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Compiling global examples of music in the Phrygian Dominant Scale

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1-b2-3-4-5-b6-b7

(C-D^b-E-F-G-A^b-B^b)

o o • • o o • o o • o • o

• Phrygian Dominant: Sounds •

Real-world examples of the scale in action:

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• ROUGH: Apart from Vakulabharanam, its Carnatic precursor, and Hijaz-Nahawand, its maqam forerunner, Basant Mukhari’s tone-collection is known is known as Dastgāh-e Homāyoun in Persian classical music, Hitzaz among Greek bouzouki players, and Escala Andaluza (‘Andalucian Scale’) in flamenco. Similarly, Islamic zuhr (afternoon prayer) calls are often set to the scale, which also turns up in Serbia, Bulgaria, and Macedonia. The sequence is called Freygish and Ahava Rabbah in Yiddish and Hebrew, and Jewish musicians may describe it as ‘Hava Nagila’ after a famous Bar Mitzvah tune…

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• India: The scale has a complex Subcontinental history, turning up in several interlocking guises over the centuries. Today, it is best-known in as the Hindustani Raag Basant Mukhari – however the origins of this raga are shrouded in uncertainty, with its inventor S.N. Ratanjankar seemingly drawing on congruent scales from the South (the Carnatic Ragam Vakulabharaman: melakarta scale #14) as well as from further North (the Middle Eastern Maqam Hijaz, adopted into past eras of Hindustani music as the rare Raag Hijaz).

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—Hi-Jazz (Syria)—

Maya Youssef (qanun)

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“[Growing up] I used to listen to very, very interesting fusions: jazz musicians jamming with Tibetan monks, or an African choir doing their renditions of jazz. We used to have listening sessions before dinner, and every single night we’d listen to something completely different. So I was really lucky to have that rich sonic environment…When I heard [the qanun], I fell in love with it – but was told that I shouldn’t be playing it because I’m a girl. But I chose it anyway. I had so many obstacles in my music career, but each of those obstacles taught me great lessons as a human and as a musician. Music meant love, possibility, freedom, joy at that age. It really still does, you know?” (Maya Youssef)

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• Phrygian Dominant: More •

Features, classifiers, quirks, etc…

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[analysis: coming soon]

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—Classifiers & Quirks—

• Modes: Harmonic Minor set (Harmonic Minor; Locrian ♮6; Ionian Augmented; Dorian #4; Phrygian Dominant; Lydian #2; Superlocrian Diminished)
• Quirks: Hemitonic (imperfect: ♮3, ♮5, b6; detached: ♮3)
• Names: Phrygian Dominant (Western); Basant Mukhari (Hindustani); Vakulabharanam (Carnatic); Dastgah-e Homayoun (Maqam); Freygish (Klezmer); Ahavah Rabbah (Ashkenazi)

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n.b. For more detailed geometric and mathematical analysis, refer to this scale’s entry in Ian Ring’s fantastic Exciting Universe of Music Theory project (for which I am an occasional ‘raga consultant’)

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