Re: Hatikva Request

[Matthew Fields <fields...>]

In article <1992Nov27(dot)050938(dot)3063 (at) 
dogface(dot)austin(dot)tx(dot)us> joe (at) dogface(dot)austin(dot)tx(dot)us 
(Joe Zitt) writes:
>In article <1992Nov26(dot)155618(dot)28702 (at) 
>zip(dot)eecs(dot)umich(dot)edu> fields (at) zip(dot)eecs(dot)umich(dot)edu 
>(Matthew Fields) writes:

>>Funny, the melody of Hatikva was composed by a Czech composer, I think
>>it was Dvorak, in the Moldau River movement of Ma Vlast.  I'm curious
>>how it got to be the tune to Hatikva.

>If memory serves, that's not quite the case. The melody of Smetena's Moldau
>shares the same opening phrase as the Hatikvah (roughly E ABCDEEFFE EDDCCBBA)
>but diverges from there. I believe, however that both may have been based on
>related Eastern European folk songs.

Right, Smetana grabs this fragment in triple meter, then balances it with a
modulating phrase built out of variants down a third of the same motif.
Hatikva is in duple meter, from here goes on with a leaping octave answered
by descending scales.  So my guess is that Hatikva actually preserves more of
the original melody, rather than making pate out of the first phrase (the
usual classical "developmental" technique).

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