
They
were
used
exclusively
in
pastoral
and
folk
settings.28
Moreover,
the
flute,
like
the
aulos,
was
generally
seen
as
a
foreign
instrument
in
Greek
Antiquity.
As
Mathiesen
says:
While
the
aulos
assumes
a
central
place
in
the
Greeks
high
culture,
the
syrinx
remains
a
simple
pastoral
instrument.
[...]
The
term
syrinx,
as
already
noted,
refers
simply
to
a
little
whistle
made
of
reed,
and
it
can
be
applied
to
a
single
pipe,
a
group
of
reeds
of
graduated
length
bound
together
the
panpie-
or
an
aulos
mouthpiece,
which
is
made
from
the
same
type
of
reed,
though
cut
and
prepared
in
a
different
manner.
The
syrinx
in
one
form
or
another
is
an
instrument
of
considerable
antiquity,
and
like
the
aulos,
it
tended
to
be
viewed
by
the
Greeks
as
a
foreign
instrument,
if
not
as
the
invention
of
one
of
the
gods.29
There
are
not
many
references
to
the
syrinx
monokalamos
in
Greek
texts,
at
least
not
as
many
as
to
the
syrinx
polykalamos.30
In
fact,
among
the
Ancient
civilizations
of
the
Near
East,
only
in
Egypt
was
the
flute
a
relatively
common
instrument,
and
in
the
Greek
culture
the
flute
is
not
attested
before
the
Hellenistic
period.31
On
the
other
hand,
most
references
to
the
flute
in
the
Greek
Hellenistic
culture
come
from
authors
related
in
some
way
or
another
to
Egypt,
like,
for
example,
Pollux
(Egyptian
writer
of
the
IInd
century
AD),
Theocritus
(III
century
AD,
native
of
Sicily,
is
thought
to
have
spent
some
time
in
Alexandria)
or
Athenaeus
(Egypt,
ca.
160
AD).
The
ancient
Egyptian
flute,
according
to
Sachs,
was
a
so
called
vertical
flute.
It
had
no
mouth
piece
and
it
was
blown
across
the
open
upper
end
holding
it
slightly
sideways.
The
Egyptian
flutes
were
made
out
of
a
simple
cane;
they
were
long
and
narrow,
and,
according
to
Sachs,
had
from
two
to
six
fingerholes
near
the
lower
end.
The
nay
or
qsaba,
so
popular
nowadays
in
the
folk
music
from
North
Africa,
is
supposed
to
directly
derive
from
these
ancient
flutes32.
28
Barker,
Greek
Musical
Writings:
The
Musician
and
his
Art,
I,
16.
Thomas
J.
Mathiesen,
Apollos
lyre:
Greek
music
and
music
theory
in
antiquity
and
the
Middle
Ages
(U
of
Nebraska
Press,
1999),
222.
30
But,
as
different
scholars
have
pointed
out,
the
words
aulos,
monaulos,
plagiaulos
or
even
photinx
were
sometimes
used
to
refer
to
a
syrinx
monokalamos.
As
in
Pollux
II
100,
108
and
in
Theocritus,
Idylls
5.7,
6.42-6.
West,
113:
Where
plagios
aulos
or
plagiaulos
appears
as
the
source
of
a
soft
wind-like
sound,
or
as
a
rustic
instrument
in
settings
appropriate
for
the
panpipe,
we
must
again
interpret
it
as
a
flute.
[...]
Another
term
that
probably
designates
a
flute
is
photinx.
[...]
The
photinx
was
current
at
Alexandria.
See
also:
Barker,
Greek
Musical
Writings:
The
Musician
and
his
Art,
I,
92.
Most
probably,
monaulos
refers
to
a
vertical
flute,
while
plagiaulos
and
photinx
refer
to
a
traverse
flute.
31
See:
West,
112,
113,
and
Curt
Sachs,
The
History
of
Musical
Instruments
(W
W
Norton
&
Co
Inc
[Np],
1940).
32
Nay
is
the
Persian
name,
used
nowadays
in
the
eastern
part
of
North
Africa.
Qsaba
is
the
Arabic
name
and
it
is
used
in
the
western
part
of
North
Africa.
Sachs,
90.
29
367
One
extant
Hellenistic
written
source
on
the
flute
is
specially
clarifying
for
us:
the
text
by
Athenaeus,
Deipnosophistae
(Experts
at
dining).
This
author
was
born
in
Egypt
about
160
AD,
which
makes
him
Ptolemys
contemporary.
As
Barker
describes
it,
this
text
is
an
example
of
the
genre
of
table
talk,
presenting
an
encyplopaedic
assortment
of
facts
and
opinions
related
to
the
art
of
convivial
eating
and
drinking.33
In
a
moment
of
the
conversation
an
hydraulis
(a
water
organ)
is
heard.
