From David Cope, Techniques of the

Contemporary Composer, p. 27.

Various types of nontonal scales: modes, synthetic, and non-Western scales
Folk MusicCharacteristics
! Unusual phrase lengths (not restricted to 2, 4, 8, etc.)
! Metric variety: frequent use of mixed and additive meters
! Temporal uidity: use of irregular rhythmic subdivisions and tempo changes.
! Modal rather than tonal melodies; not bound to the tyrannical rule of the
major and minor keys (Bartk).
! Not restricted by equal temperament: use of microtonal pitch inections and
scales based on natural tuning systems.
! Free from the expressive pretensions of 19th-century art music.
Folk tune transcribed by Bla Bartk.
Irregular phrases
Flexible tempo
Irregular rhythmic subdivisions
Microtonal pitch inection
Diatonic Modes
White note version: Starting on C: Mode name:
Ionian
Dorian
Phrygian
Lydian
Mixolydian
Aeolian
Locrian
Diatonic Modes
Lydian:
Maurice Ravel: String Quartet in F (1903)
Phrygian:
Ralph Vaughn Williams: Variations on a Theme of Thomas Tallis (1910)
Pentatonic Scales
Derivation from diatonic scale:
The most familiar variety of pentatonic scale is the anhemitonic (I.e., without
semitones); it may be easily realized by playing on the black keys of the piano.
Pentatonic Scales
Anhemitonic variety:
Claude Debussy: Nuages from Nocturnes (1899)
Maurice Ravel: String Quartet in F (1903)
Claude Debussy: String Quartet (1893)
Pentatonic Scales
Other varieties:
Igor Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps (1913)
m2
M3
m2
P4
Whole-Tone Scale
Claude Debussy: Canope from Preludes Book II (1913)
A
B
Octatonic Scale
Three transpositions:
Two versions:
A
B
Major (whole-half)
Minor (half-whole)
1
2
3
Octatonic Scale
Two nested diminished 7th chords
Structure:
Four overlapping [013] pitch cells
Igor Stravinsky: Octet (1922)
Bla Bartk:
Mikrokosmos No. 99
Crossed Hands
Octatonic pentachord 1 (RH):
Octatonic pentachord 2 (LH):
These two octatonic pentachords
combine to form a single octatonic
collection.
Olivier Messiaen!s Modes of Limited Transposition
From David Cope, Techniques of the
Contemporary Composer, p. 27.
Mode 1: 6 pitches, 2 transpositions
(whole tone)
Mode 2: 8 pitches, 3 transpositions
(octatonic)
Mode 3: 9 pitches, 4 transpositions Mode 4: 8 pitches, 6 transpositions
Mode 5: 6 pitches, 6 transpositions Mode 6: 8 pitches, 6 transpositions
Mode 7: 10 pitches, 6 transpositions
2 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2
2 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 3 1 1
1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 1
1 4 1 1 4 1 2 2 1 1 2 2 1 1