17-tone Persian temperament

Setar – An exploratory guide of the dastgāhs

This book is the first comprehensive work to compile all the modes and chords of the dastgāhs and āvāzes of Iranian and Kurdish classical and traditional music, based on the Persian seventeen-tone temperament. Yet it is far more than a static compilation. It brings to light the connections between each mode and chord, weaving a network in which every page is linked to the others and providing an easy way to move between modes and chords.

Through comprehensive cross-references and indexing, this book reveals the intricate relationships within the Persian modal system. It encompasses the seven principal dastgāhs: Dastgāh-e Shur (شور), Dastgāh-e Mahur (ماهور), Dastgāh-e Segah (سه‌گاه), Dastgāh-e Chahargah (چهارگاه), Dastgāh-e Homayun (همایون), Dastgāh-e Rast-Panjgah (راست‌پنجگاه), and Dastgāh-e Nava (نوا) — as well as the five related āvāzes: Āvāz-e Bayat-e Tork (بیات ترک), Āvāz-e Dashti (دشتی), Āvāz-e Afshari (افشاری), Āvāz-e Abu Ata (ابوعطا), and Āvāz-e Bayat-e Esfahan (اصفهان).

It invites the reader to freely explore the ever-shifting nuances of classical and traditional Iranian and Kurdish music. This book has neither beginning nor end. It prescribes nothing and imposes no method; instead, it opens a space for discovery, guided by curiosity, individual pace, and musical sensibility.

This inaugural volume marks the start of an ongoing journey through the rich and complex world of temperaments – both regular and irregular. The adventure has just begun, with many more volumes to come !

Online Resources

• Encyclopædia Iranica — Dastgāh
• Wikipedia — Dastgāh
• Huygens-Fokker Tuning Systems
• Op de Coul, M. List of Musical Modes. huygens-fokker.org