POLYPHONIC CREATION AND THE MUSICAL TEXT ECHO : COGITATIONS ON A MUSICAL AND SPIRITUAL JOURNEY AMIR A. KOUSHKANI A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Graduate Program in Music York University Toronto, Ontario June 2009 Library and Archives Bibliotheque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington OttawaONK1A0N4 OttawaONK1A0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-53725-1 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-53725-1 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non­ support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. 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While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. 1*1 Canada POLYPHONIC CREATION AND THE MUSICAL TEXT ECHO : COGITATIONS ON A MUSICAL AND SPIRITUAL JOURNEY by ABOUNASR AMIR KOUSHKANI A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of York University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS ©2009 Permission has been granted to: a) YORK UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES to lend or sell copies of this thesis in paper, microform or electronic formats, and b) LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA to reproduce, lend, distribute, or sell copies of this thesis anywhere in the world in microform, paper or electronic formats and to authorize or procure the reproduction, loan, distribution or sale of copies of this thesis anywhere in the world in microform, paper of electronic formats. The author reserves other publication rights, and neither the thesis nor extensive extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's written permission. ABSTRACT This study is an analysis of the Sufistic context, philosophical approach and actual composition of a 10-minute musical text entitled Echo (for orchestra and choir, with one classical Persian percussion instrument, the Clay Tonbak), involving an attempt at synthesizing Eastern and Western classical traditions in a fundamentally creative way. The Eastern tradition in question is that of the radif in Iranian (Persian) classical (traditional) music. Polyphonization and harmonization techniques are discussed with regard to the execution of the musical text. This is done against the background of a theoretical and methodological discussion of certain pertinent musicological topics, such as: monophony versus polyphony; solo performance versus group performance; improvisation versus musical notation; the role of the performer in musical composition; complexity of rhythm in Persian classical music; and the spiritual foundations of musical and artistic creativity. Hand in hand with this, the spiritual motivation for such a musical composition is expounded by reference to the philosophy and practices of Sufism, with particular emphasis on the Sufic ceremony of the sama'. Furthermore, the direct and indispensable role played by a mystical Hafez poem in the musical composition itself is explained and elaborated. iv DEDICATION To my Mother and Father And in memory of Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh (1926-2008), my Spiritual Master and Teacher: The Pirs are they whose spirits Were in the Sea of Divine Munificence Before this world existed. They lived ages before the creation of the body; They harvested the wheat before it was sown. The spirit has beheld the wine in the grape, The spirit has beheld entity in non-entity. - Rumi - (R.A. Nicholson translation) v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude and fervent appreciation to the following for their friendship and support: my thesis supervisor, Professor David Mott, who gave me spiritual guidance and inspiration; Professor Robert Simms, whom I have known for many years as a magnanimous friend and caring mentor; Mr. Robert Best, doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto, who encouraged me generously; Ms. Nazi Khosrowshahi, who consistently supported me; Mr. Camran Chaichian and Mr. Houman Pourmehdi, my dear friends and brothers in Sufism; and Mr. Teymour Dowlatshahi, a supportive friend and brother. VI TABLE OF CONTENTS Title Page i Copyright Page ii Certificate Page iii Abstract iv Dedication v Acknowledgements vi Table of Contents vii Introduction 1 1. Monophonic versus polyphonic dimensions 4 2. The esoteric concept of hagh-e matlab 8 3. The solo performer versus group performance 10 4. Improvisation versus compositional notation 15 5. Complexity of rhythm in Persian classical music 21 6. Introducing the Sufi poet Hafez 29 7. The mystical path and the ceremonial practice ofsama' 32 8. The performer in musical composition 42 9. Polyphonic techniques deployed in Echo 50 Conclusion 58 Glossary 61 Bibliography 64 Appendix I: The Musical Text: Echo 69 Appendix II: The Recording: Echo vii O Persian Tar! your voice is silent now but when Love awakens you will echo forth with celestial melodies ceaselessly and forever INTRODUCTION Having been commissioned by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra to write a 10-minute composition for full choir and orchestra, which I have named Echo, I immediately recognized this to be a great opportunity for me to pursue polyphonic ideas, to observe how I would compose a choral/orchestral work, and hopefully learn new compositional techniques that would improve me as a performer-turned-composer. Having been formally trained in classical Persian/Iranian music, I devoted myself to the extensive study of orchestration and instrumentation in the Western classical tradition after my arrival in Canada in 1991. Through my musical experiences, I have become increasingly aware of the need to gain a deeper understanding of orchestration for Western musical instruments, not only for the creation of new compositions, but also to acquire the technical vocabulary to effectively communicate with performers and conductors. It is obviously important that the communication between these three parties (namely, composer/conductor/orchestra) be clear and unequivocal in order to realize the proper execution of a musical work. 1.'Persian' and 'Iranian', 'Persia' and 'Iran', 'Farsi' and 'Persian' have been used synonymously throughout. 1 My past contribution to the promotion of classical Iranian/Persian music in North America,2 coupled with the attempt to incorporate Western and Eastern (Iranian) musical influences within a syncretistic perspective, has not been negligible. What I have done now with this particular musical composition (namely, Echo) is expand and develop my knowledge and expertise in this area. Having had some familiarity with orchestral arrangements where the Persian tar has been incorporated, I was in a position to explore this dimension further, particularly with regard to Western string orchestras. In this respect, I studied some of those Western and Eastern composers whose work has concentrated on string instruments, and ensembles in particular. Furthermore, one might say that, as a general rule, musicians specializing in classical Persian/Iranian music are compelled to confine themselves to monophonic melodies, by virtue of the fact that polyphony is to all intents and purposes alien to Persian classical music. Consequently, my main objective in this compositional endeavour had been to explore this aspect of "polyphonization" more exhaustively. This can only be achieved by the study of the multitude of techniques that Western classical music has utilized in the area of counterpoint. Three main areas of focus were therefore pertinent to my compositional efforts with Echo, with regard to the respective stages of conceptualization, preparation of text, realization of text through notation, and execution of text through performance: first, exploring the 2. This includes my past musical arrangements and/or compositions involving both Western and Eastern (Iranian) traditions, and my countless past appearances in North America and Europe as a concert- performer of the Persian tar and setar respectively (from 1991 to the time of writing). 2 potential of string ensembles with regard to my own past musical endeavours; second,