Iranian classicl music
BioFreak
to one of the performances of Iranian
classical music that spanned over 8 links I
think. In that message I had mentioned my
intention of gradually introducing you to
other areas of Iranian music. Here I will
describe the general structure of Iranian
classical music. This is a rather invovled
subject so be patient and pay close
attention.
The thorough and systematic investigation of
what remains of Iranian classical music has
shown that it falls under seven (some say
eight) major types or Workshops ("dastgAh").
The specific names of these Workshops will
not make any sense here ("shur, segAh,
homAyun, mAhur, ...") but it is interesting
to note that they have not been able to find
and categorize say ten or 12 of them, or
limit what's available to, say, four
workshops. It falls somewhere close to 7 :-)
Reasons for that are pretty involved and I'm
skipping it.
When a performance is carried out, the entire
performance is conducted within the confines
of one and the same Workshop. It can take
about two hours. The traversing of various
steps through such procedure is called
Procession ("radif"). It has a Start or
introduction ("pishdarAmad") taking about 7
minutes, then an Ascent ("darAmad"). This
latter part, the Ascent, takes the music to
one of the Moods ("hAlat") of a collection of
Corners ("gusheh") that exists inside that
Workshop. There are other collections of
identical Corners there but under different
Moods. The Ascent can place you only in one
of the Moods at a time. But when inside that
Mood, you are free to step into any Corner
you wish and choose providing that you stay
in that same Mood. Moods include Sorrow
("gham"), Fear ("tars"), Happiness ("ShAdi"),
Anger ("khashm"), Astonishment ("heyrat"),
Research ("pazhuhesh"), Bewilderment
("afsun"), etc. All these Moods and Corners
are predefined fully set Iranian melodies and
tunes and knowing them is a must for a
musician or a singer, because it is only
after knowing and mastering all of them that
he or she begins to try going on their own
creating and adding (or interpreting) new
stuff. A singer who has gone beyond mastering
it all and has created his or her own Corners
here and there within Workshops, is called a
Master or Maestro ("ostAd").
As I said, all such Moods and Corners are
themselves within a single Workshop. Other
Workshops, each, have their own set of Moods
and Corners. Also remember that the singer
leads and decides. It is the singer who
determines what Mood to try and what Corners
within that Mood to get in and in what order.
What the instruments do all along is also
predefined and depends strongly on which part
of the Procession the Performance they're at
and what the singer is doing. Sometimes
instruments lead, sometime they lag the
singer. The speed or Tempo ("reng") with
which the music is performed, also, depends
on the spot they're at in the Procession.
A singer can decide to try more than just one
Mood in the same Procession. She may decide
for instance to Ascend to Mood of Fear
("tars") first and try a few Corners there,
then Ascend to another Mood, say, Sorrow
("gham") and go through a few Corners there.
It is all up to her! But not totally perhaps,
because there is after all a meaningful
tradition in each Workshop, to the overall
choice of Moods that most singers more or
less follow, because the overall theme and
purpose of the performance can at least to
some extent fix that. For instance the Mood
of Dance ("raghs") can rarely ever follow a
Mood of Fear. It would not make much sense
(and it's not German post-war modern dance
that she's performing either). Fear is not
the conclusion to our Moods and/or
endeavours. Logically other Moods must follow
that. As a matter of fact Performances almost
always have a happy rhythmical Ending ("renge
khAtemeh") at the very end of the
Performance. The actual Dance ("raghs")
section, if present, is carried out during
the Ending.
I'm not done yet :) Because there's another
piece to the Procession. After the singer is
done with a particular Mood, and before she
Ascends to another one (or decides to Descend
and finish the Piece ("tekkeh")) she may let
an instrument take over and do Solo
("taknavAzi"). Usually Drums ("zarb") is
given the chance if she wishes to rest and
charge her mind up for a more active Mood,
and Flute ("ney") is given the chance when
she wants to just contemplate on what to do,
and/or wishes to get fully into the mood for
the her next choice of Mood. Anyway,
different instruments may get their chances
to do Solo before eventually she decides to
take the music to the Fast stage
("chAhAr-mezrAb"). This latter stage, the
Fast, is a rhythmical fast performance in
which all the instruments and the singer
cover the main theme of that particular
Workshop with the loudest volume. When Fast
is over, Singer Descends to the Ending as
explained above and finishes the Performance.
Before I go (to come back next weekend) I
would also like to at least give you some
understanding of what a Corner is. It is
after all the heart of what Iranian music is.
