Text: The graduated sounds used in music. To give a history of the scale would be to give a history of music itself; it must suffice, therefore, to say a few words on the growth of the scale to its present shape. Nothing is known with certainty of the nature of the scales of any of the most anceint nations. If it be admitted that the Greeks obtained their notions from the Egyptians, it may be hazarded, merely as a supposition, that the Egyptian scale was tetrachordal, that is, consisting of groups of four notes. The octave system became practically a part of the ancient tetrachordal system, which it was destined afterwards to supercede entirely. Although our modern scale was unquestionably a development of the diatonic scale of the Greeks, yet for several centuires, a hexachordal system was in use. The Church modes were probably the connecting link between the ancient Greek music and the modern diatonic scale. The division of the octave into twelve parts, called semitones, each of which can be used as a keynote, became only feasible when keyed instruments were tuned on the system known as equal temperament. This gives to the chromatic notes of our scale a far greater value than the chromatic or enharmonic notes of the ancients, as it is probable they were never used but as passing or auxiliary notes. The whole system of music hangs upon the relationship of the sounds used to a tonic, which, in modern music, is always the first note of whatever octave system (key) is chosen, but in Greek music and early Church-song was a note at or near the middle of the scale. The old Church mode corresponding to the modern scale was the Ionic or Iastian, but when this was finally adopted as the normal scale, a still older form was retained for use with it, founded on the Dorian and HypoDorian modes, to which, now slightly modified, we give the name minor mode, and by starting from any one note in the semitonal scale, we can have twelve minor modes. As a minor mode largely consists of the notes of the major scale beginning on its third degree, it is said to be relative to that scale. The form of the minor mode has varied from time to time and even now cannot be said to be definitely settled. The musical scales of extra-European countries are so varied in character that it is impossible to draw any reliable conclusions from their form. The Arabs, Indians, and many uncultured tribes in all quarters of the globe have more than twelve divisions in the octave, that is, use enharmonic scales. The Chinese have the old five-notescale, called by Engel, Pentatonic. This five-note scale is also associated with Scotch and other Celtic melodies. In some nations the natural harmonic, known as the sharp eleventh, which we discard, is in use, probably because it is produced upon their simple tube instruments. The degrees of the ascending scale are distinquished in harmony by the following names: First Tonic Second Supertonic Third Mediant Fourth Subdominant Fifth Dominant Sixth Superdominant Seventh Subtonic or Leading Note

See Also: INTERVAL

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