One
of
the
men
involved
in
the
table
talk
is
Ulpianus,
who
is
described
by
Barker
as
urbane.
He
is
a
cultivated
man
who
defends
the
urbane
and
cultivated
music
of
the
hydraulis
against
the
unrefined
monaulos.
He
says,
refering
to
the
hydraulis
they
are
hearing:
Do
you
hear
that
fine
and
beautiful
sound
[...]?
Its
not
like
the
monaulos
so
common
among
you
Alexandrians,
which
gives
its
hearers
pain,
rather
than
any
musical
delight.
The
monaulos
of
this
passage
can
be
identified
with
the
monokalamos
syrinx,
a
vertical
flute,
as
Barker
does.34
Further
on
in
the
text,
the
Alexandrian
musician
Alcides
replies:
But
since
you
disparage
us
Alexandrians
as
unmusical,
and
constantly
mention
the
monaulos
as
endemic
amongst
us,
listen
to
what
I
can
tell
you
[...].
Juba
says
that
the
Egyptians
call
the
monaulos
an
invention
of
Osiris,
as
they
do
also
the
plagiaulos
known
as
the
photinx.
Here
again
Barker
interprets
Plagiaulos
as
a
flute,
but
this
time
a
traverse
flute.35
From
both
passages
two
things
are
evident:
-
The
flute
was
a
common
instrument
in
Alexandria
in
the
second
century
(therefore
in
Ptolemys
time)
and
it
seems
that
both
in
its
vertical
and
in
its
traverse
form.36
-
The
flute
was
seen
as
an
unrefined,
unmusical
instrument
to
the
eyes
of
cultivated
men.
Obviously
the
flute
was
a
rural,
pastoral
instrument
in
the
2nd
century,
and
Ulpianus
contempt
only
reflects
the
general
opinion
of
cultivated
men.
These
passages
give
us
some
light
on
Ptolemys
words.
They
provide
a
point
of
departure
to
reinterpret
his
description
of
the
homalon
octave
system.
Two
possible
reinterpretations
arise:
-
The
first
one
would
be:
This
type
of
tuning
is
used
in
shepherd
flutes
in
Ptolemys
time
and,
therefore,
it
sounds
rural
and
foreign
to
the
Hellenic
cultivated
tradition.
The
normal
thing
to
do,
when
confronted
with
this
type
of
tuning,
would
be
to
ignore
it.
But
its
outstanding
mathematical
properties
(although
not
derived
from
Ptolemys
hupotheseis)
are
worth
the
trial.
Ptolemy
got
to
the
ratios
of
this
type
of
tuning
by
measuring
lengths,
although
originally
these
were
not
string
lengths,
but
pipe
lengths,
and,
as
nobody
had
previously
described
it,
he
gave
it
the
new
name,
homalon,
because
of
its
mathematical
properties.
33
Barker,
Greek
Musical
Writings:
The
Musician
and
his
Art,
I,
258.
Some
interesting
fragments
of
the
text
on
musical
instruments
are
translated
by
Barker
in
chap.
16
of
this
book.
34
It
is
probably
the
so
called
monokalamos
syrinx
or
aglotos
aulos,
a
simple
tube
of
reed
with
finger
holes,
sounded
by
blowing
across
the
end.
[...]
In
the
Greek
world
this
instrument
was
generally
confined
to
the
rustic
music
of
shepherds
etc.
[...]
which
would
explain
the
urbane
Ulpianus
contempt
for
it.
Barker,
Greek
Musical
Writings:
The
musician
and
his
art,
I,
259.
35
Barker,
Greek
Musical
Writings:
The
Musician
and
his
Art,
I,
264.
36
The
probable
Egyptian
origin
of
the
flute
in
Hellenistic
times
is
reported
by
many
authors,
like
the
already
cited
Barker
and
West.
368
-
The
second
possibility
would
be:
As
Ptolemy
says,
fascinated
by
the
evenness
of
the
tense
chromatic,
he
tried
out
the
division
of
the
tetrachord
in
three
almost
equal
intervals,
getting
the
ratios
12/11,
11/10,
10/9.
He
named
his
invention,
homalon
diatonic,
because
of
its
mathematical
properties.
He
tried
this
division
in
a
monochord
and
found
that,
in
an
octave
system
made
up
of
two
disjunct
tetrachords,
it
sounded
very
similar
to
the
system
used
in
some
shepherd
flutes.
