List of meantone intervals
The following is a list of intervals of extended meantone temperament. These intervals constitute the standard vocabulary of intervals for the Western common practice era. Here 12 EDO refers to the size of the interval in the temperament with 12 equal divisions of the octave, which is the most common meantone temperament in the modern era, 19 EDO to 19 equal temperament, 31 EDO to 31 equal temperament, and 50 EDO to 50 equal temperament. Note that for brevity, several of the intervals for 31 EDO and 50 EDO are omitted from the table.
R.W. Duffin writes:
- "Specifying that the major semitone should be 3/ 2 the minor semitone [a 3:2 ratio] creates a 31 note division of the octave, which, in turn, closely corresponds to extended-quarter-comma meantone ... the 5:4 ratio [whose] extended-sixth-comma meantone corresponds to the 55 division ... extended-fifth-comma meantone [corresponds to] the 43 division of the octave [in which the] ratio of the major to minor semitone is 4:3 ."
The other meantone correspondencies:
- "a 1:1 ratio produces a 12 division" (1/ 11 comma meantone)
- "2:1 [which] results in a 19 division" (1/ 3 comma meantone)
- "5:3, which results in a 50 division" (2/ 7 comma meantone)
are derived from these statements.[1]
The column of ratios gives a ratio or ratios approximated by the interval in septimal meantone temperament. An augmented interval is increased by a chromatic semitone, and a diminished interval decreased.
12 EDO (≈1/ 11 c) |
Quarter- comma |
19 EDO (≈1/ 3 c) |
31 EDO (≈1/ 4 c) |
50 EDO (≈2/ 7 c) |
Note (from C) |
Roman numeral |
Name | Classic ratios |
Septimal ratios | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
steps | cents | cents | steps | cents | steps | cents | steps | cents | |||||
0
|
0
|
0.00
|
0
|
0.00
|
0
|
0.00
|
0
|
0
|
C
|
Unison | 1:1 | ||
41.06
|
1
|
63.16
|
1
|
38.71
|
2
|
48
|
Diminished second | 128:125 | 36:35 | ||||
1
|
100
|
76.05
|
2
|
77.42
|
3
|
72
|
C♯
|
♯I
|
Chromatic semitone | 25:24 | 21:20 | ||
117.11
|
2
|
126.32
|
3
|
116.13
|
5
|
120
|
D♭
|
♭II
|
Minor second | 16:15, 27:25 | 15:14 | ||
2 |
200 |
193.16 |
3 |
189.47 |
5 |
193.55 |
8 |
192 |
D |
II |
Whole tone | 9:8, 10:9 | |
234.22 |
4 |
252.63 |
6 |
232.26 |
10 |
240 |
Diminished third | 144:125 | 8:7 | ||||
3 |
300 |
269.21 |
7 |
270.97 |
11 |
264 |
D♯ |
♯II |
Augmented second | 75:64, 125:108 | 7:6 | ||
310.26 |
5 |
315.79 |
8 |
309.68 |
13 |
312 |
E♭ |
♭III |
Minor third | 6:5, 32:27 | |||
4 |
400 |
386.31 |
6 |
378.95 |
10 |
387.10 |
16 |
384 |
E |
III |
Major third | 5:4 | |
427.37 |
7 |
442.11 |
11 |
425.81 |
18 |
432 |
F♭ |
♭IV |
Diminished fourth | 32:25 | 9:7 | ||
5 |
500 |
462.36 |
12 |
464.52 |
19 |
456 |
E♯ |
♯III |
Augmented third | 125:96 | 21:16 | ||
503.42 |
8 |
505.26 |
13 |
503.23 |
21 |
504 |
F |
IV |
Perfect fourth | 4:3, 27:20 | |||
6 |
600 |
579.47 |
9 |
568.42 |
15 |
580.65 |
24 |
576 |
F♯ |
♯IV |
Augmented fourth | 25:18, 45:32 | 7:5 |
620.53 |
10 |
631.58 |
16 |
619.35 |
26 |
624 |
G♭ |
♭V |
Diminished fifth | 36:25, 64:45 | 10:7 | ||
7 |
700 |
696.58 |
11 |
694.74 |
18 |
696.77 |
29 |
696 |
G |
V |
Perfect fifth | 3:2, 40:27 | |
737.64 |
12 |
757.89 |
19 |
735.48 |
31 |
744 |
Diminished sixth | 192:125 | 32:21 | ||||
8 |
800 |
772.63 |
20 |
774.19 |
32 |
768 |
G♯ |
♯V |
Augmented fifth | 25:16 | 14:9 | ||
813.69 |
13 |
821.05 |
21 |
812.90 |
34 |
816 |
A♭ |
♭VI |
Minor sixth | 8:5 | |||
9 |
900 |
889.74 |
14 |
884.21 |
23 |
890.32 |
37 |
888 |
A |
Major sixth | 5:3, 27:16 | ||
930.79 |
15 |
947.37 |
24 |
929.03 |
39 |
936 |
Diminished seventh | 128:75, 216:125 | 12:7 | ||||
10 |
1000 |
965.78 |
25 |
967.74 |
40 |
960 |
A♯ |
♯VI |
Augmented sixth | 125:72 | 7:4 | ||
1006.84 |
16 |
1010.53 |
26 |
1006.45 |
42 |
1008 |
B♭ |
♭VII |
Minor seventh | 9:5, 16:9 | |||
11 |
1100 |
1082.89 |
17 |
1073.68 |
28 |
1083.87 |
45 |
1080 |
VII |
Major seventh | 15:8, 50:27 | 28:15 | |
1123.95 |
18 |
1136.84 |
29 |
1122.58 |
47 |
1128 |
C♭ |
♭VIII |
Diminished octave | 48:25 | 40:21 | ||
12 |
1200 |
1158.94 |
30 |
1161.29 |
48 |
1152 |
B♯ |
♯VII |
Augmented seventh | 125:64 | 35:18 | ||
1200.00 |
19 |
1200.00 |
31 |
1200.00 |
50 |
1200 |
VIII |
Octave | 2:1 |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Duffin, R.W. (2007). How Equal Temperament Ruined Harmony (and why you should care). New York, NY: W.W. Norton. pp. 91–92.