Show off your theory chops with my weekly challenge! You’ll find a new question here every Monday. Please comment to post your reply.
This week’s challenge:
Misirlou and Hava Nagila use two different scales that are almost identical. In fact, only one note makes the difference between Misirlou’s scale and Hava Nagila’s. What are these two scales, and what makes them different? Hint: the Hava Nagila excerpt here does not start on DO (the tonic).
Reply to post your answer, and check back on Friday, July 23rd to see the answer!
ANSWER for 7/19/21
Misirlou is an Eastern Mediterranean melody that uses the Double Augmented Major scale. It’s made from two identical tetrascales, each with an augmented 2nd flanked by half-steps. In solfege, it’s DO-RA-MI-FA-SO-LE-TI-DO:
Hava Nagila is a Jewish song based on a Hasidic melody. It uses the Phrygian Dominant scale, so called because it’s what you get if you build a scale on the fifth note (or dominant) of the harmonic minor scale; and because of the half-step between the first two notes, characteristic of the Phrygian mode. The only difference with Double Augmented Major is that Phrygian Dominant has only one augmented second. The seventh note makes that difference: it makes a whole step with the 6th note, whereas in Misirlou it makes another augmented 2nd. The solfege for Phrygian Dominant scale is nearly the same:DO-RA-MI-FA-SO-LE-TE-DO:
The Double Augmented Major scale is also called Hijaz-Kar in Arabic. The Phrygian Dominant mode, when used in Jewish prayers, is also called Ahava Rabbah or Freygish.
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Hava Nagila is in a Jewish mode known as Ahavah Rabbah, also called Fraigish.
The scale used in Miserlou is almost identical except that the 7th degree is raised. It’s an Arabic scale. I don’t know the Arabic name, but theory nerds call it the double harmonic minor,
Interesting. I actually wasn’t aware that Ahavah Rabbah was also the name of the scale, in addition to the name of the Hebrew prayer. And the Western name of this scale is…. 🙂 The work of theory nerds is never done!
Hicaz-kir is one of the names of the Misirlou scale. In that set of nomenclature the Hava Nagila scale would be hicaz, but since it’s a Jewish song it is more rightly known as Ahava raba/Freygish.
I think you’re more knowledgeable in non-Western names than I am! But just to be a nerd, what are their Western names? 🙂
Hehe…I only know the non-Western names. I play music from the Balkans. I don’t even know all of the Arabic/Turkish modes. LOL!
No worries! Thank you for giving me something more poetic to call them. “Double Harmonic Major” gives me quite the headache after a while!
Misirlou = Double Harmonic Major
Hava Nagila = Phrygian Dominant
The difference is the raised scale degree 7 in Misirlou.