[HANASHIR:5274] Re: minor/major? or something else?

[Judah Cohen <jcohen...>]

Hang with me here, Ruth.  I haven't seen the publication up close yet--so 
know that I'm dealing purely with the information you're giving.  If someone
else who has seen the notation could clarify the details, I'd be grateful.

I would be willing to guess that you're dealing with a kind of modal
notation rendered in Western notation.  In other words, the set of notes
you're dealing with (a Torah trop mode, right?) likely contains what in
Western notation would be a flatted seventh (that is, half a step down from
a "normal" seventh scale degree in major).  At the same time, the people who
wrote the notation out want to make sure you know that the *central tone* of
their examples is 'A,' so they place the music in the "key" of A.  In some
circles you may hear this kind of thing referred to as "A lydian"--the
Lydian mode being the one that contains a flatted seventh tone.  (I'd be a
little unsure of using the name of a semi-equivalent "Jewish" Eastern
European mode--"A Hashem Moloch"--because it doesn't seem to jibe with Torah
trop as I'm going through it in my head.  Erik:  how do they talk about
Torah "modes" at HUC?)

While this may seem kind of clumsy at first (especially with all those
naturals), it's one relatively standard method of writing out modes in
Western notation.

Hope this helps!
Judah.


----------
>From: Ruth Levenstein <RuthEllen (at) ibm(dot)net>
>To: Jewish Songleading/Music <hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org>, Shel Levenstein
<shel (at) ibm(dot)net>
>Subject: [HANASHIR:5272] minor/major? or something else?
>Date: Sat, Feb 19, 2000, 9:58 AM
>

>>         Minor modes have been used in Jewish music since the
>> very beginning.
>
> OK.  I'll jump in here with a question I have about the new UAHC
> Torah Cantillation materials.
>
> I have mine now and I think they are wonderful.  I learned all
> sorts of interesting things that I didn't know before.  I LOVE
> that one gets to hear two voices on the CD which reinforces the
> notion that personal styles can vary.  Cantor Portnoy seems to
> really be having fun on the CD which is great.  It lightens the
> mood and makes the whole thing more accessible I think.  Despite
> the fact that both Cantor Wolf and Portnoy are fine musical
> talents I think the material is very accessible to the ordinary
> joe shmo.  (jane shmo in my case.)  The best thing about them
> is that they cost a mere $20!  Todah Rabah to everyone who
> contributed to this project.
>
> So here is my question.  The musical score in the back of the
> book is written in the key of A BUT all of the G notes are
> naturalized which leads me (a musical ammeter) to think it is
> in the key of D.  I can't figure this out.

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