A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Minor

by Hubert Parry

MINOR. When intervals have two forms which are alike consonant or alike dissonant, these are distinguished as major and minor. The minor form is always a semitone less than the major.

The consonances which have minor forms are thirds and sixths; the dissonances are seconds, sevenths and ninths; of these the minor thirds and sixths are the roughest of consonances, and the minor second is the roughest and the minor seventh the smoothest of dissonances.

Minor scales are so called because their chief characteristic is their third being minor. Minor tones are less than major by a comma. [See Major.] [App. p.719 "See also Day, vol. i. p. 436a, and Helmholtz, vol. i. p. 725."]

[ C. H. H. P. ]