Therefore,
it
sounded
rather
rustic
and
foreign
to
the
cultivated
Hellenic
culture,
but
Ptolemy,
fascinated
by
its
mathematical
properties,
decided
to
include
it
in
his
treatise.
We
are
not
able
to
determine
which
interpretation
is
more
likely
to
be
correct,
but,
nevertheless,
both
possibilities
would
lead
us
to
the
same
hypothesis:
shepherd
flutes
in
Ptolemys
time
(or
at
least
some
of
them)
were
probably
tuned
in
a
system
very
similar
to
the
homalon
diatonic
octave.
6.
Shepherds
and
pipes
in
contemporary
Spain
Simple,
three-hole
pipes,37
have
a
long
pastoral
tradition
in
Europe.
In
fact,
this
type
of
flutes
were
still
played
by
Spanish
and
Portuguese
shepherds
until
recent
times
(figures
2-3).
This
instrument
is
still
in
use
in
some
places
of
the
Iberian
Peninsula,38
where
it
is
played
by
semiprofessional
tamborileros
who
provide
entertainment
for
folk
festivals
and
accompany
folk
dances,
although
nowadays
it
is
highly
improbable
to
find
a
shepherd
able
to
play
it.
Three-hole
flutes
are
specially
important
in
folk
traditions
along
the
Spanish-Portuguese
border.
One
of
the
places
from
this
border
area
where
the
three-
hole
flute
is
the
most
important
folk
instrument
is
the
Spanish
province
of
Salamanca.
Figure
1.
Three-hole
flute
from
Salamanca
(Fundacin
Joaqun
Daz).
37
A
three-hole
pipe
is
a
fipple
flute
with
two
finger
holes
above
and
one
below.
It
is
played
with
one
hand,
while
the
other
hand
usually
plays
a
tabor.
38
Similar
three-hole
flutes
can
also
be
found
in
Ibiza,
the
Canary
Islands,
Provence,
Great
Britain,
etc.
369
Figure
2.
Spanish
shepherd
from
Ciudad
Rodrigo
(Salamanca)
playing
a
three-hole
pipe.
Photograph
by
Agustn
Pazos,
1920.
A
recent
study
has
been
made
on
the
tuning
of
the
flute
from
Salamanca
and
its
conclusions
in
spite
of
time
and
spatial
distance-
may
help
us
understand
Ptolemys
homalon
diatonic.39
According
to
this
study,
traditional
flutes
from
Salamanca
present
a
particular
tuning
system
very
different
from
the
nowadays
standard
equal
temperament.
These
flutes
are
made
following
traditional
receipes,
which
include
equal
spacing
between
finger
holes,
something
relatively
frequent
in
wind
instruments
all
over
the
world,
as
we
have
already
mentioned.40
The
uppermost
finger
hole
is
carved
to
produce
the
interval
of
a
perfect
forth
in
relation
to
the
whole
length
of
the
flute.
The
other
two
finger
holes
are
placed
to
equally
divide
the
space
between
the
lower
end
of
the
pipe
and
the
uppermost
finger
hole.
Approximately,
these
flutes
have
the
following
morphology
(figure
3):
39
Amaya
Sara
Garca
Prez
and
lvaro
Garca
Prez,
La
afinacin
de
la
flauta
tradicional
salmantina
de
tres
agujeros,
Revista
de
Musicologa
XXXII,
no.
2
(2009),
343-361.
40
See:
Sachs,,
181.
Schlesinger,
The
Greek
Aulos,
222.
370
This
flute
has
only
four
fundamental
sounds,
corresponding
to
the
four
positions
which
arise
from
succesively
uncovering
the
three
finger
holes.41
These
fundamental
sounds
are
usually
not
employed
in
music
making.
In
fact,
all
sounds
usually
used
when
playing
this
instrument
are
harmonic
overtones
obtained
by
overblowing.
The
playable
range
of
the
flute
is
little
more
than
an
octave
(depending
on
the
instrument),
not
counting
the
lower
register,
which,
as
we
said,
is
not
employed
in
music
making.
Two
reasons
explain
why
this
lower
register
is
not
employed:
-
First
of
all,
there
is
a
gap
of
a
fifth
between
the
lower
and
the
medium
registers.
-
And
secondly,
the
bore
of
the
flute
is
so
narrow
compared
to
its
length
that
it
easily
overblows
to
the
first
harmonic.
The
lower
register
can
be
obtained
only
with
very
low
air
pressure
and
therefore
it
sounds
at
a
very
low
volume.
The
moment
you
raise
the
air
pressure
a
little,
the
sound
jumps
to
the
first
harmonic.
