Loading...
 

six notes

Hughes
The twelve major scales
—The term key-note employed in the ordinary sense of the musician
—The twelve key-notes, with the six notes of each as they veer round in trinities, are written in musical clef, and the scales added
—The reversal of the four and three of the key-note and its trinities in the seven of its scale
—The twelve keys follow each other seven times through seven octaves linked into the lower and higher series
Keys mingled
—The modulating of scales, the eleventh notes rising to higher keys, . . . . . . 26 [Harmonies of Tones and Colours, Table of Contents2 - Harmonies]

The twelve key-notes, with the six notes of each as they veer round in trinities, are again written in musical clef, and the scales added. The key-note leads the scale, and, after striking the two next highest notes of the seven of the harmony, goes forward, with its four lowest, an octave higher. The seven of each harmony have been traced as the three lowest, thus meeting the three highest in three pairs, the fourth note being isolated. Notwithstanding the curious reversal of the three and four of the scale, the three lowest pair with the three highest, and the fourth with its octave. The four pairs are written at the end of each line, and it will be seen how exactly they all agree in their mode of development. Keys with sharps and keys with flats are all mingled in twelve successive notes. If we strike the twelve scales ascending as they follow each other, each thirteenth note being octave of the first note of the twelve that have developed, and first of the rising series, the seventh time the scales gradually rise into the higher series of seven octaves beyond the power of the instrument. Descending is ascending reversed. After the seven and octave of a scale have been sounded ascending, the ear seems to lead to the descending; but ten notes of any scale may be struck without the necessity of modulation; at the seventh note we find that the eleventh note in the progression of harmonics rises to meet the seventh. For instance, B, the seventh note in the scale of C, must have F#. This point will be fully entered into when examining the meeting of fifths. To trace the scale of C veering round as an example for all, we may begin with C in Diagram II., and go forward with F, G, A, and B an octave higher. If the twelve scales were traced veering round, they would be found to correspond with the twelve as written in musical clef. [Harmonies of Tones and Colours, Diagram IV - The Development of the Twelve Major Scales, page 26a]

DIAGRAM IX.—THE MINOR KEY-NOTE "A" AND ITS SIX NOTES VEERING ROUND IN TRINITIES—THE TWELVE KEY-NOTES THUS DEVELOPING WRITTEN IN MUSICAL CLEF BELOW.

"Lord, on Thee Eternity had its foundations—all
Spring forth from Thee; of light, joy, harmony
Sole origin:—all life, all beauty Thine!"—Sir J. Bowring.
[Harmonies of Tones and Colours, Diagram IX - The Minor Keynote A and Its Six Notes, page 34a]


The diagram represents the Minor Key-note A and its 6 notes veering round in trinities; A and the other 11 developing their trinities in musical clef. Below each is the order in which the pairs unite, avoiding consecutive fifths, Lastly, D♭ is shewn to be an imperfect minor harmony, and by employing B as C♭, E♭ is seen to be the same harmony as D#. As before, it should be remembered that the sharp and flat notes should, strictly, have intermediate tints. [Harmonies of Tones and Colours, The Diagram Represents the Minor Keynote, page 34c]

CHAPTER XIV .
DIAGRAM XI.—THE TWELVE MINOR KEY-NOTES, WITH THE SIX NOTES OF EACH, ARE AGAIN WRITTEN AS THEY VEER ROUND IN TRINITIES, AND THE SCALES ADDED.

"Unfaith in aught is want of faith in all.
It is the little rift within the lute
That by-and-by will make the music mute,
And, ever widening, slowly silence all."—Tennyson.
[Harmonies of Tones and Colours, Diagram XI - The Twelve Minor Keynotes with the Six Note of Each, page 36a]


TO recapitulate from the beginning, observe, firstly, the twelve major key-notes as they have developed from within themselves in succession, six tones in trinities seven times through seven octaves, each thirteenth note being the octave of the first note of the twelve that have developed, and being also the first of the higher series. We may retrace all as still sounding their tones, the key-notes leading the ear to the six notes of each harmony, the keys with sharps and those with flats being mingled. The ascending and descending scales always agree in their harmonies with the key-notes and their trinities. [Harmonies of Tones and Colours, Diagram XV - The Twelve Major and the Twelve Minor Keys, page 42a]

See Also


six tones

Created by Dale Pond. Last Modification: Saturday March 27, 2021 02:50:23 MDT by Dale Pond.