Reduced fret

O. Messian. Prelude for fp. “Plainte calme” (1929, fragment) is a typical example of the introduction of a symmetrical fret into an atonal composition. The play is based on the reduced scale 12121212 (d-es-f-ges-as-ahcd). However, in addition to the “main” steps, there are some others that are not included in it (in vols. 1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 11, 13). As a result of their application, the sound-altitude structure of the whole is not reduced to a “pure” reduced fret

Reduced fret - modal type fret, one of the most common symmetrical frets . The central element of the system is a reduced seventh chord (hence the term) ^[1] .

The scale of the reduced fret is formed by dividing the evenly tempered octave into four equal low-fusion tone segments - semitone (abbreviated 2 | 1) or semitone tone (1 | 2). For this reason, Yu.N. Kholopov calls the diminished fret also the “fuzzy system” ^[2] .

The first structure (2 | 1) in the Russian tradition is also called the "Rimsky-Korsakov scale" ^[3] . The resulting 8-speed scale in English musicology is called “octatonic scale ” ( English octatonic scale ) ^[4] .

Like other modal modes , the reduced mode refers to “frets of limited transposition” (O. Messian), that is, it is static in itself, it contains only limited possibilities for modulation . In this regard, it was used by composers mainly as colorful modalism within the major-minor key (F. Chopin, N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, P.I. Tchaikovsky, A.K. Lyadov, early I.F. Stravinsky and many others .dr.), or in combination with other symmetrical frets and “atonal” compositional techniques (see note example from music by O. Messian).