Klarinet Archive - Posting 000423.txt from 2005/02

From: Georg K=?ISO-8859-1?B?/A==?=hner <520045578938-0001@-----.de>
Subj: Re: [kl] Major vs. minor --- a comment
Date: Sun, 27 Feb 2005 10:08:43 -0500

Am 27.02.2005 15:09 Uhr schrieb "Karl Krelove" unter
<karlkrelove@-----.net>:

> Doesn't 'b' signify B-flat and 'h' B-natural? Hence the marking of
> "Klarinette in B" in German parts? I never heard before of their use to
> signify "moll" or "dur."
>
> Karl Krelove
They do signify b and b flat in the German speaking area. The reason why is
what I stated in the mail before.

Regards Georg

>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Georg K u hner [mailto:520045578938-0001@-----.de]
>> Sent: Sunday, February 27, 2005 3:44 AM
>> To: klarinet@-----.org
>> Subject: Re: [kl] Major vs. minor --- a comment
>>
>>
>> Am 26.02.2005 22:52 Uhr schrieb "Ormondtoby Montoya" unter
>> <ormo2ndtoby@-----.net>:
>>
>>> 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'.
>>
>> Originally it meant b-rotundus
>> And b-quadratus
>>
>> The bottom of the b-quadratus fell out and it became a h
>>
>> That's all
>>
>> Regards Georg
>>>
>>> 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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| in life is free - including 5 servers and bandwidth. A reed |
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Klarinet is a service of Woodwind.Org, Inc. http://www.woodwind.org