Quote:
Originally Posted by monk
Notice that only the Ionian mode has a V (Dominant Major). The other modes all have a v (Dominant Minor). The Dominant Minor does not provide the strong resolution to the tonic that the Dominant Major does. This is one of the prime reasons that the harmonic minor was developed.
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And also this was the reason for the decline of the modes in Western classical music from about 1600. As harmony and tonality developed, it was found that most of the modes were pretty useless at supplying the notes that could produce good chord progressions, i.e., progressions that could establish a strong tonal centre, as Monk noted above.
The Ionian mode, and with a little 'tweaking', the Aeolian mode, emerged as the only ones that could do the job. They became (and still are) known as the fully transposable "Major and Minor modes", and the old modes were relegated to a position of historical curiosity.
Composers working in the new tonal system were aware of their existence and previous usage, but they mostly ignored them as they rarely had any use for them. The old modes could sometimes be used to create a medieval atmosphere, such as in an opera set in medieval times, for example.
The old modes survived in folk music, though, as it's a mostly handed down oral tradition (or at least the 4 that Monk mentioned - The Lydian and Phrygian modes aren't welcome round these parts
).
And the English classical composer Vaughan Williams, often used the old modes to capture the rustic flavour of folk music in his orchestral works. (e.g., Fantasia on Greensleeves).
Modes were revived again in the 20th century by Jazz musicians, who found a new use for them, as mentioned above.
Rock music has inherited some of its modal practices from Jazz, but also from Folk. English rock of the 70s, e.g., Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, Steeleye Span, Fairport Convention, John Martyn, etc., made quite a lot of use of the 'folk' modes.
But mostly they use them in a tonal context. The music has modal flavours but essentially it's tonal music, strongly relating to a key centre by use of the I IV & V chords.