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Arabic maqam

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Arabic maqam
For Ottoman Turkish makams, see Makam.
Arabic maqam (Arabic: / ALA-LC: maqm; pl. maqmt) is the system of melodic modes used in traditional
Arabic music, which is mainly melodic. The word maqam in Arabic means place, location or position. The Arabic
maqam is a melody type. It is "a technique of improvisation" that defines the pitches, patterns, and development of a
piece of music and which is "unique to Arabian art music."
[1]
There are seventy two heptatonic tone rows or scales
of maqamat. These are constructed from major, neutral, and minor seconds. Each maqam is built on a scale, and
carries a tradition that defines its habitual phrases, important notes, melodic development and modulation. Both
compositions and improvisations in traditional Arabic music are based on the maqam system. Maqamat can be
realized with either vocal or instrumental music, and do not include a rhythmic component.
The Persian dastgh system has been a major influence in the maqam system in the Arabic music, both of which are
deeply rooted in the Sassanid Persia's melodies which entered into the Islamic world following the Arab conquest of
Iran in the 7th century.
An essential factor in performance is that each maqam describes the "tonal-spatial factor" or set of musical notes and
the relationships between them, including traditional patterns and development of melody, while the
"rhythmic-temporal component" is "subjected to no definite organization."
[2]
A maqam does not have an
"established, regularly recurring bar scheme nor an unchanging meter. A certain rhythm does sometimes identify the
style of a performer, but this is dependent upon his performance technique and is never characteristic of the maqam
as such." The compositional or rather precompositional aspect of the maqam is the tonal-spatial organization
including the number of tone levels and the improvisational aspect is the construction of the rhythmic-temporal
scheme.
Background
The designation maqam appeared for the first time in the treatises written in the fourteenth century by al-Sheikh
al-Safadi and Abdulqadir al-Maraghi, and has since then been used as a technical term in Arabic music. The maqam
is a modal structure that characterizes the art of music of countries in North Africa, the Near East and Central Asia.
In this area we can distinguish three main musical cultures which all belong to the maqam modal family, Arabic,
Persian, and Turkish.
Tuning system
The notes of a maqam are not tuned in equal temperament (meaning that the frequency ratios of successive pitches
are not necessarily identical, unlike the chromatic scale used in modern Western music). A maqam also determines
other things, such as the tonic (starting note), the ending note, and the dominant note. It also determines which notes
should be emphasized and which should not.
[3]
Arabic maqams are based on a musical scale of 7 notes that repeats at the octave. Some maqams have 2 or more
alternative scales (e.g. Rast, Nahawand and Hijaz). Maqam scales in traditional Arabic music are microtonal, not
based on a twelve-tone equal-tempered musical tuning system, as is the case in modern Western music. Most maqam
scales include a perfect fifth or a perfect fourth (or both), and all octaves are perfect. The remaining notes in a
maqam scale may or may not exactly fall on semitones. For this reason maqam scales are mostly taught orally, and
by extensive listening to the traditional Arabic music repertoire.
Arabic maqam
2
Notation
Since microtonal intervals are impractical to accurately notate, a simplified musical notation system was adopted in
Arabic music at the turn of the 20th century. Starting with a chromatic scale, the Arabic scale is divided into 24 equal
quarter tones, where a quarter tone equals half a semitone in a 12 tone equal-tempered scale. In this notation system
all notes in a maqam scale are rounded to the nearest quarter tone.
This system of notation is not exact since it eliminates microtonal details, but is very practical because it allows
maqam scales to be notated using Western standard notation. Quarter tones can be notated using the half-flat sign
or the half-sharp sign . When transcribed with this notation system some maqam scales happen to include quarter
tones, while others don't.
In practice, maqams are not performed in all chromatic keys, and are more rigid to transpose than scales in Western
music, primarily because of the technical limitations of Arabic instruments. For this reason, half-sharps rarely occur
in maqam scales, and the most used half-flats are E , B and less frequently A .
Intonation
The 24-tone system is entirely a notational convention and does not affect the actual precise intonation of the notes
performed. Practicing Arab musicians, while using the nomenclature of the 24-tone system (half-flats and
half-sharps), still perform the finer microtonal details which have been passed down through oral tradition.
Maqam scales that do not include quarter tones (e.g. Nahawand, `Ajam) can be performed on equal-tempered
instruments such as the piano, however such instruments cannot faithfully reproduce the microtonal details of the
maqam scale. Maqam scales can be faithfully performed either on fretless instruments (e.g. the oud or the violin), or
on instruments that allow a sufficient degree of tunability and microtonal control (e.g. the nay or the qanun, or the
Clarinet). On fretted instruments with steel strings, microtonal control can be achieved by string bending, as when
playing blues.
