A New Approach to the Persian Prosodies based on Music Tetrachords

There is no doubt that the quantitative meter is the essence of music and prosodies, providing the link between poetry and music. In addition to the time priority that music has over prosodies, the similarity between these elements makes it apparent that prosodies have their origin in music. On this basis, one can gain a new perspective on the structure of prosodies by considering the rules governing music. It is true that the main elements of prosody originate from music tetrachords, but the deviation of the prosody from the characteristics of a music tetrachord and not following the right logic in assembling the main elements of prosody and the 19-element sets of prosody meters has left many people having difficulty understanding and remembering the names of prosody meters. In this paper, in an analytical-comparative manner, after preliminary explanations about  a quantitative meter, syllables, instruments and acatalectics, and further explanation and emphasis on music tetrachords, at first, by enumerating the characteristics of tetrachord (type, tension, number and division of notes), we compared the prosody meter forms with the music tetrachords. As a result, the number of main prosodic elements was reduced from ten to three. This adjustment occurs on the one hand by fading the elements such as "Faelon" and "Faoolon", "Motafaelon" and "Mafaelaton" from the main element, and on the other hand by substituting “Faelaton” for  "Mafoolato" in the prosodic circles. As the sets of prosodic meters are the result of repeating one prosodic element or combining two types of prosodic elements by imitating the positional structure in music, after comparing the prosodic elements with musical tetrachords, a new structure is presented regarding the prosodies and the sets of prosody meters in order to reduce complexity. At this stage, with the remaining three elements (Mostafelon, Faelaton and Mafaeelon) in a new way, we are encountered with ten sets of prosody meters instead of nineteen famous sets of prosody meters, without even a single meter being ignored or a poetic verse remaining in the task.Concerning the meters used in Persian poetry as research,  the most frequently used meters are in the same seven main sets of poetry meters including "Hazaj", "Ramal", "Rajaz", "Mojtas", "Mozare", "Khafif" and "Sari. In this new classification, in addition to the main "Hazaj" set of prosody meter (Mafaeelon), the "Mutaqareb" set of prosody meter (Faoolon), "Ta’wīl" (Faoolon Mafaeelon), and "Maqloob-e-Tawīl" (Mafaeelon Faoolon) are also placed. In the "Ramal" set of prosody meter, in addition to the "old Ramal" (Faelaton), there are also the sets of prosody meters including "Motadarek" (Faelon), "Madid" (Faelaton Faelon), "Kamel" (Motafaelon), and "Wafer" (Mafaelaton). However, in "Rajaz" set of prosody meter, we can also place the "Basiṭ" set of prosody meter (Mostafelon Faelon) and consider this meter as the set of prosody meter of "Rajaz Mosaman Marfu".Since the changes made in the main elements of poetry meter of "Faelon" are close to "Faelaton" rather than the element of "Mostafelon", we decided to place this set of poetry meter instead of "Mojtas" set of poetry meter. In " Mojtas " set of poetry meter (Mostafelon Faelaton), in addition to "Basiṭ", "Monsareh" set of prosody meter (Mostafelon Mafoolato) is also present by removing "Mafoolato" and putting "Faelaton" in its place as the changes made in the main elements of poetry meter of "Faelato", "Faelan" and "Faelon" are closer to the element of "Faelaton" rather than "Mafoolato".There is no other set of prosody meter in “Mozare” set of prosody meter. The "Khafif" set of prosody meter consists of two sets of prosody meters including "Old Khafif" (Faelaton Mostafelon Faelaton) and “Muqtazab” (Mafoolato Mostafelon→ Faelaton Mostafelon). The "Sari," set of prosody meter (Mostafelon Mostafelon Mafoolato → Mostafelon Mostafelon Faelaton) was shown by transforming “Mafoolato” to “Faelaton”. The “Gharib”, “Jadid” and “Mashakel” sets of prosody meters retained their old form. Although in this article, prosody meters are classified based on maqam music, a new classification could also be made based on the instrumental music.There are five main scales in instrumental music: the “Māhur” scale (including Māhur and Rast Panjgah), “Segah” scale, “Chahārgāh” scale, “Homayun” scale (including Homayun and new Isfahan), and “Šur” scale (including Šur instrument and the songs of Abu Ata, old Isfahan, Afshari, Bayat-e- Tork, Dashti, and other sub-songs including Qatar and Bayat-e- Kurd). Following the system governing instrumental music, if we intend to classify circles and the sets of prosody meters, with a little tolerance (If we ignore the back and forth of the prosodic elements and the repetition of one element and do not differentiate between “Mostafelon” “Faelaton” with “Faelaton” “Mostafelon” or “Faelaton Mostafelon Faelaton”), prosody meters can be classified under the five titles of sets of prosody meters: "Hazaj", "Ramal", "Rajaz", "Mojtas", and " Mozare " in two circles including one with unified elements and one with different elements including:Sets of prosody meters with unified elements:- “Hazaj” and its sources (sets of prosody meter including old Hazaj, Motaqareb, Tawīl and Maqlub-e-Tawīl);- “Ramal” and its sources (sets of prosody meter including old Ramal, Motadarek, Wafer, Kamel and Madid);- “Rajaz” (Old Rajaz set of prosody meter).Sets of prosody meters with different elements:- “Mozare” and its sources (sets of prosody meter including old Mozare Qarib, Jadid, Mashakel);- “Mojtas” and its sources (sets of prosody meter including old Mojtas, Khafif, Monsareh, Moqtazab, Basīṭ and Sari).