Qenet

Qiñit (Amharic: ቅኝት; singular; alternatively spelled qignit) is a term used for a single pentatonic musical scale developed in Ethiopia. A qiñit consists of a set of intervals defining the mode of a musical piece or the tuning scale of the instrument playing the piece.¹ There are four main qiñit scales: Tizita (ትዝታ), Bati (ባቲ), Ambassel (አምባሳል), and Anchihoye (አንቺሆዬ).²³ Three additional modes are variations on the above: Tizita minor, Bati major, and Bati minor.⁴ Some songs take the name of their qiñit, such as Tizita, a song of reminiscence.³

History

Ashenafi Kebede was one of the early scholars to standardize the kignits of northern and central Ethiopia.

References

Weisser, Stéphanie; Falceto, Francis (2013). "Investigating qәñәt in Amhara secular music: An acoustic and historical study". Annales d'Ethiopie. 28: 299–322. doi:10.3406/ethio.2013.1539.
Kaufmann, Walter. Selected Musical Terms of Non-Western Cultures.
Shelemay, Kay Kaufman (2001). "Ethiopia". In Sadie, Stanley; Tyrrell, John (eds.). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Vol. viii (2nd ed.). London: Macmillan. p. 356.
Abatte Barihun, liner notes of the album Ras Deshen, 200.

[1] Weisser, Stéphanie; Falceto, Francis (2013). "Investigating qәñәt in Amhara secular music: An acoustic and historical study". Annales d'Ethiopie. 28: 299–322. doi:10.3406/ethio.2013.1539.

[2] Kaufmann, Walter. Selected Musical Terms of Non-Western Cultures.

[Grove356-3] Shelemay, Kay Kaufman (2001). "Ethiopia". In Sadie, Stanley; Tyrrell, John (eds.). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Vol. viii (2nd ed.). London: Macmillan. p. 356.

[Barihun-4] Abatte Barihun, liner notes of the album Ras Deshen, 200.

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