JAVS Spring 2024

consequence of the lack of metric pre-audibility is we realize that we are at an arrival point only after we have already arrived in some cases. 12 Additionally, the onsets of novel stimulus trigger greater attention, which is facilitated because they occur over the familiarity and “groundedness” of the drone. An explanation for this phenomenon is found in Snyder, where he explains that “attention tends to move toward aspects of the environment that are not stable, constant, or predictable”, and that “unchanging events are quickly perceived as a background against which more informative, changing events may be foregrounded.” 13 Maqams, Modes, Pitch Fields, and Pitch Classes Middle Eastern music, a large part of my inspiration for this composition, utilizes pitch differently compared to Western music; rather, the latter employs maqams. A maqam is a set of melodic formulae, often translated as modes in English literature. My conceptualization of pitch in this work is divided into two aspects: scalar and chordal. While the chordal element remains consistent throughout, the scalar aspect evolves. This approach of maintaining some components static while others change is a frequent technique in my compositions. An instance of this can be seen in the use of the drone. In Shubho Lhaw Qolo , I utilize three scales and a single chord in my modal framework. 14 The maqams forming the scalar dimension are Hijaz , Saba Zamzam , and Bayati , along with the ‘dream chord’. 15 This chord, which captivated me since my high school years in Abu Dhabi, finds its place throughout the score. A layout of these Maqamat (plural of Maqam) can be found in Figures 4-6 for reference.

Figure 6. Maqam Saba Zamzam, A semitonal approximate of Maqam Saba.

Figure 7: Maqam Bayati.

Dream Chord and its Properties The dream chord has as part of its qualities, when played in the “root position” is that it is a Phrygian chord—one that is neither major nor minor. When used in the first inversion derived from the initial “root position,” it turns into a major chord, one that resembles a major seven chord but with a flattened scale degree 5.

Figure 8. Dream Chord in First Inversion, Shubho Lhaw Qolo.

The chordal or harmonic blueprint of Shubho Lhaw Qolo could be represented as the dream chord emerging gradually, from the G drone at the beginning, note by note, later, expanding beyond its four-note origin into a chromatic cluster, then returning to its natural state of four notes as it leads us to the final cadence. Represented visually, this would be an arc. Notably, the viola introduces the first few pitches of the dream chord from its entry, and frequently, the dream chord is present in the string sections. In most instances, the dream chord is used as a sonority, emphasized by being a frequent arrival point. But besides using the chord as a block sonority as well as melodically, I extend the dream chord, turning it into a seven-note chord which creates a sort of chromatic saturation. The dream chord is used in a novel way at the final cadence of the piece where it resolves to an added second major chord through voice leading. This ‘dream cadence’, as I call it, combines elements from two of my favorite types of cadences: the Picardy third and the Plagal cadence. It preserves the common-tone at the tonic like a

Figure 4. Maqam Hijaz, Tonic is G and Dominant is D.

Figure 5. Original Maqam Saba, D is Tonic, whereas F is Primary Dominant and Bb the Secondary Dominant.

Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 40, No. 1, Spring 2024

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