The music of Hindostan - Ibiblio

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178 RAGA
discernible characteristic. But the other notes must have had felt
relationships analogous to those of Indian Haga. Amongst these one
or two may be mentioned. It is common to find Dorian melodies
a common beginning was
Ex.
^ ^^
284.—
with the sixth of the mode flattened ;
This is, of course, Musica Jida, a B flattened between two A^s.
But why did Mnsica Jicta confine itself to one or two special
positions of the scale like this ?
or
285.^
We should not find, for instance,
It can only have been because in the Dorian the B was felt as a
'
weak ' note, one which was touched lightly, or was alterable, or
alterable under certain conditions. Again, modal melodies will be
found to slip easily into the C major triad, making C a ' strong
note.
Many Dorian melodies drop accordingly one place below the
tonic at a close :
EX. p=
Or Aeolian melodies begin naturally with a minor third
Ex. ^
288. _
and Phrygian substitute a C for a B as the ' dominant '
Ex. ST:
—^
289.^^^
*
Of course the theoretical rules about Dominants and Participants
state all this, but they do not make the point clear that the underlying
feeling of the mode proceeds from the fact that each individual
note has a character of its own and that a melody takes
a certain tinge or flavour from the cumulative effect of these.
We can see also why the C major mode was out of favour :
not supply what was most valued in
it did
a mode, the antithesis of the
Final (in this case C) with the ' strong ' note (which was, in all the
modesj C).
It is interesting to find that in India the major mode