Introduction to the Study of Musical Scales

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Man’s awareness, from time immemorial, of the power of sound when its notes are arranged in certain patterns to elevate him to the region of absolute bliss or plunge him to the abyss of utter despair, has led him to formulate rules for coordinating sounds to evoke the desired response. In the process he discovered the correspondence between sounds and different aspects of universe; the scales of five and seven notes represent the five elements and seven planets; the movements of these notes in the regions of the twelve octaves have their parallel in the planetary motions across the twelve signs of the zodiac. The obstacles in his path for the formulation of a perfect scale of music in which the acoustic intervals shall be sufficient and simple to give the harmony, which shall evoke such images and feelings that shall transport him to the realms of pure joy, are many. Yet his search has not ceased. This book, Introduction to the Study of Musical Scales by Alain Danielou describes man’s unending quest for the right musical scale. This book is unique as it brings out in very clear language the importance of the study of musical scales; for music is the force that cements the relation between terrestrial and cosmic phenomena.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Alain Danielou

Alain Danielou is Director of the International Institute for Comparative Music Studies and Documentation, Berlin, and adviser for Oriental Music to the International Music Council (UNESCO). Born in Paris, he pursued scientific and artistic studies before specializing in musicology. He traveled extensively in North Africa, the Middle East, China and Japan and then settled in India, where he studied Indian Music and philosophy, Hindi and Sanskrit, and made a unique collection (over 800) of Sanskrit manuscripts on music. In 1949 he was appointed Research Professor of Music at Benares Hindu University and in 1954 became Director of the Adyar Library and Research Centre in Madras. In 1959 he returned to Europe, joining the Ecole Francaise d' Extreme Orient in Paris, and subsequently became Director of Studies of the Centre d'Etudes de Musique Orientale of Paris. He has written extensively in both French and English on Oriental Music and on many aspects of Indian history and culture, and has also published two novels. He is the general editor of the three UNESCO collections of records: "Anthology of the Orient" (Barenreiter Musicaphon), "Musical Sources" (Philips, Holland) and "Musical Altas" (EMI, Italy).