Other language tone names

This article gives an overview of the names of the root tones , the derived tones and the keys in different languages.

Names of the root tones

German :	C.	D.	E.	F.	G	A.	H
Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Polish, Slovak, Czech, Serbian, Croatian, Hungarian, Latvian (until 1940):	C.	D.	E.	F.	G	A.	H
English, Dutch, Chinese:	C.	D.	E.	F.	G	A.	B.
French:	ut / do	re	mi	fa	Sol	la	si
Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Latvian (since 1940):	do	re	mi	fa	Sol	la	si
Portuguese:	Do	Re	Wed	Fa	Sol	Lá	Si
Bulgarian:	до	ре	ми	фа	сол	ла	си
Russian:	до	ре	ми	фа	соль	ля	си
Greek:	Ντο	Ρε	Μι	Φα	Σολ	Λα	Σι
Japanese:	ハ ha	ニ ni	ホ ho	ヘ hey	ト to	イ i	ロ ro

The absolute pitches were originally designated according to the alphabet: A, B, C, D, E, F, G.

The fact that the original root tone "B" is called "H" in German goes back to a spelling that has been differentiated since the 10th century, the tone in a lower variant than " b rotundum " ("round b"), and in a higher variant noted as “ b quadratum ” (“square b”). The latter, the angular spelling of the B gradually developed into an "h" and solidified in the 16th century with the advent of letterpress printing. The "H" lowered by a semitone, the former b rotundum , is called "B" in German. In contrast, in the English-speaking world, the designation "B" has remained for the root tone until today; the one half tone lower is called " B flat " (B ♭ ). In Dutch , too , the German H is called B , but the B is called Bes . The German is not the only language in which the spelling with H has prevailed as the below-Stammton C. The same spelling is used, for example, in Scandinavian ( Danish , Swedish ), West and South Slavic ( Polish , Czech , Slovak , Slovenian , Croatian , Serbian ) languages ​​and in Hungarian .

Russian actually uses the Romance tone names, but the German names are just as common in everyday life. Italian instrument names and German note names (e.g. Corni in Eb / Clarinetti in Bb) can be found in almost all Russian scores well into the 20th century. Jazz musicians are of course familiar with the Anglo-Saxon terms there too. There is a kind of multilingualism .

In Romania, too, the German names are known and used as an alternative, as many Romanian musicians have studied in German-speaking countries - mostly in Vienna - and the Hungarian, Serbian and German minorities in the country use the German tone names.

In the so-called solfeggio theory or solmization , it is not the absolute pitches that are referred to, but the position of the tones within a key. This makes it easier to transpose a melody into any other key and is used at international and German-speaking music colleges, for example. B. used in ear training. The relative pitches are denoted by the Italian syllables do , re , mi , fa , so , la , si .

In France , Italy , Spain , Portugal , Romania and other countries, e.g. B. the CIS countries and Bulgaria , these solmization syllables are used throughout as tone names, which go back to the John's hymn :

Ut queant laxis / re sonare fibris / mi ra gestorum / fa muli tuorum / sol ve polluti / la bii reatum / S ancte I ohannes.

Later the syllable "ut" was replaced by the better-to-sing "do".

In Japanese , the notes from A to G are designated according to the Iroha numbering and are written in the katakana alphabet.

In popular music genres that received strong impulses from English-speaking countries, and in international communication in English, German musicians also use the English designation "B" for the "H" - or, for the sake of clarity, at least "B ♭ " for "B" ( no ambiguity can occur with the "H").

Designations of the raised and lowered tones

In German, Dutch, Hungarian and in West Slavonic and similarly in Scandinavian languages, the raised and lowered ( altered ) tones are characterized in that a suffix is added to the respective root tone , namely

• -is at by a cross ( ♯ increased) tones (z. B. Fis , Cis ), and
• -es with tones lowered by a ♭ (e.g. Des , Ges ; exceptions in German: H → B; E → Es and A → As).

