), or by the use of accents (
, &c.). The Hypo-dorian and Hypo-phrygian, which employ the new characters
and
, are known to be comparatively recent. The Phrygian and Lydian, it is true, employ the accented notes; but they do so only in the highest tetrachord (Hyperbolaiôn), which may not have been originally used in these high keys. The modified characters doubtless belong to an earlier period. They are needed for the three oldest keys—Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian—and also for the Enharmonic and Chromatic genera. If they are not part of the original scheme, the musician who devised them may fairly be counted as the second inventor of the instrumental notation.
In setting out the scales of the several keys it will be unnecessary to give more than the standing notes (phthongoi hestôtes), which are nearly all represented by original or unmodified letters—the moveable notes being represented by the modified forms described above. The following list includes the standing notes, viz. Proslambanomenos, Hypatê Hypatôn, Hypatê Mesôn, Mesê, Paramesê, Nêtê Diezeugmenôn and Nêtê Hyperbolaiôn in the seven oldest keys: the two lowest are marked as doubtful:—
It will be evident that this scheme of notation tallies fairly well with what we know of the compass of Greek instruments about the end of the fifth century, and also with the account which Aristoxenus gives of the keys in use up to his time. We need only refer to what has been said above on [p. 17] and [p. 37.]