Elis - Ballade

The designations Dur and Moll originate from the small letter b, by means of which medieval notes indicated how to play the “B flat” (in German B) inside the scales, the so-called hexachords. Depending on the pitch, the letter b was made angular (higher) or rounded (lower). And since at that time they liked to speak in learned Latin, the first sign was called “b durum” (“b hard”), and the second “b molle" ("b soft"). These designations were later used to characterize the “modes”: Dur and Moll, that is, minor and major.