Document Text Contents
Page 1
http://www.classicalarabicmusic.com/index.htm
http://www.classicalarabicmusic.com/music structure.htm
http://www.classicalarabicmusic.com/index.htm
http://www.classicalarabicmusic.com/music structure.htm
Page 2
for the first time in the treatises written in the
fourteenth century by Al-Sheikh Al-
Safadi andAbdulqadir 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 modal family,
namely the Turkish, the Greek, the Persian and
the Arabic.
A strong similarity exists between these three
families in which the same modal structure is
known as Makam in Turkish music, Dastgah in
Persian music, Mugam in Azerbaijan, Meqam in
Kurdish music, Makam in Assyrian
music, Shash Maqom in Uzbek music
and Muqam in Uyghur music.
The maqam was preceded by seven centuries,
by the Dastgah of Persia, developed by Barbod.
Many Arabic maqams can trace their names to
the Persian language,
e.g. Nikriz, Farahfaza, Suzidil, Suznak,
Rast, Sikah (from Se-
Gah), Jiharkah (from Chehar-Gah)
and Nairuz (from Nowruz). The reverse is also
true, with Persian Goosheh names taken from
Arabic, e.g. Hejaz (from Hijaz), Hoseynî (from
Husseini), Oshshagh (from 'Ushshaq) and Hodi.
Similarly, many Arabic maqam names come from
the Turkish Makam, such as Sultani
Yekah, Buselik and Bastanikar, while the
following Turkish Makamnames trace their origin
to
Arabic: Hiçāz, Irak, Huseyni, Sűnbűle and Uşşak.
Tuning system
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
Page 45
http://www.classicalarabicmusic.com/index.htm
http://www.classicalarabicmusic.com/music structure.htm
http://www.classicalarabicmusic.com/index.htm
http://www.classicalarabicmusic.com/music structure.htm
http://www.classicalarabicmusic.com/index.htm
http://www.classicalarabicmusic.com/music structure.htm
http://www.classicalarabicmusic.com/index.htm
http://www.classicalarabicmusic.com/music structure.htm
Page 2
for the first time in the treatises written in the
fourteenth century by Al-Sheikh Al-
Safadi andAbdulqadir 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 modal family,
namely the Turkish, the Greek, the Persian and
the Arabic.
A strong similarity exists between these three
families in which the same modal structure is
known as Makam in Turkish music, Dastgah in
Persian music, Mugam in Azerbaijan, Meqam in
Kurdish music, Makam in Assyrian
music, Shash Maqom in Uzbek music
and Muqam in Uyghur music.
The maqam was preceded by seven centuries,
by the Dastgah of Persia, developed by Barbod.
Many Arabic maqams can trace their names to
the Persian language,
e.g. Nikriz, Farahfaza, Suzidil, Suznak,
Rast, Sikah (from Se-
Gah), Jiharkah (from Chehar-Gah)
and Nairuz (from Nowruz). The reverse is also
true, with Persian Goosheh names taken from
Arabic, e.g. Hejaz (from Hijaz), Hoseynî (from
Husseini), Oshshagh (from 'Ushshaq) and Hodi.
Similarly, many Arabic maqam names come from
the Turkish Makam, such as Sultani
Yekah, Buselik and Bastanikar, while the
following Turkish Makamnames trace their origin
to
Arabic: Hiçāz, Irak, Huseyni, Sűnbűle and Uşşak.
Tuning system
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
Page 45
http://www.classicalarabicmusic.com/index.htm
http://www.classicalarabicmusic.com/music structure.htm
http://www.classicalarabicmusic.com/index.htm
http://www.classicalarabicmusic.com/music structure.htm
