Dastgāh-e Māhur

Dastgāh-e Māhūr or Dastgaah-e Maahur ( fa, دستگاه ماهور) is one of the seven ''Dastgāh''s of Persian Music (Classically, Persian Music is organized into seven ''Dastgāhs'' and five '' Āvāz''es, however from a merely technical point of view, one can consider them as an ensemble of 12 ''Dastgāh''s).

Introduction

The intervallic structure of the mode of ''Māhur'' partly parallels that of the major mode in western classic music. Yet, because of the other elements which go into the making of Persian modes, probably no melody in the major mode can be said to be in the mode of ''Māhur''. A far closer analogue from an intervallic standpoint is the Obikhod scale (widespread in Russian medieval Znamenny chant and folk song) and the Jewish Adonai malakh mode. The modal structure of ''Māhur'' is shown below for ''Māhur C'' :

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The characteristics of this mode are:
# The range is unusually wide, a minor 10th.
# The finalis (marked "Ā,F") has a central position; it is the linking tone of two conjunct major tetrachords. It is also the usual '' Āqāz''.
# The 7th above the finalis is a semi-tone flatter than its lower octave, the 2nd below.
# Leaps of thirds both ascending and descending are common.
# Ascending leaps of perfect fourths are occasionally used. A leap of perfect fifth from the finalis to the 5th above is rarely used. The use of such leaps makes ''Māhur'' capable of greater excitement than most other Persian modes. But, the melodic movement is still predominantly step-wise.

Forud

In ''Dastgāh-e Māhur'', because of its many diverse '' Guše''s, the role of the '' Forud'' is very significant in binding the whole repertoire together. In the ''Forud'', the 3rd and the 2nd below receive emphasis, and usually the finalis is approached from below. The following score is a typical ''Forud'' of ''Māhur'', transcribed here in ''Māhur C'' :

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The finalis may be approached from above. This type, as shown in the next score, is less typical and gives no emphasis to the tetrachord below the finalis:

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A third type of ''Forud'', given in the following score emphasis the four notes above and below the finalis:

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Darāmad

An authentic style of performance in ''Dastgāh-e Māhur'' customarily begins with an improvisation under the name of ''Moqaddame'' (meaning ''introduction'' in Persian) before the '' Darāmad''s. This ''Moqaddame'' is sometimes followed by a group of metric pieces, which are of recent origins and not of sufficient interest or authenticity to be considered here. The ''Moqaddame'' itself is nearly always included in a performance. It is a stately but unornate declamation which sets the tone for the ''Dastgāh'', even though its characteristics are not maintained throughout. The ''Moqaddame'' places more emphasis on the tetrachord below the finalis; its basic melodic pattern is given here in ''Māhur C'' :

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After the ''Moqaddame'', the ''Darāmad'' section begins. Here, certain modifications in the mode of ''Māhur'' are effected. These modifications are:
# The tetrachord above the finalis receives more emphasis than the tetrachord below it, except in the ''Forud''.
# The 2nd above the finalis (d in our scale) becomes the '' Šāhed''.
# The 4th above may function as the ''Āqāz'' in place of the finalis.
# The melodic movement is overwhelmingly diatonic. Rare leaps of thirds are used; larger leaps are avoided, unless between phrases.

The basic formula for a ''Darāmad'' in ''Māhur C'' is given in the following score:

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''Dāstgah-e Māhur'' is rich in the number and variety of its ''Guše''s, many of which modulate to modes very remote from the mode of Māhur itself. The major ''Guše''s are ''Dād'', ''Xosrovāni'', ''Tusi'', ''Azarbāyejāni'', ''Feyli'', ''Abol'', ''Delkaš'', ''Neyriz'', ''Šekaste'', ''Nahib'', ''Arāq'', ''Āšur'', ''Rāk'', ''Rāk-e Kašmir'', and ''Rāk-e Hendi''.

See also

* Dastgāh-e Šur

References

* Hormoz Farhat, ''The Dastgāh Concept in Persian Music'' (Cambridge University Press, 1990). , (first paperback edition, 2004).

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