Hypodorian

What it means

Hypodorian is the plagal form of the Dorian mode and counts as the second church mode. The scale consists of the same notes as the Dorian, but the range in which a melody moves lies a fourth lower than in the authentic Dorian mode, while the final, the tonic note, stays the same.

Musical use

In the system of the eight church modes one distinguishes authentic and plagal modes: the authentic ones move from the final upward over an octave, the plagal ones, recognisable by the prefix “hypo-,” from a fourth below the final to a fifth above it. Hypodorian is thus assigned to authentic Dorian, sharing its final and, in modified form, its reciting tone, but differing in ambitus, that is, in the melodic range used.

Hypodorian should be distinguished from authentic Dorian, with which it shares the final and the pitch material but differs in melodic course, and from Hypophrygian, the plagal form of the Phrygian mode with a different final. There is particular risk of confusion between the plagal forms of neighbouring authentic modes.

Performance practice

When studying Gregorian melodies, first identify the mode by the final, that is, the closing note, and then by the ambitus: if the melody moves mainly above or below this note, an authentic or a plagal mode is present. Sing the melody with the lower range of Hypodorian in mind, deliberately calmer and more connected than a corresponding Dorian melody.