Klarinet Archive - Posting 000412.txt from 2005/02

From: ormo2ndtoby@-----.net (Ormondtoby Montoya)
Subj: [kl] Major vs. minor --- a comment
Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2005 16:53:28 -0500

Klarinet has discussed (more than once) the culture dependency of the
'feelings' which are evoked by major and minor scales. I do not intend
to defend any particular position, but here's a comment:

(I saw the following when I had the dictionary open to "diminutions".)

"Dur" means "major" in German, and "Moll" means minor. Yet "dur" and
"moll" also mean "hard" and "soft" in German.

As many of you know (but I didn't know until today), the letter "b" was
originally used to indicate whether a scale was 'major' or 'minor'. If
the b's loop was square, the scale was 'major', and if the loop was
round, the scale was "minor'. Eventually in the German language, the
sharp corners of a square-looped 'b' evolved into "dur" because the
corners were 'hard', and the round-looped 'b' became "moll" or 'soft'.

In the English language, the words major and minor summon 'feelings' of
rank and size, rather than of tactile sensations. The 'minor' ranks in
most organizations can only complain (hence they are they are
'plaintive'), whereas the 'major' ranks and feel their power.

A German speaker, however, whether he likes it or not, is describing the
two scales as 'hard' or 'soft'.

I don't ascribe any significance to this except that these responses to
major/minor represent two different modes of 'feeling'. This example
strengthens the concept that the interpretation of major and minor vary
from one culture to the next.

However, there is also a unity that is buried very deeply in our sensory
systems.

Yes, all metaphors and analogies fall apart eventually; but 'plaintive'
does relate to 'submission', and so does softness --- not tensing one's
muscles in order to fight or escape, not picking up a 'hard' weapon or
donning armor in order to fight or defend, welcoming a touch, not
assuming a 'hard' expression of defiance, and so forth

So there is a similarity in both languages if you feel that it's
appropriate to look deeply enough.

....just a thought.

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