Ā-e ṢFĀ, or ĀVĀZ-e ṢFĀ, a musical system based on a specific collection of modal pieces (ū&Dz;) which are performed in a particular order. According to the late 13th/19th-century author Forṣat Šīrāzī (apud Ṣafwat, p. 81), Eṣfahān was listed as one of the pieces of the modal system (岹ٲ) of Homāyūn. In the twentieth century it has developed from a ū&Dz; of Homāyūn into a nearly independent 岹ٲ. Its smaller repertoire and cadential references to Homāyūn support the theory that it is a sub-岹ٲ (屹, Բḡm) of Homāyūn. Some theorists (Farhat, p, 164; Caron and Safvate, p. 89) believe it to be an independent 岹ٲ; others believe it to be derived from the 岹ٲ Šūr (During, p. 118).
The introductory part (岹峾) is in the mode of Eṣfahān. The scale degrees are F G Ap B C D Eb. The recitation tone (&Dz;) is on C, the initial pitch (ḡāz) may be on C or G, the cadential pitch (ī) may be C or Ap, and the final pitch is on G, although earlier in the century it concluded on F.
Like other 岹ٲs, Eṣfahān’s scale and modal configuration have changed over time. The mood of Eṣfahān has been described as mystical and profound, expressing a mixture of happiness and melancholy. Its current similarity to the Western minor scale has made it a much-used mode in popular and semiclassical music, where Western minor tuning is used and the Ap eliminated (Zonis, p. 87).
The important ū&Dz;s of Bayāt-e Eṣfahān are the Darāmad, Jāmadarān, Bayāt-e Rājeʿ, ʿOššāq, Šāhḵatāʾī, Sūz-o-godāz, and Maṯnawī. Bayāt-e Rājeʿ is one of the most important ū&Dz;s, and has a slightly different modal character than the Darāmad. ʿOššāq, also very important, represents a distinct modulation. Šāhḵatāʾī, which is modally close to ʿOššāq, expresses the high pitch area (awj) of the 岹ٲ, cadencing to Eṣfahān at its conclusion. Both Sūz-o-godāz and Maṯnawī have modal configurations similar to Eṣfahān.
Bibliography:
N. Caron and D. Safvate, Iran: Les traditions musicales, Berlin, 1966, pp. 88-91.
J. During, La musique iranienne: Tradition et évolution, Paris, 1984, pp. 118-19.
H. Farhat, The Dastgah Concept in Persian Music, Ph.D. dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles, 1965, I, pp. 164-75; II, pp. 355-58.
M. Forsat Šīrāzī, Boḥūr al-alḥān, ed. ʿA. Zarrīnqalam, Tehran, 1345 Š./1966.
M. Karīmī (coll.), Radīf-e 屹ī-e mūsīqī-e sonnatī-e Īrān, transcribed and analyzed by M.-T. Masʿūdīya (Massoudieh), Tehran, 1357 Š./1978, pp. 83-97.
R. Ḵāleqī, Naẓar-ī be-mūsīqī II, Tehran, 1352 Š./1973, pp. 207-14.
K. Khatschi, Der Dastgah: Studien zur neuen persischen Musik, Regensburg, 1962, pp. 102-03.
M. Maʿrūfī, Radīf-e haft 岹ٲ-e mūsīqī-e īrānī, Tehran, 1352 Š./1973 (s.v. Bayāt-e Eṣfahān).
M. Sadeghi, Improvisation in Nonrhythmic Solo Instrumental Contemporary Persian Art Music, M.A. thesis, California State University, Los Angeles, 1971, pp. 35, 60, 62-63.
D. Ṣafwat, Ostādān-e mūsīqī-e Īrān wa alḥān-e mūsīqī-e īrānī, Tehran, 1350 Š./1971, pp. 74-99.
E. Zonis, Classical Persian Music: An Introduction, Cambridge, Mass., 1973, pp. 86-88.
Search terms:
| بیات اصفهان | bayat e isfahan | bayat e isfahaan |
(M. Caton)
Originally Published: December 15, 1988
Last Updated: December 15, 1988
This article is available in print.
Vol. III, Fasc. 8, pp. 884-885