The exact intonation of every maqam scale changes with the historical period, as well as the geographical region (as
is the case with linguistic accents, for example). For this reason, and because it is not common to precisely and
accurately notate microtonal variations from a twelve-tone equal tempered scale, maqam scales are in practice
learned orally.
Phases and central tones
Each passage consists of one or more phases which are sections "played on one tone or within one tonal area," and
may take from seven to forty seconds to articulate. For example, a tone level centered on g:
[4]
The tonal levels, or axial pitches, begin in the lower register and gradually rise to the highest at the climax before
descending again, for example (in European-influenced notation):
[5]
"When all possibilities of the musical structuring of such a tone level have been fully explored, the phase is
complete."
Arabic maqam
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Nucleus
The central tones of a maqam are created from two different intervals. The eleven central tones of the maqam used in
the phase sequence example above may be reduced to three which make up the "nucleus" of the maqam:
[6]
The tone rows of maqamat may be identical, such as maqam bayati and maqam 'ushshaq turki:
but be distinguished by different nuclei. Bayati is shown in the example above, while 'ushshaq turki is:
Ajnas
See also: Jins
Maqam scales are made up of smaller sets of consecutive notes that have a very recognizable melody and convey a
distinctive mood. Such a set is called jins (pl. ajnas), meaning "gender" or "kind". In most cases, a jins is made up of
four consecutive notes (tetrachord), although ajnas of three consecutive notes (trichord) or five consecutive notes
(pentachord) also exist.
Ajnas are the building blocks of a maqam scale. A maqam scale has a lower (or first) jins and an upper (or second)
jins. In most cases maqams are classified into families or branches based on their lower jins. The upper jins may start
on the ending note of the lower jins or on the note following that. In some cases the upper and lower ajnas may
overlap. The starting note of the upper jins is called the dominant, and is the second most important note in that scale
after the tonic. Maqam scales often includes secondary ajnas that start on notes other than the tonic or the dominant.
Secondary ajnas are highlighted in the course of modulation.
References on Arabic music theory often differ on the classification of ajnas. There is no consensus on a definitive
list of all ajnas, their names or their sizes. However the majority of references agree on the basic 9 ajnas, which also
make up the main 9 maqam families. The following is the list of the basic 9 ajnas notated with Western standard
notation (all notes are rounded to the nearest quarter tone):
Arabic maqam
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`Ajam () trichord, starting on
B
Bayati () tetrachord, starting on D Hijaz () tetrachord, starting on D
Kurd () tetrachord, starting on D Nahawand () tetrachord, starting on
C
Nikriz () pentachord, starting on
C
Rast () tetrachord, starting on
C
Saba () tetrachord, starting on D
Sikah () trichord, starting on E
(for more detail see Arabic Maqam Ajnas
[7]
)
Maqam families
Bayati
Hijaz
Jiharkah
Husayni `Ushayran
Rast
Problems playing these files? See media help.
Arabic maqam
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Shad `Araban
Huzam
Nawa Athar
Rahat al-Arwah
Saba
Problems playing these files? See media help.
`Ajam - `Ajam (), Jiharkah (), Shawq Afza ( or )
Sikah - Bastah Nikar ( ), Huzam (), `Iraq (), Musta`ar (), Rahat al-Arwah ( or
), Sikah (), Sikah Baladi (- )
Bayati - Bayatayn (), Bayati (), Bayati Shuri ( ), Husayni (), Nahfat ()
Nahawand - Farahfaza (), Nahawand (), Nahawand Murassah ( or ), `Ushaq
Masri ( )
Rast - Mahur (), Nairuz (), Rast (), Suznak (), Yakah ()
Hijaz - Hijaz (), Hijaz Kar ( ), Shad `Araban ( ), Shahnaz ( or ), Suzidil (),
Zanjaran ()
Saba - Saba (), Saba Zamzam ( )
Kurd - Kurd (), Hijaz Kar Kurd ( )
Nawa Athar - Athar Kurd ( ), Nawa Athar ( or ), Nikriz ()
Arabic maqam
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Emotional content
It is sometimes said that each maqam evokes a specific emotion or set of emotions determined by the tone row and
the nucleus, with different maqams sharing the same tone row but differing in nucleus and thus emotion. Maqam
Rast is said to evoke pride, power, soundness of mind, and masculinity.
[8]
Maqam Bayati: vitality, joy, and feminity.
Sikah: love. Saba: sadness and pain.
[9]
Hijaz: distant desert.
