In modern Western tonal music theory an augmented unison or augmented prime[3] is the interval between two notes on the same staff position, or having the same note letter, whose alterations cause them, in ordinary equal temperament, to be one semitone apart. In other words, it is a unison where one note has been altered by a half-step, such as B♭ and B♮ or C and C♯. The interval is often described as a chromatic semitone.[4] It is the enharmonic equivalent of a diatonic semitone or minor second.[1]
[edit] Diminished unison
The augmented unison is occasionally referred to also as a diminished unison. The first author to employ this term was apparently William White, in 1907.[5] Many sources reject the possibility or utility of the interval.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Porter, Steven (1986). Music, A Comprehensive Introduction, p.66. ISBN 9780935016819.
- ^ Burrows, Terry (1999). How To Read Music, p.62. ISBN 9780312241599.
- ^ Blood, Brian (2008 rev 2009). "Intervals". Music theory online. Dolmetsch Musical Instruments. http://www.dolmetsch.com/musictheory12.htm#unisons. Retrieved 25 December 2009.
- ^ Rushton, Julian. "Unison (prime)"]. Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/28790. Retrieved August 2011. (subscription needed)
- ^ White, William Alfred (1907). Harmony and ear-training. New York, Boston [etc.]: Silver, Burdett & Company.
- ^ Kostka and Payne (2003). Tonal Harmony, p.21. ISBN 0072852607. "There is no such thing as a diminished unison."
- ^ Day and Pilhofer (2007). Music Theory for Dummies, p.113. ISBN 0764578383. "There is no such thing as a diminished unison, because no matter how you change the unisons with accidentals, you are adding half steps to the total interval."
- ^ Surmani, Andrew; Karen Farnum Surmani, Morton Manus (2009) Alfred's Essentials of Music Theory: A Complete Self-Study Course for All Musicians Alfred Music Publishing. ISBN 0739036351, p. 135 "Since lowering either note of a perfect unison would actually increase its size, the perfect unison cannot be diminished, only augmented."
- ^ (1908). The Journal of School Music, p.263. "What he [Prof. White in Harmony and Ear Training] calls the 'diminished prime or unison' cannot possibly occur. It is simply an augmented unison. Because unison is 'the relation of two tones at the same pitch,' and when one of these is chromatically distanced, it creates the contradiction in terms known as 'augmented' unison; but the other term, 'diminished unison' is impossible on the face of it, because the 'same pitch' cannot be made less."
- ^ Gardner, Carl Edward (1912). Essentials of Music Theory, p.38. C. Fischer. ISBN 9781440067808. "The prime is also called an unison, but in speaking of intervals, it should always be called a prime. Correctly speaking, a perfect prime is not an interval, but in the theory of music it is so called. There is good reason for making this error, but none for called a diminished prime a diminished unison."
- ^ Smith, Uselma Clarke (1916). Keyboard Harmony, p.15. The Boston Music Company. "Note that the diminished unison and octave are not commonly used."
- ^ Aikin, Jim (2004). A Player's Guide to Chords & Harmony, p.32. ISBN 9780879307981. "In case you were wondering, there's no such thing as a diminished unison."
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Numbers in brackets are the number of semitones in the interval.
Fractional semitones are approximate.
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Twelve-semitone
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Perfect
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Major
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Minor
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Augmented
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Diminished
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Compound
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Supermajor
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Neutral
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Subminor
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| Other intervals |
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Groups
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Measurement
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Others
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