tonos

tonos, concept in ancient Greek music, pertaining to the placement of scale patterns at different pitches and closely connected with the notion of octave species (q.v.). Through transposition of the Greater Perfect System (comprising two octaves descending from the A above middle C to the second A below) to a higher or lower pitch level, each tonos causes a different octave species to fall within the octave e′–e (E above middle C to the E...