Editing Octatonic scale (section)

{{Short description|Musical scale}}
{{for|the sound production technology|Octophonic sound}}
{{redirect|8-28|the calendar date|August 28}}
{{Image frame|content=<score sound="1">
{
\override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
\relative c' {
  \clef treble \key c \major \time 8/4
  c4 d es f fis gis a b c2
} }
</score>

<score sound="1">
{
\override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
\relative c' {
  \clef treble \key c \major \time 8/4
  c4 cis dis e fis g a bes c2
} }
</score>|width=300|caption=The two octatonic scales on C}}

An '''octatonic scale''' is any eight-[[Musical note|note]] [[musical scale]]. However, the term most often refers to the [[ancohemitonic scale|ancohemitonic]] [[symmetric scale]] composed of alternating [[major second|whole]] and [[semitone|half steps]], as shown at right. In classical theory (in contrast to [[jazz theory]]), this symmetrical scale is commonly called the ''octatonic scale'' (or the '''''octatonic collection'''''), although there are a total of 43 enharmonically inequivalent, transpositionally inequivalent eight-note sets.

The earliest systematic treatment of the octatonic scale was in [[Edmond de Polignac]]'s unpublished treatise "Étude sur les successions alternantes de tons et demi-tons (Et sur la gamme dite majeure-mineure)" (''Study of the Succession of Alternating Whole Tones and Semitones (and of the so-called Major-Minor Scale)'') from c. 1879,{{sfn|Kahan|2009|loc={{Page needed|date=December 2014}}}} which preceded [[Vito Frazzi]]'s ''Scale alternate per pianoforte'' of 1930{{sfn|Frazzi|1930}} by 50 years.{{sfn|Sanguinetti|1993|loc={{Page needed|date=December 2014}}}}