The Music and Musical Instruments of Southern India and the Deccan c6.75

c6.75

In a communication received from Mr. A. J. Hipkins, it is not acknowledged that there is any connection between the old Indian grâmas of 22 quarter-tones, or s'rutis, and the modern European scales, with major and minor tones and semitones, are founded upon the knowledge and practice of harmony. The Indian scale intervals ought to be understood as they are explained by native writers—namely, as a tone,¹⁶ a ¾-tone, and a ½-tone, composed of 4, 3, and 2 s'rutis respectively. With this conception of intervals, and it must be borne in mind the ¾-tone is still approved of in the East, a division of the octave into 24 equal quarter-tones becomes impossible. For as it was essential to secure an approximately perfect fourth with 9 s'rutis, and a fifth with 13, the division of the octave by 22 was the only one available. The error in the fourth of 9 equal s'rutis of a 22 division is no more than ⅕-comma, in melody scarcely noticeable, but the error in a 21 or in a 23 division could not have been easily tolerated. The s'rutis thus being a little wider than exactly equal quarter-tones, 54 6/11 cents instead of 50, the Indian grâmas in most intervals come near to those of our just intonation scales, but this resemblance is accidental, as the foundation is different. It must, however, not be forgotten that this scale of probably equal s'rutis was theoretical, and has long since been superseded by another and more practical system, and that equal measurements of a string will not represent accurately this old Hindu conception.