The hypodorian mode, literally meaning 'below dorian', is a musical mode or diatonic scale of ancient Greece that was based upon the dorian tetrachord: a series of rising intervals of a semitone followed by two whole tones. The rising scale for the octave is a single tone followed by two conjoint dorian tetrachords. This is the same as playing all the white notes of a piano from A to A: A | B C D E | (E) F G A. Confusingly, this scale in mediaeval and modern music theory came to be known as the aeolian or minor mode. Due to historical confusion, Dorian mode can refer to two very different musical modes or diatonic scales. ... In music, a mode is an ordered series of musical intervals, which, along with the key or tonic, define the pitches. ... In music theory, a diatonic scale is a scale whose notes are built on the natural staff positions of lines and spaces, with no accidentals, with or without a key signature. ... Ancient Greece is the term used to describe the Greek-speaking world in ancient times. ... Due to historical confusion, Dorian mode can refer to two very different musical modes or diatonic scales. ... The tetrachord is a concept of music theory borrowed from ancient Greece. ... The musical interval of a half step, semitone, or minor second is the relationship between the leading tone and the first note (the root or tonic) in a major scale. ... The musical interval of a major second — also called a whole-tone — is the relationship between the first note (the root or tonic) and the second note in a major scale (and also a minor scale). ... The aeolian mode is a musical mode or diatonic scale. ... A minor scale in musical theory is a diatonic scale whose third scale degree is an interval of a minor third above the tonic. ...

The mediaeval music scholars, misunderstanding the Latin texts by Boethius of how the Greek modes were reckoned, used the term hypodorian to describe the second mode of church music. This mode is the plagal counterpart of the authentic first mode, which was dubbed dorian. The ecclesiastical hypodorian mode is based on the relative scale of 'white notes' from D to D, with the musical dominant, the reciting note, or tenor at the minor third on the scale (or F, in the D to D scale). The melodic range of the ecclesiatical hypodorian mode ranges from the perfect fourth below the tonic to the perfect fifth above. Latin is the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... There are several persons called Bo thius: Philosophers: Anicius Manlius Severinus thius - to many scholars this is the Bo thius, a late-Roman writer best known for his works in philosophy and theology. ... The musical interval of a minor third is the relationship between the first note (the root or tonic) and the third note in a minor scale. ... The musical interval of a perfect fourth, often P4, is the relationship between the first note (the root or tonic) and the fourth note (subdominant) in a major scale. ... The musical interval of a perfect fifth is the relationship between the first note (the root or tonic) and the fifth note in a major scale. ...