In an experiment where maqam Saba was played to an equal number of Arabs and non-Arabs who were asked to
record their emotions in concentric circles with the weakest emotions in the outer circles, Arab subjects reported
experiencing Saba as "sad", "tragic", and "lamenting," while only 48 percent of the non-Arabs described it thus with
28 percent of non-Arabs describing feelings such as "seriousness", "longing", and tension," and 6 percent
experienced feelings such as "happy", "active", and "very lively" and 10 percent identified no feelings.
These emotions are said to be evoked in part through change in the size of an interval during a maqam presentation.
Maqam Saba, for example, contains in its first four notes, D, E-quarter-flat, F, and Gb, two medium seconds one
larger (160 cents) and one smaller (140 cents) than a three quarter tone, and a minor second (95 cents). Further,
E-quarter-flat and G-flat may vary slightly, said to cause a "sad" or "sensitive" mood.
[10]
Generally speaking, each maqam is said to evoke a different emotion in the listener. At a more basic level, each jins
is claimed to convey a different mood or color. For this reason maqams of the same family are said to share a
common mood since they start with the same jins. There is no consensus on exactly what the mood of each maqam
or jins is. Some references describe maqam moods using very vague and subjective terminology (e.g. maqams
evoking 'love', 'femininity', 'pride' or 'distant desert'). However, there has not been any serious research using
scientific methodology on a diverse sample of listeners (whether Arab or non-Arab) proving that they feel the same
emotion when hearing the same maqam.
Attempting the same exercise in more recent tonal classical music would mean relating a mood to the major and
minor modes. In that case there is some consensus that the minor scale is "sadder" and the major scale is
"happier."
[11]
Modulation
Modulation is a technique used during the melodic development of a maqam. In simple terms it means changing
from one maqam to another (compatible or closely related) maqam. This involves using a new musical scale. A long
musical piece can modulate over many maqamat but usually ends with the starting maqam (in rare cases the purpose
of the modulation is to actually end with a new maqam). A more subtle form of modulation within the same maqam
is to shift the emphasis from one jins to another so as to imply a new maqam.
Modulation adds a lot of interest to the music, and is present in almost every maqam-based melody. Modulations that
are pleasing to the ear are created by adhering to compatible combinations of ajnas and maqamat long established in
traditional Arabic music. Although such combinations are often documented in musical references, most experienced
musicians learn them by extensive listening.
Further reading
el-Mahdi, Salah (1972). La musique arabe : structures, historique, organologie. Paris, France: Alphonse Leduc,
Editions Musicales. ISBN 2-85689-029-6.
Lagrange, Frdric (1996). Musiques d'gypte. Cit de la musique / Actes Sud. ISBN 2-7427-0711-5.
Maalouf, Shireen (2002). History of Arabic music theory. Lebanon: Universit Saint-Esprit de Kaslik.
OCLC52037253
[12]
.
Marcus, Scott Lloyd (1989). Arab music theory in the modern period (Ph.D. dissertation). Los Angeles:
University of California. OCLC20767535
[13]
.
Arabic maqam
7
Racy, Ali Jihad (2003). Making Music in the Arab World: The Culture and Artistry of arab. Publisher:
Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-30414-8.
Sources
[1] Touma, Habib Hassan (1996). The Music of the Arabs, p.38, 203, trans. Laurie Schwartz. Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press. ISBN
0-931340-88-8.
[2] [2] Touma, 1996 p.38.
[3] [3] Touma 1996, p.38-9
[4] [4] Touma 1996, p.40.
[5] [5] Touma 1996, p.41.
[6] [6] Touma 1996, p.42.
[7] http:/ / www. maqamworld. com/ ajnas. html
[8] [8] Toumas 1996, p.43.
[9] [9] Touma 1996, p.44.
[10] [10] Touma 1996, p.45.
[11] [11] Fritz, T., Jentschke, S., Gosselin, N., Sammler, D., Peretz, I., Turner, R., Friederici, A. D., and Koelsch, S. (2009). Universal recognition of
three basic emotions in music. Current biology : CB, 19(7):573-576.
[12] http:/ / www.worldcat.org/ oclc/ 52037253
[13] http:/ / www.worldcat.org/ oclc/ 20767535
External links
Maqam World (http:/ / www. maqamworld. com/ )
Maqam World: What is a Maqam? (http:/ / www. maqamworld. com/ maqamat. html)
Arab Maqamat (http:/ / www. oud. eclipse. co. uk/ maqamat. html)
Sephardic Pizmonim Project- Jewish use of Maqamat (http:/ / www. pizmonim. org)
Historical audio examples from different maqams (http:/ / www. saramusik. org/ encyc/ index. php/
__:), Arabic.
Illustration of popular maqams (https:/ / www. youtube. com/ watch?v=XPHJN607oZo) on YouTube
Article Sources and Contributors
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Article Sources and Contributors
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