Balkan modal scales

Beach's Variations on Balkan Themes, Op. 60 is based on folk melodies she encountered through published transcriptions — primarily from Bulgaria, Serbia, and the broader Balkan region. These melodies use modes and scale patterns foreign to Western diatonic norms, including augmented second intervals and minor second clusters, which Beach preserved in her variations rather than normalising them.

In the Variations on Balkan Themes, honour the strangeness of the modal material — the augmented seconds and unexpected half-steps are features, not accidents. Keep the melodic line exposed and the ornamental figures clean. The variations range widely in character: find each one's distinct mood before linking them.