Sympathetic Vibratory Physics | small tone (original) (raw)

Ramsay
"There are three chromatic chords, and each of these three is related to eight particular tonic chords. When one the these chromatic chords goes to any one of its eight tonic chords, three of its notes move in semitonic progression, and the other note moves by the small tone, the ratio of 9:10. There is exception to this rule, whether the key be or . But when the chromatic chord which should resolve to the of C is followed by the subdominant, or the of F (the example in Mr. Green's book), only two of its notes move in semitonic progress. Your friend describes the chord as if it had gone to the of B; and what he said about it, and about D going to C, is what is supposed to be [Scientific Basis and Build of Music, page 94]

- and it is balanced between the two forces. If the effects of notes or chords depended solely on their ratios, then the effect of the subdominant, , and dominant would have been alike, for these chords have exactly the same ratios. The centrifugal force of the notes of the dominant chord would take if away from the tonic chord; but , in her skill to build and mix, has in the octave scale placed the middle of the dominant B under the root of the tonic C, and the top of the dominant D under the middle of the tonic E; so that these two rising notes are inevitably resolved into the tonic chord. The gravitating tendencies of the notes of the subdominant would take it also away from the ; but in the octave scale has placed the middle of the subdominant A above the top of the tonic G, and the root of the subdominant F above the middle of the tonic E; so that these two falling notes also are inevitably resolved into the tonic chord. In this way two notes resolve to the center of the tonic, D upwards and F downwards; one to the , A to G, and one to the , B to C. has thus placed the notes which have upward tendencies under the notes having downward tendencies; she has also related them by proximity, the from the one to the other being always either a or the small tone of the ratio 9:10. [Scientific Basis and Build of Music, page 95]

"What we have thus said about the resolving notes to the major tonic has been allowed in the case of the . No one ever said that the of the minor scale resolved to the root of the tonic. Notwithstanding the importance of the notes, the semitonic interval above the of the scale decided the matter for the Law of Proximity; and no one ever said that D, the root of the subdominant minor, did not to C, the center of the tonic minor, on the same terms that two notes are brought to the center of the tonic major; with this difference, that the semitonic interval is above the center in the and below it in the . The other two notes which into the tonic minor are on the same terms as the ; with this difference, that the semitonic interval is below the root of the tonic major and above the top of the tonic minor. And the small tone ratio 9:10 is above the top of the tonic major and below the root of the tonic minor. If it has been the case that D resolved to the root of the tonic major, then, according to the Law of Duality, there would have been another place where everything would have been the same, only in the inverse ; but, fortunately for itself, the has no other to keep it in . This has not been fallen into by from analogy. [Scientific Basis and Build of Music, page 99]