The Persian Classical mode Dastgâh-e Shur and its daughters. A musical Aufwachsmittel (wake-up potion).

Set #1 - 8:00am - 9:00am

†1. Avâz-e Abu Ata

10:09

("Abu Ata is purple or bright coffee in color and seems to be best played from noon until four in the afternoon. Its element is earth and its mystic connotation ranges from shariat (the law) to tariqat (the path)." This, and the following descriptions, are taken from the Foundation for Iranian Studies website, which looks like an authoritative source.)

†2. Avâz-e Bayat Zand

13:41

(Those opening arpeggios are a surprise. Also called Bayat Turk. "Turk seems to be smoke color or black and fits the hours from noon until four in the afternoon. Its element is earth and its mystic connotation is shariat (the law).")

†3. Avâz-e Afshari

11:44

("Afshari is burnt brown and fits the hours from noon till four in the afternoon. Its element is earth and its mystic connotation ranges from shariat (the law) to tariqat (the path).")

†4. Avâz-e Dashti

11:03

("Dashti seems brown, and its time might be in the afternoon from noon until four o'clock. Its element is earth and its mystic connotation ranges from shariat (the law) to tariqat (the path).")

Set #2 - 9:00am - 10:00am

5. Avâz-e Abuata (rec. 2008)

Kiu Haghighi - santur & dombak

Kiu Haghighi, Santour Virtuoso: Musical Mosaic

KH Productions, 00261 24105

36'

6. Avâz-e Dashti

(rec. 1992)

Hossein 'Omoumi - ney, Madjid Khaladj - tombak, Rezâ Majubi - violin

The Song of the Ney

Nimbus Records, NI 7060/1

13:02

Set #3 - 10:00am - 11:00am

†7. Dastgâh-e Shur

14:54

(Scale of Shur on finalis G = E½b F G A½b Bb C D(natural in ascending lines; ½b in descending lines) Eb. Note that the lower 6th scale degree is sharper than the upper 6th degree by a quarter tone. That's not as weird as it sounds; the microtonal inflections are governed by melodic movement. "Shur is fire red in color and is best played from late morning until noon. The element associated with Shur is fire [the pre-Islamic Persians were fire-worshippers] and its mystic connotation ranges from tariqat (the path) to marafat (gnosis). Shur demands concentration on the part of the listener and is good for meditation. It is one of the most important dastgâh and was called the "mother of modes" by the ancients. Five [sic] auxiliary modes are associated with Shur." The four auxiliary modes called avâz (don't ask me how they're derived – I'm still working on it) are the ones broadcast in the previous two hours.)

†Tracks 1-4 & 7 (rec. 2006)

Fakhri Malekpour - Persian-tuned piano
Fakhri Malekpour: Mashqe Ostad

Avaye Honar & Andisheh Institute of Culture and Art, n.n.

(Persian piano technique calls for more ornamentation – rolls, tremolos, and accents – than its Western-European counterpart. The left hand shadows in outline form the melody in the right, per the performer's taste. In other words, there's no harmony but some are tempted.)

8. Dastgâh-e Shur (rec. 1976-79)
Daryoush Tala'i - tar, Djamchid Chemirani - tombak

Musique iranienne
Harmonia mundi, HMA 190391
25:36

9. Dastgâh-e Shur

4:41

10. Layli (first section)

3:45

11. Layli (second section)

2:53

12. Shahrashub

2:23

Tracks 9-12 (rec. 1995)

Jalal Zolfonun - setar, Soheil Zolfonun - setar, Bijan Zangeneh - daf & tombak

Kord Bayat: Traditional Music from Iran

Music of the World, CDT-134

I learned myself Farsi in order to present this episode. The Persian-tuned piano sounds a lot like the santur [hammered dulcimer], and vice versa. Bear with me as I describe the dastgâhs [modal system of Persian classical music] from a dilettante's point of view.

Set #1 - 8:00am - 9:00am

†1. Dastgâh-e Homayoun

17:58

("Humâyân, meaning "lucky" or "fortunate", has a touching character and contains the most sentimental gûsheh-s [melodies] of the radîf [repertoire].")

*2. Dastgâh-e Homayoun

28:17

(Listen attentively.)

†3. Dastgâh-e Segah

13:32

("... Segâh bring[s] about a state of calm and concentration...." = equanimity.)

Set #2 - 9:00am - 10:00am

†4. Dastgâh-e Chahargah

14:24

("Chahargah['s] bold, martial accents are supposed to excite the passions...")

*5. Dastgâh-e Chahargah

28:44

(You tell me the mood of this mode at kds(at)umfm(dot)com, and you'll win a Komodo Dragon Show T-shirt.)

