Dastgah: Algorithmic Explorations of Persian Microtonality and Serialism

Abstract

This article presents Dastgah, an original composition that integrates the Iranian microtonal modal system with algorithmic and serialist methodologies. By extending traditional 12-tone serialism into a 17-tone pitch matrix derived from the Dastgah system, the work engages with microtonal nuances central to Persian classical music. Utilizing the SuperCollider programming environment, the composition applies serial operations—Prime, Retrograde, Inversion, and Retrograde-Inversion—to microtonally-defined pitch sets, while algorithmically managing rhythm, dynamics, and spatialization. This fusion of tradition and technology results in a generative, real-time musical system that challenges Western tuning paradigms and offers a new model for culturally-inclusive algorithmic composition. The project is both a theoretical and artistic exploration of how computational tools can mediate between his torical depth and contemporary innovation, highlighting issues of identity, authorship, and cross-cultural aesthetics in 21st-century music.