Pythagoras and the Scales

Pythagoras and the Scales Au EY ME \a 32 By Mary Finch Harvey Cast or CHARACTERS Pythagoras Spirit of Today Major Scale Acolian Scale * Indian Scale Harmonic Minor Scale Melodic Minor Scale Hungarian Scale Chromatic Scale Whole Tone Scale Pentatonic Scale Reader for Prologue and Epilogue. Prologue: While unfolding this brief little play We bring you the story of scales. It goes back over many a day And mode. I have many names, Pure, Natural, Normal, but my real one is Aeolian; I’m a descendant of your Aeolian mode. How Pythageras (Shaking hands): glad furnishes interesting tales. I am to see you! talking to you. Enter Pythagoras. I feel at home How do you sound now? (Other characters e are seated on stage.) DI > Spirit of Today: Who are you, stranger, == Li I (285 and where do you come from? y Aeolian Pythagoras: My name is Pythagoras. [ lived many years ago in the land of © Acolian Scale: I begin on the sixth Greece. A philosopher was I, and intertone of the major and contain exactly ested in music. By studying the experi- the same tones, only having the new ments of others and making some of keynote. (Plays.) Perhaps you know how my own, I made contributions to the art. I feel. I'm older and neglected as I don’t The most valuable was the fixing of the fit into the present scheme of, harmony octave as the union of perfect fourth and without alterations. But here is an infifth. teresting sister who is very much like Spirit of Today: That was indeed a me, the Indian Scale. great step forward, and we feel very grateful to you. Your discovery has led to many wonderful things. Would you like to hear some of the results? Pythagoras: Indeed I would, Spirit of Today: keys. From any one to the very next is called a half-step, and the distance of two half-steps makes a whole-step. (Illustrates.) When you know these you have the key to our whole system of scales. Pythagoras: Scales! I thought they were the covering of fish. Spirit of Today (laughing): That is one kind. Musical scales are tonc-ladders the fingers of pupils must learn which to climb, > Good, Let us go over near the piano, one of our most important instruments. Will you sit here? (Placing Pytkagöres in good view of the keys.) Now these black and white blocks are Indian Scale: I am not of India, but of the North American Indians. In late years much interest has been taken in me. Composers have gone to the remaining Red Men to learn more of their music and find fresh working material. They found the Indian Scale like Aeolian except that the second tone is entirely omitted. (Plays.) Pythagoras: Mournful though interesting music! A small change in the scale made quite a difference. Who is next? N You had something like them, your modes. Indian 4 a RER mrs We use the word mode dif- 1 ferently. We group the bright, cheerfulsounding scales into what we call the major mode. Let me introduce this scale, E er | y pet | e I PEN. WR “ = = Pi 4 4 N = AA eee A A Ta ae Tan NESS) 0 Ss cl EE ES A nn fs Harmonic T i Harmonic Minor: «made MAJOR by raising 1, Harmonic Minor, the seventh tone of Acolian one half-step; this makes a wide gap at the top. (Plays) This is done Major Scale: Here is my pattern, Pythato make me fit into harmony. You didn't goras. Start on any tone, ascend two wholesteps, one half-step, three whole-steps, one have chords in your music, did you? Pythagoras: No, we couldn’t endure half-step. (Plays major scale slowly.) Do you not like me? Then coming down it is just backwards, you sce. Pythagoras: Lovely! But very different from the music I knew. Aeolian Scale: I'm the oldest of many hearing tones combined. forms of the soft, weird, sad-soundinz Melodic Minor (runs forward): Ha! Well, you should just hear some combinations now! I'm Melodic Minor, made because people have difficulty singing that wide gap in Harmonic. Raise the (Continued on next page)

Pythagoras and the Scales (Continued) sixth and seventh tones of Aeolian ascending (plays) and lower them de‘scending (plays). Coming down, I'm exactly like Acolian. a Pythagoras: The you are a little hard to get used to. Whole Tone Scale: my | Yes, you are right. second time was better than the first; but chords, too. Listen to some of Don't you like them? (Plays augmented fifth chords.) N I t ri hb a Pi A ; x. =] La - "Augmented Chords Melodic Pythagoras; Oh, I love the minor mode! Gypsy Minor: I'm Gypsy Minor, the hardest of the lot and am like Harmonie except that the fourth tone is also raised one half-step. (Plays) Lots of pupils don't know me. They just wonder what makes Gypsy music “sound that way.” I appear all decorated with graces in Hungarian music. N turns and Lr "Pythagoras: Yes, I admit those chords are rather fascinating. They have a quality all their own. Pentatonic Scale: I have a quality all my name own,. ton. My is Pentatonic Scale, which means “five-tone scale.” The first, second, third, fifth and = sixth of the Major Scale, Listen. (Plays pentatonie scale). A good deal of Scotch music is made on that scale, and it is also the scale of Chinese music. Pythagoras: Indeed! Chinese music! That dates back as far as our music. In my day we Greeks were really very — ae modernistic, you know. Hungarian A Pythagoras: That was beautiful—sad . and yet gay, too! Who is next? Chromatic Scale: I am called Chro‚matic Scale. Chrome means “color” I day? my | Chromatic Pythagoras: I like that very much. Whole Tene Scale: When I introduce “ myself I have to confess that I'm a stranger to many people also. My name is Whole Tone Scale, as 1 am composed centirely of whole steps, or whole tones. Cal DA n I ] hearing them. Indeed, thank you for yes. such And a how wonderful If I could have dreamed to what experiments would lead! Many dreary hours, days, weeks, I worked alone experimenting in the science of sound, while my friends were feasting or amusing themselves. But I am so glad that I kept at it and that the beautiful music of the world today came to he created as a result of those old experiments. I hope you will all think of me some times 1 Whole- tone (Plays whole tone scale slowly.) Pythagoras, you looked shocked! have enjoyed Pythagoras: can 4 al Spirit of Today: Well, Pythagoras, 1 hope you have found our present day scales as interesting as yours and that e A oo | Penta tsnie - you again very quickly.) = A I contain all the colors in the musical box. I proceed by half-steps. Not one is omitted. (Plays.) 1 can imitate the sighing of the wind. (Plays chromatie scale fi when you are playing your various scales, (Exit Pythagoras.) Epilogue: Why, Don't And now that our play's at you really like me? Listen again, You _ will like me better the second time. (Plays an end We hope you have found these bricf tales Contain many things that will help » again.) To make you remember the scales. -- THE ETUDE VEL. L.nc.u (1432)