*Tracks 2 & 5 (rec. 1992)

Hossein 'Omoumi - ney, Madjid Khaladj - tombak

The Song of the Ney

Nimbus Records, NI 7060/1

Set #3 - 10:00am - 11:00am

6. Avâz-e Abuata (rec. 2008)

Kiu Haghighi - santur & dombak

Kiu Haghighi, Santour Virtuoso: Musical Mosaic

KH Productions, 00261 24105

36'

("Abu Ata is purple or bright coffee in color and seems to be best played from noon until four in the afternoon. Its element is earth and its mystic connotation ranges from shariat (the law) to tariqat (the path)." This, and other useful information from the Foundation for Iranian Studies.)

†7. Dastgâh-e Nava

9:28

("... somber, dignified and serious... the reflective mode favored by the Sufis...")

†8. Dastgâh-e Rastpanjgah
12:53

("... set[s] a mood conducive to thinking, concentration and enlightenment.")

†Tracks 1, 3, 4, 7 & 8 (rec. 2006)

Fakhri Malekpour - Persian-tuned piano
Fakhri Malekpour: Mashqe Ostad

Avaye Honar & Andisheh Institute of Culture and Art, n.n.

(Pianist Fakhri Malekpour resists her fingers picking out V-I root movement unlike some of her younger colleagues. It's a tonal temptation when you've got a keyboard in front of you. We will hear from her again next week.)

Music for 1/4, 5/16, and 3/8 of a tone. Charles Ives asks: "If an addition of a series of smaller tone divisions is to be added to our semi-tone system to help round out our souls, how much of a fight will the ears have to put up?" (Emphasis is mine.) I will ease you gently into the quarter-tone world over the next three hours.

Set #1 - 8:00am - 9:00am

1. Charles Ives: Three Quarter-Tone Pieces for Two Pianos (1903-23)

Herbert Henck - piano, Deborah Richards - second piano

Charles Ives: Piano Pieces

Wergo, WER 60112-50

13:16

(A sandwich.)

2. Henry Mancini: Excerpts from Wait until Dark OST (1967)

Henry Mancini - conductor

Wait until Dark Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Film Score Monthly, Vol.10 No.7

43'

(Something you'd sooner expect from Morricone: pianos tuned a quarter-tone apart set the tone for this suspense thriller. I skip the pop song (it was too clashy even for me), but the Manciniesque source cues remain. It makes for a variegated listening experience nonetheless. My only criticism is that Mancini doesn't exploit the quarter-tones to their full potential.)

Set #2 - 9:00am - 11:00am

3. same as track 1

4. Jack Behrens: Utopianism for found piano (1994)

Jack Behrens - piano

Sound Ecology 3: Perception

Musicworks, 64

6:36

(A severely out-of-tune piano, abused by years of environmental extremes. Jack Behrens writes: "Each piano key had to be considered as an individual sound source, not necessarily related in any rational manner to the other eighty-four." Rational in the mathematical sense of whole number ratios, i.e. Pythagorean tuning. I will broadcast this piece twice.)

5. Getting in Tune (rec. 2005)

Ramin Zoufonoun - Persian-tuned piano, Abbas Etemadzadeh - tombak & daf, Jamshid Zarringhalam - voice

Getting in Tune: Improvisations on Persian-Tuned Piano

Ramin Zoufonoun, n.n.

56:00

(Did I hear right? Is that a V-I root movement in the bass? Below, an example of Persian-tuned piano technique. Hey, if your music was monodic, you'd tickle the ivories like this too.)

Persian Percussion Fortnight continues on the Komodo Dragon Show. This week's episode is tombak-heavy.

Set #1 - 8:00am - 9:00am

1. Anthologie des rythmes iraniens Vol.1: Le répertoire fondamental de Maître Tehrâni (rec. 1997)

Madjid Khaladj - tombak

Buda Records, 92672-2

54:13

(A primer of basic rhythmic patterns..)

Set #2 - 9:00am - 10:00am

2. Iran: L'art du tombak (zarb) (rec. 1993)

Madjid Khaladj - tombak

Buda Records, 92594-2

61:15

(Improvisations within the basic rhythms.)

Set #3 - 10:00am - 11:00am

3. Whisper: Kurdish Tanbur Music of Iran (rec. 2000)

Aliakbar Moradi - tanbur, Pejman Hadadi - tombak, daf & nagada [small kettledrums]

Kereshmeh Records, KCD-111

48:31

(Two solid hours of tombak make me a little punchy. Here's stress-relief.)