To explain it, perhaps I should mention that
you can't start a Performance from a Corner.
You must have an Ascent to it then Descend
from it. A Corner doesn't stand on its own.
An example should make this clear. Do you
remember the famous Beatles song, "And I love
her"? For now put aside the fact that they
stole the gist of it from an Indian tune and
just try to review it in your mind. Do you
have the song in your mind right now? Now
start from silence and suddenly start singing
it not from where the lyrics begins but from
the moment it says,
"A love like ours
Could never die
As long as I
Have you near me"
And stop there. What you just "sang" is not a
tune or melody. It doesn't have the Ascent to
it and it doesn't have the Descent from it.
It is a Corner though :) A Corner inside the
Mood of Love ("eshgh").
Oraleh, adios muchachos till otra weekendos.
--
"az in harfhA gAv besotuh miyAd."
Uncle Al
[snip OT crap]
"Iranian classicl music" - How good is a BLT served at a delicatessan?
--
Uncle Al
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/
(Toxic URL! Unsafe for children and most mammals)
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/lajos.htm#a2
Androcles
"Uncle Al" <Uncl...@hate.spam.net> wrote in message
news:46DC4274...@hate.spam.net...
[snip crap]
Fuckhead.
--
'we establish by definition that the "time" required by
light to travel from A to B equals the "time" it requires
to travel from B to A' because I SAY SO and you have to
agree because I'm the great genius, STOOOPID, don't you
dare question it. -- Rabbi Albert Einstein
http://www.androcles01.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Smart/tAB=tBA.gif
'we establish by definition that the "time" required by
light to travel from A to B doesn't equal the "time" it requires
to travel from B to A in the stationary system, obviously.' --
Heretic Jan Bielawski, assistant light-bulb changer.
Ref: news:1188363019....@k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com
"What can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without
evidence." -- Uncle Stooopid.
"Counterfactual assumptions yield nonsense.
If such a thing were actually observed, reliably and reproducibly, then
relativity would immediately need a major overhaul if not a complete
replacement." -- Humpty Roberts.
Rabbi Albert Einstein in 1895 failed an examination that would
have allowed him to study for a diploma as an electrical engineer
at the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule in Zurich
(couldn't even pass the SATs).
According to Phuckwit Duck it was geography and history that Einstein
failed on, as if Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule would give a
damn. That tells you the lengths these lying bastards will go to to
protect their tin god, but its always a laugh when they slip up.
Trolls, the lot of them.
"This is PHYSICS, not math or logic, and "proof" is completely
irrelevant." -- Humpty Roberts.
Uncle Al
[snip crap]
> Rabbi Albert Einstein
[snip rest of crap]
The Androclitty doctrine: Protect confused angry ignorance against
achievement through technical incompetence exercising intellectual
irresponsibility.
Hey Androclitty, "Hab SoSlI' Quch!
Androcles
: Androcles wrote:
: [snip crap]
:
: > Rabbi Albert Einstein
: [snip rest of crap]
:
: The Androclitty doctrine: Protect confused angry ignorance against
: achievement through technical incompetence exercising intellectual
: irresponsibility.
http://sound.westhost.com/counterfeit.jpg
--
'we establish by definition that the "time" required by
light to travel from A to B equals the "time" it requires
to travel from B to A' because I SAY SO and you have to
agree because I'm the great genius, STOOOPID, don't you
dare question it. -- Rabbi Albert Einstein
http://www.androcles01.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Smart/tAB=tBA.gif
'we establish by definition that the "time" required by
light to travel from A to B doesn't equal the "time" it requires
to travel from B to A in the stationary system, obviously.' --
Heretic Jan Bielawski, assistant light-bulb changer.
Ref: news:1188363019....@k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com
"SR is GR with G=0." -- Uncle Stooopid.
Uncle Al
[snip prolix crap]
> Rabbi Albert Einstein
[snip rest of 60 lines of prolix crap]
The Androclitty doctrine: Protect confused angry ignorance against
achievement through technical incompetence exercising intellectual
irresponsibility.
Hey Androclitty, "Hab SoSlI' Quch!
Androcles
: Androcles wrote:
: [snip prolix crap]
:
: > Rabbi Albert Einstein
: [snip rest of 60 lines of prolix crap]
:
: The Androclitty doctrine: Protect confused angry ignorance against
: achievement through technical incompetence exercising intellectual
: irresponsibility.
:
: Hey Androclitty, "Hab SoSlI' Quch!