Ditone

Audio sample ditone (81:64) compared to the pure major third (5: 4)

Diatonic intervals
Prime second third fourth fifth sixth seventh octave none decime undezime duodecime tredezime semitone / whole tone
Special intervals
Microinterval Comma Diësis Limma Apotome Ditone Tritone Wolf fifth Natural septime
units
Cent Millioctave Octave Savart

The ditone (or ditonus ) in music denotes an interval of two large whole tones .

In Pythagorean mood of ditone corresponds to the frequency ratio  ⁸¹ / ₆₄ and is known as Pythagorean large third :

${\displaystyle \left({\frac {9}{8}}\right)^{2}={\frac {81}{64}}}$≈ 407.82 cents

This is a syntonic point  ( ⁸¹ / ₈₀ ≈ 21.51 cents) is greater than the pure major third ( ⁵ / ₄ = ⁸⁰ / ₆₄ ≈ 386.31 cents).

The Pythagorean third octave is obtained by the superposition of four fifths integer (frequency ratio ³ / ₂ ):

${\displaystyle {\frac {3}{2}}}$→ → → two octaves lower: ${\displaystyle {\frac {9}{4}}}$ ${\displaystyle {\frac {27}{8}}}$ ${\displaystyle {\frac {81}{16}}\,,}$ ${\displaystyle {\frac {81}{64}}}$

In ancient Greek and medieval music theory , the ditone was generally viewed as a dissonance . In the 12th century, Theinred von Dover was the first music theorist to allow thirds to be considered consonances in principle , but emphasized that the Pythagorean thirds did not represent consonances. The English music theorist Walter Odington (14th century) also declared the ditone with the proportion 81:64 to be dissonant, but mentioned that most considered this interval to be consonant because of its proximity to the interval with the proportion 5: 4.

See also

• Tone structure (mathematical description)

Web links

• Ditone. In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).

Individual evidence

1. ↑ John L. Snyder:  Theinred of Dover. In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).
2. ↑ John L. Snyder: Theinred of Dover on Consonance: A Chapter in the History of Harmony. In: Music Theory Spectrum , Vol. 5, Spring, 1983, pp. 110-120, JSTOR 746098
3. ↑ Wilfried Neumaier: What is a sound system? (= Sources and studies on music history from antiquity to the present , No. 9). Publishing house Peter Lang, Frankfurt a. M. / Bern / New York 1986, ISBN 3-8204-9492-8 , p. 215.