Pursuing this, it is easy to transpose from Voynich glyphs to tones and semitones, the glyphs and the notes being two sets of twelve.
In this way we can turn any Voynich text into music.
This is not to say it is music, and I am not proposing such, but we can at least test it for the sort of patterns that are structured in music.
It may, if nothing else, be a useful tool for exploring the patterns of the text and especially those that are implicit in the Template.
The only question is, what transpositions to make?
This must be entirely arbitrary, but it makes no difference if it is applied consistently.
We will simply start at middle C, and at the [q] in [qokeedy], and run the twelve notes of the chromatic scale through the glyphs in the Template (that are set up with the paradigms alternating.)
Here are our two paradigms (noticing the distribution of the tones and semitones.)
From this we can render any Voynich text into a simple, unadorned series of notes.
In the case of glyphs [o] and [d] we often need to judge from context. Thus, [ok] will be the [o] from [qokeedy] and [ol] will be the [o] from [chol], for example. Apply consistently.
We will not worry about the substitution glyphs such as [sh] and the different gallows or the benched gallows at this stage. Just twelve glyphs transposed to twelve notes.
(We could accomodate the substitution glyphs and other gallows by assuming they move to a different octave, but the patterns will be the same regardless. We might take it that the text covers four octaves, each indicated by one of the gallows glyphs. We can add this feature later.)
We will also adopt the convention that clusters of vowels such as [eeo] are notes played together - chords. This is optional, but works well.
* * *
What sort of music does this make?
Firstly, it is harmonious, not cacophonous. (But, at the same time, it is not Bach.)
Secondly, it is characterized throughout by short runs (refrains) of notes moving up the chromatic scale because the text keeps returning to the paradigmatic forms.
It sounds like someone trying to find the chromatic scale. They find parts of it, then other parts of it, and these interweave and overlap. The overall result is not unpleasant.
You can tap it out on a piano. It sounds better on an organ.
* * *
Here is a line of text with the notes given without regard for word breaks. The vowel clusters (chords) are in brackets:
f107v.P.26
oraiin.sheor.qokain.cheody.qokain.otal.okaiin.olkeeor.ar.al.oldy-
D# F A B C# (F#D#) F C D E A B C# (F#D#) G# Bb D E A F D E A B D# F E (F#D#) F A B A F D# F G# Bb
Word breaks could be added as pauses.
Here is the line given as individual words:
|
o |
r |
a |
iin |
|
D# |
F |
A |
B |
|
sh |
eo |
r |
|
C# |
F#D# |
F |
|
q |
o |
k |
a |
in |
|
C |
D |
E |
A |
B |
|
o |
t |
a |
l |
|
D |
E |
A |
F |
|
ch |
eo |
d |
y |
|
C# |
F#D# |
G# |
Bb |
|
o |
k |
a |
in |
|
D |
E |
A |
B |
|
o |
l |
k |
eo |
r |
|
D# |
F |
E |
F#D# |
F |
|
a |
r |
|
A |
Bb |
|
o |
l |
d |
y |
|
D# |
F |
G# |
Bb |
* * *
Again: I am not proposing the text is musical - although it might be - or that glyphs and notes should be matched in this way, but this is at least a natural and unforced transposition.
The interplay between tones and semitones is mainly what emerges as the phenomenon of interest, but that is what you would expect from the chromatic scale.
Still, some words such as [qokaiin] are made entirely of tones, without semitones, and other words vice versa.
It allows some interesting and perhaps revealing explorations, and is perhaps a better way to consider some types of patterns.
* * *
Here are the first lines of the rather musical looking page f81r:
polchey.qokedy.shol.opchedy.olpchedy.ofshdy.oly-
ED#F (C#F#) Bb CDEF#G#Bb C#D#F DE (C#F#) G#Bb D#FEC#F#G#Bb DEC#G#Bb D#FBb-
dchey.lshl.olcheokol.chol.otar.chedy.oky-
G (C#F#) Bb FC#F D#F (C#F#D) ED#F C#D#F DEAB C#F#G#Bb DEBb-
qotey.lchees.olkal.ol.chedy.okar.shedy-
CDEF#Bb FC#F#C# D#FEAF D#F C#F#G#Bb
If you want to play across octaves, to make it more interesting, I suggest following the gallows glyphs in the order: T K P F.
K is the octave with middle C. T is an octave lower, and P and then F are higher octaves.
R.B.
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