ORIGIN AND NATURE OF MINOR 183 



tions are drawn from modern or primitive melodies, or 

 whether we devise them as we proceed, so long as they 

 are in one voice and exemplify the special case under 

 consideration. We may now answer the above ques- 

 tions beginning with the second. Yes, there are three 

 other combinations of diatonics which frequently ap- 

 pear in primitive melodies in the relation of small 

 thirds. One is sol down to mi, which like do to la 

 dates back as far as the pentatonic period, and which 

 insistently reports the major Tonic-harmony (I), sol 

 asserting itself as 5, mi as 3. Later on when the down- 

 leader /a and the upleader ti had made their appear- 

 ance, melody introduced two other combinations, 

 namely, /a down to re, re down to ti. During the ante- 

 minor stage of music when melody had evolved but a 

 scant web of harmonic threads and had generated at 

 most three regnant harmonies, namely, I, V and IV, 

 not one of these combinations in small thirds could 

 have generated the minor consonance. Why not? 

 Simply and obviously because these original har- 

 monies of melody necessarily and always appear in 

 correlation, as demonstrated by primitive melodies of 

 birds and men. Because of this necessary correlation 

 the combinations /a to re and re to ti insistently report 

 the major Dominant-harmony (V),/a asserting itself 

 as 7, r^ as 5, ti as 3. Indeed, the original relations of 

 original tones are so deeply rooted in harmonic feeling 

 that even to-day we cannot change them except 

 through deliberate reflection and a voluntary effort of 

 selection which in every such case results in a modula- 

 tion. Needless to say it would be the height of ab- 

 surdity to accuse man of such refined intellectual 



