Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-mkpzs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T03:49:00.815Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Some Recent Theories Of The Greek Modes.

SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS.

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 February 2009

J. D. Dennision
J. D. Dennision
Affiliation:
NEW COLLEGE, OXFORD.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

1. Introduction. Sources of difficulty in the investigation.–II. Dr. Monro′s pitch theory. The passage in Heraclides. Supplementary evidence from the Problems.–III. Prof. Macran′s theory. Evidence against this theory. Prof. Macran′s answer to this evidence. Further objections. Criticism of the evidence in favour of Prof. Macran′s theory.–IV. Prof. Cook-Wilson′s theory. Platonic and Aristotelian evidence against Dr. Monro. Objections to this theory.–V. Recapitulation. Statement of the antinomies in the evidence.–VI. Conclusion. The nucleus of certainty. The Greek, as contrasted with the modern, musical sense.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Classical Quarterly , Volume 7 , Issue 2 , April 1913 , pp. 83 - 99
Copyright
Copyright © The Classical Association 1913

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

page 87 note 1 The passage is specially remarkable as coming from the pen of Aristotle, who, as we shall see later, in another place seems to vindicate the modality theory. Plutarch can hardly have misunderstood his authority. He evidently has a definite passage in his mind. The opening of the chapter is, in fact, a verbatim quotation from Aristotle.

page 88 note 1 This is reinforced by earlier evidence. Plato (Republic 443 D) says

page 93 note 1 To this evidence we may add that of Cicero Tusc. Disp., i. 18: ‘harmoniam autem ex inter uallis sonorum nosse possumus, quorum uaria compositio etiam harmonias efficit plures.’

page 95 note 1 I confess that I cannot quite see the force of this argument. The Greater Perfect System arose from the exclusion of all modes except one, the E mode, and the addition to this mode of certain extra tetrachords at the top and bottom. It seems therefore almost an anachronism to attribute importance, or even existence to it at this early period, especially since at this time as shown by Plato′s criticism of the and by Pausanias remarks about the Pronomus flute (IX 12. 5), the idea of combining all the modes in a single instrument or single scale was still a novel one.