2187/2048: Difference between revisions
Cmloegcmluin (talk | contribs) add pronunciation |
Dave Keenan (talk | contribs) Added etymology and relationship to limma |
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'''2187/2048''', the '''apotome''' (pronounced /əˈpɒtəmi/, like "a-POT-o'-me"), also known as the '''Pythagorean chromatic semitone''' or the '''Pythagorean chroma''', is the [[chromatic semitone]] in the [[Pythagorean tuning]]. It is the [[3-limit]] interval between seven perfect just fifths ([[3/2]]) and four octaves ([[2/1]]): 3<sup>7</sup>/2<sup>11</sup> = 2187/2048, and measures about 113.7¢. Unlike the situation in [[meantone]] tunings, it is larger, not smaller, than the corresponding diatonic semitone, which is the Pythagorean minor second of [[256/243]]. | '''2187/2048''', the '''apotome''' (pronounced /əˈpɒtəmi/, like "a-POT-o'-me"), also known as the '''Pythagorean chromatic semitone''' or the '''Pythagorean chroma''', is the [[chromatic semitone]] in the [[Pythagorean tuning]]. It is the [[3-limit]] interval between seven perfect just fifths ([[3/2]]) and four octaves ([[2/1]]): 3<sup>7</sup>/2<sup>11</sup> = 2187/2048, and measures about 113.7¢. Unlike the situation in [[meantone]] tunings, it is larger, not smaller, than the corresponding diatonic semitone, which is the Pythagorean minor second of [[256/243]]. | ||
According to the OED, the earliest English use of '''limma''' and '''apotome''' (alt. spelling "apotomy") with its musical as opposed to mathematical meaning<ref>https://www.scientificlib.com/en/Mathematics/LX/Apotome.html</ref>, is in 1694 in ''A Treatise of the Natural Grounds and Principles of Harmony''<ref>https://ota.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/repository/xmlui/bitstream/handle/20.500.12024/A44132/A44132.html</ref> by Church of England clergyman and natural philosopher William Holder. A relevant quote is "Difference between ... Tone Maj. and Limma. Apotome 2187 to 2048". The words are formed from the Greek, with "apo" meaning "away", "tome" meaning "cut" and limma meaning "remnant". So we begin with a major whole tone; the part cut away is the apotome (chromatic semitone) and the remnant is the limma (diatonic semitone). | |||
== Approximation == | == Approximation == |