The article explores the specific concept of the “inverted minor” suggested by Vincent d’Indy. The reference point for the French musician was the theory of undertones by Hugo Riemann, whom d’Indy esteemed. With that, elaborating ideas of the German theorist, d’Indy extends the principle of symmetry of the series of overtones and undertones to the structure of scales (major and minor), as well as to the functional system of modes. The minor scale is built downward (the highest-pitched tone of the scale becomes the reference tone and the starting point), and the triad build from the fifth sound from the top (the second reference tone of the mode) is considered to be the dominant (opposite to the Riemannian understanding of this chord). However, d’Indy’s system, logic in theory, turns out to be inapplicable in practice without a number of reservations: thus, analysing Beethoven’s music and his own, d’Indy defines the actual pitch position of a minor as if its tonic is not the highest-pitched tone of the scale, but the fifth from the top (which corresponds to natural auditory perception, but does not correspond to the principle of complete symmetry of all components of the major and minor modes proclaimed by d’Indy). Seeking to avoid reproaches for arbitrary construction of quite an unusual scale, d’Indy substantiates the logic of the “inverted minor” from the historical point of view. As an example he gives folk tunes and addresses the reader to the medieval monody; he also points out Beethoven’s attempts to revive the modal system of eight church tones in his late quartets. According to his lectures, collected in the Cours de composition musicale, d’Indy considered his mission as a composer and a teacher to follow the similar way, liberating the creative practice from the dominance of the artificial minor
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