White Note Fantasy, Part II: A Few Hypertonal Variations

This article is a continuation of White Note Fantasy, Part I, published in MTO Vol. 4, No. 3 (May 1998). Part II combines some of the work done by others on three fundamental aspects of diatonic systems: underlying scale structure, harmonic structure, and basic voice leading. This synthesis allows the recognition of select hyperdiatonic systems which, while lacking some of the simple and direct character of the usual (“historical”) diatonic system, possess a richness and complexity which have yet to be fully exploited.