This
means
that
the
flute
can
easily
produce
two
disjunct
tetrachords,
both
of
them
obtained
by
overblowing
the
lower
register,
forming
an
octave.42
In
ideal
conditions,
these
morphological-organological
conditions
of
the
flute
would
give
rise
to
an
octave
intonation
schema
that
has
been
confirmed
by
empirical
studies,
as
we
can
see
in
table
2.
Ideal conditions
Empirical evidence
Frecuency
ratios
or
Cents
Cents
10/9
182
199,3
11/10
165
163,9
12/11
151
145,8
9/8
204
203,8
10/9
182
178,7
11/10
165
170,7
12/11
151
150,2
Acoustically,
the
impresion
given
by
this
intonation
schema
is
that
each
tetrachord
is
composed
of
two
3/4
tone
intervals
and
an
upper
tone,
as
the
qualitative
descriptions
of
41
Traditionally
cross-fingering
is
not
employed,
although
more
developed
specimens
(like
the
basque
txistu,
from
the
ninetenth
century
adapted
to
equal
temperament)
do
use
them
to
get
chromatic
sounds.
42
The
best
instruments
can
also
produce
a
third
conjunt
tetrachord,
also
obtained
by
overblowing
the
lower
register.
371
For
examples
of
qualitative
descriptions
of
the
flutes
intonation
schema,
see
Alberto
Jambrina
Leal
and
Jos
Ramn
Cid
Cebrin,
La
gaita
y
el
tamboril
(Salamanca:
Centro
de
Cultura
Tradicional,
Diputacin
de
Salamanca,
1989),
2125.
44
A
reed
instrument
is
a
pipe
closed
in
one
end.
Closed
pipes
have
a
special
acoustical
feature:
they
only
produce
odd
harmonics.
But
if
a
reed
pipe
has
a
conical
bore,
it
functions
like
an
open
pipe
(like
a
flute)
and
it
produces
all
harmonics.
To
get
a
complete
range
of
an
octave,
a
three-hole
pipe
must
be
a
flute
or
function
like
one.
45
West,
83.
372
8.
Further
discussions
This
explanation
of
the
homalon
diatonic
can
give
us
hints
about
other
musical
systems
which
present
3/4
tone
intervals.
As
we
have
seen,
equidistant
fingerholes
in
wind
instruments
easily
produce
the
homalon
tetrachord.
In
cylindrical
auloi
the
whole
homalon
octave
cannot
be
obtained
by
equidistance.
Cylindrical
auloi
are
closed
pipes
and
therefore
they
do
not
produce
all
harmonic
partials
by
overblowing.46
This
means
that
a
three-hole
aulos
(a
three-hole
closed
pipe)
could
not
produce
a
whole
heptatonic
octave
by
overblowing,
as
do
open
pipes.47
But
the
lower
homalon
pentachord
can
surely
be
obtained
this
way,
as
Schlesinger
correctly
explained.
To
obtain
the
homalon
octave
in
an
aulos,
two
sets
of
equidistant
holes
would
be
required,
one
for
the
right
hand
and
another
one
for
the
left
hand.
The
right
hand
would
cover
four
equidistant
finger
holes,
to
get,
with
the
uppermost,
the
interval
of
a
fifth;
the
left
hand
would
cover
another
three
equidistant
finger
holes,
but
their
relative
distances
would
be
different
from
the
distances
between
the
holes
of
the
right
hand
(they
would
be
closer).
We
can
conclude
that
it
seems
likely
that
many
musical
systems
using
3/4
tones
arise
from
the
tuning
of
wind
instruments
in
which
equidistant
finger
holes
are
used.
In
fact,
we
believe
that
Schlessingers
point
of
departure
is
much
more
interesting
than
what
it
may
seem,
although
the
later
development
of
her
theory
is
rather
problematic.
We
must
agree
with
her
in
the
idea
that
many
musical
tuning
systems
may
have
arisen
from
wind
instruments.
Wind
instruments
are
not
easily
retuned
once
they
are
built,
so
the
placing
of
their
fingerholes
highly
determines
their
tuning.
On
the
other
hand,
string
instruments
can
be
easily
retuned
by
varying
the
tension
of
the
strings,
and,
therefore,
their
tuning
is
not
definetly
determined
once
they
are
built.
We
can
then
suppose
that,
whenever
in
a
musical
culture
wind
instruments
have
a
important
role,
the
tuning
of
these
wind
instruments
can
be
decisive
in
the
tuning
system
used
by
that
culture.
And,
furthermore,
the
tuning
of
wind
instruments
is
condicioned
by
their
morphology.
In
any
case,
we
think
Schlessingers
theories
should
be
reexamined
and
reevaluated
in
order
to
place
them
in
the
position
they
deserve.
46
47
373