In most other languages, the name for cross or ♭ is appended to the tone name or (in Japanese and Chinese) prefixed to the tone name.

• For raised tones:
  • English sharp (F sharp = F sharp, C sharp = C sharp)
  • Italian diesis (Fis = fa diesis, Cis = do diesis)
  • French dièse (Fis = fa dièse, Cis = do dièse or ut dièse)
  • Spanish sostenido (Fis = fa sostenido, Cis = do sostenido)
  • Portuguese sustenido (Fis = Fá sustenido, Cis = Dó sustenido)
  • Romanian diez (Fis = fa diez, Cis = do diez)
  • Bulgarian диез (Fis = фа диез, Cis = до диез)
  • Russian диез (Fis = фа диез , Cis = до диез )
  • Greek δίεση díesi (Fis = Φα δίεση , Cis = Ντο δίεση )
  • Japanese 嬰 ei (Fis =嬰 へ ei-he , Cis =嬰 ハ ei-ha )
  • Chinese 升 shēng (F sharp =升 F, C sharp =升 C)
  • Latin durum (h = b durum )
• with lowered tones:
  • English flat (Des = D flat, Ges = G flat)
  • Italian bemolle (Des = re bemolle, Ges = sol bemolle)
  • French bémol (Des = ré bémol, Ges = sol bémol)
  • Spanish bemol (Des = re bemol, Ges = sol bemol)
  • Portuguese bemol (Des = Ré bemol, Ges = Sol bemol)
  • Romanian bemol (Des = re bemol, Ges = sol bemol)
  • Bulgarian бемол (Des = ре бемол, Ges = сол бемол)
  • Russian бемоль (Des = ре бемоль , Ges = соль бемоль )
  • Greek ύφεση ýfesi (Des = Ρε ύφεση , Ges = Σολ ύφεση )
  • Japanese 変 hen (Des =変 ニ hen-ni , Ges =変 ト hen-to )
  • Chinese 降 jiàng (Des =降 D, Ges =降 G)
  • Latin molle (b = b molle )

Designations of the tone sexes

The scale type Dur is designated as follows:

• English major (C major = C major)
• Italian maggiore (C major = do maggiore)
• French majeur (C major = ut majeur or do majeur)
• Spanish mayor (C major = do mayor)
• Portuguese maior (C major = Dó maior)
• Romanian major (C major = do major)
• Bulgarian мажор (C major = до мажор)
• Russian мажор (C major = до мажор )
• Greek μείζων mízon (C major = Ντο μείζονα Do mízona )
• Japanese 長 調 chōchō ("long key", C major =ハ 長 調 ha-chōchō )
• Chinese 大 调 dàdiào ("major key", C major = C大 调 )

The minor key is designated as follows:

• English minor (A minor = A minor)
• Italian minore (A minor = la minore)
• French mineur (A minor = la mineur)
• spanish menor (a minor = la menor)
• Portuguese menor (A minor = Lá menor)
• Romanian minor (A minor = la minor)
• Bulgarian минор (A minor = ла минор)
• Russian минор (A minor = ля минор )
• Greek έλασσον élasson (A minor = Λα ελάσσονα La elassóna )
• Japanese 短 調 tanchō ("short key", A minor =イ 短 調 i-tanchō )
• Chinese 小调 xiǎodiào ("small key", A minor = a小调 )

Web links

• Comparison of the English and German tone description

Remarks

1. ↑ In popular music literature, a compromise notation is often used. The note name "H" is retained for the seventh root. But the semitone before the B is not called "B " (as is usual in German), but rather "B ♭ " (as is usual in English). Confusion with the English “B” and the German “B” is practically impossible.
2. ↑ In Sweden, the term B is sometimes used for this sound: sound designation causes conflicts ( Memento from March 25, 2016 in the Internet Archive ), Swedish Broadcasting (SR), Swedish.
3. ↑ ‹ut› now only means the key (ut majeur / mineur); ‹Do› means the tone c, but nowadays it can also mean the key (C: / c :) like ‹ut›: