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Dorian mode

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The Dorian mode or Doric mode can refer to three very different but interrelated subjects: one of the Ancient Greek harmoniai (characteristic melodic behaviour, or the scale structure associated with it); one of the medieval musical modes; or—most commonly—one of the modern modal diatonic scales, corresponding to the piano keyboard's white notes from D to D, or any transposition of itself.

{ \key c \dorian \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \relative c' { \clef treble \time 7/4 c4^\markup { Modern C Dorian mode } d es f g a bes c2 } }

Greek Dorian mode

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The Dorian mode (properly harmonia or tonos) is named after the Dorian Greeks. Applied to a whole octave, the Dorian octave species was built upon two tetrachords (four-note segments) separated by a whole tone, running from the hypate meson to the nete diezeugmenon.

In the enharmonic genus, the intervals in each tetrachord are quarter tone–quarter tone–major third.

 

In the chromatic genus, they are semitone–semitone–minor third.

 

In the diatonic genus, they are semitone–tone–tone.

 

In the diatonic genus, the sequence over the octave is the same as that produced by playing all the white notes of a piano ascending from E to E,[1] a sequence equivalent to the pattern of the modern Phrygian mode, although the temperament differs by small amounts.

Placing the single tone at the bottom of the scale followed by two conjunct tetrachords (that is, the top note of the first tetrachord is also the bottom note of the second), produces the Hypodorian ("below Dorian") octave species: A | B C D E | (E) F G A. Placing the two conjunct tetrachords together and the single tone at the top of the scale produces the Mixolydian octave species, a note sequence equivalent to modern Locrian mode.[2]

Medieval Dorian mode

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The early Byzantine church developed a system of eight musical modes (the octoechos), which served as a model for medieval European chant theorists when they developed their own modal classification system starting in the 9th century.[3] The success of the Western synthesis of this system with elements from the fourth book of De institutione musica of Boethius, created the false impression that the Byzantine octoechos was inherited directly from ancient Greece.[4]

Originally used to designate one of the traditional harmoniai of Greek theory (a term with various meanings, including the sense of an octave consisting of eight tones), the name was appropriated (along with six others) by the 2nd-century theorist Ptolemy to designate his seven tonoi, or transposition keys. Four centuries later, Boethius interpreted Ptolemy in Latin, still with the meaning of transposition keys, not scales. When chant theory was first being formulated in the 9th century, these seven names plus an eighth, Hypermixolydian (later changed to Hypomixolydian), were again re-appropriated in the anonymous treatise Alia Musica. A commentary on that treatise, called the Nova expositio, first gave it a new sense as one of a set of eight diatonic species of the octave, or scales.

In medieval theory, the authentic Dorian mode could include the note B♭ "by licence", in addition to B♮.[5] The same scalar pattern, but starting a fourth or fifth below the mode final D, and extending a fifth above (or a sixth, terminating on B♭), was numbered as mode 2 in the medieval system. This was the plagal mode corresponding to the authentic Dorian, and was called the Hypodorian mode.[6] In the untransposed form on D, in both the authentic and plagal forms the note C is often raised to C♯ to form a leading tone, and the variable sixth step is in general B♮ in ascending lines and B♭ in descent.[7]

Modern Dorian mode

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The modern Dorian mode (also called "Russian minor" by Balakirev,[8]) by contrast, is a strictly diatonic scale corresponding to the white keys of the piano from D to D (shown below)

 

or any transposition of its interval pattern, which has the ascending pattern of whole steps and half steps as follows:

whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half, whole

Thus, the Dorian mode is a symmetric scale, since the pattern of whole and half steps is the same ascending or descending.

The modern Dorian mode can also be thought of as a scale with a minor third and seventh, a major second and sixth, and a perfect fourth and fifth, notated relative to the major scale as:

1, 2, ♭3, 4, 5, 6, ♭7, 8

It may be considered an "excerpt" of a major scale played from the pitch a whole tone above the major scale's tonic, i.e., a major scale played from its second scale degree up to its second degree again. The resulting scale is, however, minor in quality, because, as the D becomes the new tonal centre, the F a minor third above the D becomes the new mediant, or third degree. Thus, when a triad is built upon the tonic, it is a minor triad.

The modern Dorian mode is equivalent to the natural minor scale (or the Aeolian mode) but with a major sixth. The modern Dorian mode resembles the Greek Phrygian harmonia in the diatonic genus.

It is also equivalent to the ascending melodic minor scale with a minor seventh.

Notable compositions in Dorian mode

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Dorian mode in Ernest Bloch's "Chanty" from Poems of the Sea, mm. 1–8.[9]

Hit songs in Dorian include, "Evil Ways..., "I Wish"..., "Lowdown"..., "Foxy Lady"..., "Owner of a Lonely Heart"..., "Moondance"..., "Billie Jean"..., and many others.[10]

Traditional

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Medieval

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Renaissance

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Baroque

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Romantic

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Jazz

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Other

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  • Kimigayo, the national anthem of Japan
  • The Halo theme, taking significant inspiration from the aforementioned medieval Gregorian chants to effect an "ancient and mysterious" sound, is written in E dorian
  • The Angry Birds theme

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Thomas J. Mathiesen, "Greece, §I: Ancient: 6. Music Theory: (iii) Aristoxenian Tradition: (d) Scales". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell (London: Macmillan, 2001).
  2. ^ Thomas J. Mathiesen, "Greece, §I: Ancient: 6. Music Theory: (iii) Aristoxenian Tradition: (e) Tonoi and Harmoniai". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell (London: Macmillan, 2001).
  3. ^ Harold S. Powers, "Mode, §II: Medieval modal theory, 2: Carolingian synthesis, 9th–10th centuries", The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell (London: Macmillan; New York: Grove's Dictionaries of Music, 2001). ISBN 978-1-56159-239-5
  4. ^ Peter Jeffery, "Oktōēchos", The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell (London: Macmillan; New York: Grove's Dictionaries of Music, 2001). ISBN 978-1-56159-239-5
  5. ^ Harold S. Powers, "Dorian", The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, 29 vols., edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell (London: Macmillan, 2001): 7:507. ISBN 978-1-56159-239-5
  6. ^ Harold S. Powers, "Hypodorian", The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, 29 vols., edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell (London: Macmillan, 2001): 12:36–37. ISBN 978-1-56159-239-5
  7. ^ Felix Salzer and Carl Schachter, Counterpoint in Composition: The Study of Voice Leading (New York: Columbia University Press, 1989): 10. ISBN 0-231-07039-X.
  8. ^ Richard Taruskin, "From Subject to Style: Stravinsky and the Painters", in Confronting Stravinsky: Man, Musician, and Modernist, edited by Jann Pasler, 16–38 (Berkeley, Los Angeles, and London: University of California Press, 1986): 33. ISBN 0-520-05403-2.
  9. ^ Bruce Benward and Marilyn Nadine Saker, Music in Theory and Practice: Volume II, eighth edition (Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2009): 243–244. ISBN 978-0-07-310188-0.
  10. ^ Kachulis, Jimmy (2004). The Songwriter's Workshop, p.41. Berklee Press. ISBN 9781476867373
  11. ^ a b Tillekens, Ger (2002). "Marks of the Dorian family". icce.rug.nl. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  12. ^ "Noel Nouvelet – French Noel". hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  13. ^ The Benedictines of Solesmes (eds.), Liber Usualis, with introduction and rubrics in English. (Tournai and New York: Desclée & Co., 1961): 1259–1261.
  14. ^ The Benedictines of Solesmes (eds.), Liber Usualis, with introduction and rubrics in English. (Tournai and New York: Desclée & Co., 1961): 780.
  15. ^ The Benedictines of Solesmes (eds.), Liber Usualis, with introduction and rubrics in English. (Tournai and New York: Desclée & Co., 1961): 880–881.
  16. ^ Steinberg, Michael (1994). "Notes on the Quartets". In Winter, Robert; Martin, Robert (eds.). The Beethoven Quartet Companion. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 270. ISBN 0-520-20420-4. OCLC 27034831.
  17. ^ Brian Rees (1999). Camille Saint-Saëns: A Life (1st ed.). London, UK: Chatto & Windus. p. 261. ISBN 978-1-85619-773-1. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  18. ^ Lionel Pike, "Sibelius's Debt to Renaissance Polyphony", Music & Letters 55, no. 3 (July 1974): 317–326 (citation on 318–319).
  19. ^ Kayali, Francis (2008). "The eclecticism of Camille Saint-Saëns: defining a "French sound" in music 1866-1896" (PDF). Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  20. ^ a b c Ronald Herder, 1000 Keyboard Ideas, (Katonah, New York: Ekay Music, 1990): 75. ISBN 978-0-943748-48-1.
  21. ^ Wayne Chase, "How Keys and Modes REALLY Work". Vancouver, British Columbia: Roedy Black. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
  22. ^ Hellmer, Jeffrey; Lawn, Richard (2005). Jazz Theory and Practice: For Performers, Arrangers and Composers. Alfred Music. p. 190. ISBN 978-1-4574-1068-0.
  23. ^ Transcription in "R&B Bass Bible" (Milwaukee: Hal Leonard, 2005). ISBN 0-634-08926-9.
  24. ^ Alan W. Pollack. "Notes on 'Eleanor Rigby'". Retrieved 11 August 2008.
  25. ^ Bill T. Roxler. "Thoughts on Eleanor Rigby" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
  26. ^ Anthony Pacheco. "Mad World Deconstructed Anthony Pacheco". Archived from the original on 22 April 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  27. ^ "Get Lucky" (Daft Punk) on YouTube
  28. ^ Nile, Rodgers; Bernard, Edwards; Gang, Sugarhill (12 November 2007). "Rapper's Delight". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  29. ^ Letsch, Glenn (2005). R & B bass. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 978-0-634-07370-0.
  30. ^ The Sugarhill Gang – Rappers Delight (Bass), retrieved 31 August 2020
  31. ^ Tears For Fears - Mad World (Official Music Video), 9 August 2013, retrieved 27 November 2021
  32. ^ Mad World - Gary Jules, retrieved 27 November 2021
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