Grec (Fr.)

(Fr.) Greek...A chorus 4 /2 grec is one introduced at an act-close, in imitation of the ancient Greek tragedy. Greek music. Without attempting to explain the theoretical and mathematical subtleties of the system, a brief statement of some leading features will be given below. §1. The Modes, or Octave-scales. The typical Greek scale was precisely 1. Dorian. 4. Hypodorian or Molian. i arn 2, Phrygian. s. Hypophrygian or Ionian. qo pees or Mixolydian. 8. Hyperphrygian or Locrian. the reverse of our modern ascending major scale, being conceived as a a descending minor scale, Harmony in the modern. sense was unknown; the aim of Greek theory in treating of harmonic intervals was, therefore, to establish the melodic succe ion of the tones, and the Greeks conceived the scale as constituted of a series of fetrachords (4-tone groups with the compa of a perfect fourth), The primitive Greek modes were simple octave-scales; the three most ancient forms were (1) the Dorian, (2) the Phrygian, and (3) the Lydian, to each of which were later added 2 attendant modes, making 9 in all: 3. Lydian. 6. Hypolydian. 9. Hyperlydian. The signs — and ~ indicate the step of a whole tone and semitone respectively, The prefix Ayo signifies ‘‘a fifth beMode.) The character and name of each mode depended (a) upon the form of the tetrachord, and (4) upon the position of the diaseuctic tone, While each of the 3 primitive modes is composed of 2 tetrachords of like name and form, which are @/sjoined (separated) by the diazeuctic tone (marked +; from @vzeuxis,a separation), each of its 2 attend Major Mode. ant modes is composed of 2 similar coz joined tetrachords, united by one common tone, and preceded or followed by the diazewxis, The character of the tetrachord depends on the position of the semitone; e. g. in the Dorian tetrachord, found in the Dorian and attendant modes, the semitone occurs between the third and fourth tones. This Dorian mode is an exact inversion of the modern major mode: Dorian Mode. i a 82. The Perfect System is based on the Dorian tetrachord; it comprises the | following two octaves, in which the Dorian mode occupies the central portion: 88 ZB g e & a S a 2 2 Soe aoe GEEE a of = 83 Dorian Mode. GREEK MUSIC. 8g This system is formed by adding, at either extreme of the Dorian scale, a conjoined tetrachord, and completing the 2-octave system by the addition of A (hence called Proslembanomenos, “*the acquired tone’’) in the lower octave, thus forming a complete aminor descending scale. The 2 central tetrachords were therefore disjoined; but, for modulations to the dower guznt (which to the Greeks was the most natural transition, just as that to the key of the Aigher guint is to us), they used the semitone above the highest tone of the middle tetrachord, and consequently distinguished a special ‘‘ con men on) d\—c!—by a, in opposition to the Full Names of all Degrees in the Perfect System. Nete hyperbole on fF a! (highest of the high) Paranete hyperb. Trite hyperbole on Nete diezeugmenon (highest of the disjoined) Paranete diezeugmenon (next-highest of the disjoined) Trite diezeugmenon (third of the disjoined) (the [tone] next the middle) Mese (middle tone) Lichanos meson Parhypate ‘‘ Hypate Parhypate ‘“‘ Hypate Pros lamb a no me nos The theorists attributed special importance to the middle tone AZese, as the tonic of the perfect system. This system also forms the foundation of medieval mus. theory; even the compa given above was not overstepped till the introduction of the J” (gamma). Greg or i an music keeps within these limits, and the notation in Latin letters retains this same diatonic scale even to the chromatic alteration of Paramese to Trite synemmenon. This perfect system (system a teleion) was also styled the modulatory) system,” with reference to the modulation to the subdominant made po ible by employing the conjoined tetrachord; without this tetrachord it was called the system a a met as i on of the tetrachord into 2 whole tones and a semitone (as e—g—/f~e), of which the Dorian tetrachord is the normal type, was the distinctive feature of the diatonic genus (genws=melodic arrangement of the tones within the tetrachord); the earlier enharmonic genus was formed by omitting the paranete or the fichanos (as a—— fre), and the later i u (next-highest of the high) ' (third of the high) Nete synemmenon (highest of the conjoined) Paranete synemmenon (next highest of the conjoined) Trite synemmenon (third of the conjoined) Mese (forefinger-tone of the middle) {next-lowest of the middle) @ (lowest of the middle) d (forefinger-tone of the low) C (next-lowestr of the low) B (lowest of the low) A (acquired tone) [in no tetrachord] enharmonic genus by dividing the trite or the parhypaie into 2 tones (as a——e fe); while the chromatic genus, also omitting the diatonic second degree, was expre ed by sharping either trite or parhypate (as a—~ fg fre); ete.] $3. Transposing Scales. While the perfect system remained the standard in theory, the progre of Grecian musical art widened its application in practice until all flat and sharp semitones were employed, and its range likewise extended. The chromatic alterations were expre ed in the Greek alphabetical notation by different letters and different positions of the same letter, which were equivalent in effect to our and b. E. g., on substituting in the octave-scale d'—d the conjoined for the disjoined tetrachord (i.e. é5 for 4), this octave scale is no longer the Phrygian, but becomes the Hypodorian, for the distinction between the modes depends on the position of the semitonic step; scale is to be considered as that extending from the Dorian mese to pros lamb a no me nos, this octave-scale d!'—@ GREG OR I AN CHANT—GROUP. with é9 belongs to a transposed Dorian moce, having not -/, but ¢, for proslembanomenos, Greek music was not tied, like the Greg or i an, to the diatonic scale.f —v! without chromatics, but employed transpositions of the perfect more sharp and flat keys; finally, these transpositions numbered 15 inall, those first in voyue bearing the same names as the first 7 octave-scales. In the Greek method of alphabetical notation, the wedeera? scale (without chromatics) was the Hypolydian: consequently, the 2-octave system.—a! without chromatics is called the Hypolydian (beiny the vzterval scale among the transposing scales, as is C-major among the sharp and flat keys), and the transposing scales are named according to the mode represented by the various chromatic alterations of the octave-scale Si—/. For instance, being a Lydian octave, the 2-octave system (or transposing scale) d@—d? with one flat is called the Lydian transposiny scale. It follows, that the octave J'—/ belongs without J or p to the system 4—a! (1 Lypolydian) with I 5 to the system ¢d—d? (Lydian) (Hypophrygian) (Phrygian) (Dorian) (Mixolydian, or }lyperdorian) On the other hand, all the sharp scales (ot later origin) show new names; the octave /'2—/Z belongs witht< to the system e—e? (1 lyperiastian) (high Mixolydian) (high Dorian) Ona ce be “ red (high Hypodorian) EC. (high Phrygian) (high Hypophrygian) (high Lydian) ‘ 64 te 48 The system ¢d2—d°Z, with 6 sharps, is enharmonically identical with «)—ep with 6 flats; both are named Hyperdorian; here closes the circle of fifths. —The names of the sharp scales reemerge as those of church-mades (the number of which was increased to 12 in the 16th century); namely, the Greg or i an chant. The forms of mus. worship as revised and established by Pope Gregory I. (the Great, d. 604) for the R. C. Church, and known collectively under the name of I’lain Chant. There was probably no e ential difference between the Greg or i an and Amwork was the careful revision of the ritual music employed at his time, the rejection of redundances and abuses, and the final establishment of the material thus sifted and arranged as the norm for all Western Churches. He was also presumably the arranger, if not the originator, of the 4 Plagal modes parallel to the 4 Authentic modes of St. Ambrose. (See.j/odv.)