It seems to be rare in Arabic music, but it is extremely common in Qur'an recitation for some reason, if you're into that. Some famous cantors use it
almost exclusively.
It's also used in a lot of Moroccan folk music, in a sort of hypnotically repetitive way. I'll see if I can find something online (but it's an
acquired taste, and I'm not sure if I've acquired it myself).Jack_Campin - 9-13-2012 at 03:07 PM
Isn't it the commonest maqam for the before-dawn call to prayer?ameer - 9-13-2012 at 03:35 PM
Here are a few.
Farid El Atrash - Mush Mumkin (I'm almost sure this recording is fast by a quartertone, but be that as it may): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xK4sffFuKVc
About the dawn prayers, I heard Saba in Petra and Sinai.
I was thinking that because Saba is often very sad people prefer to use 'happier' maqamat, which is understandable.
Also I have heard Saba referred to as the 'wind of the East'.
I think it depends on the rhythmic modes as well; fast, slow etc, or whether is is used in a religious or secular context.
Saba is very common in Arabic music, but more often as a modulation.
My hypothesis is that since Saba is the most intense maqam, there are not a lot of pieces that start in Saba, rather it is used to create drama as a
modulation at some point. If you start with such an intense sound, it is difficult to sustain that for a longer piece.
Khalid_Salé - 9-13-2012 at 11:17 PM
Hmm, I've never heard a call-to-prayer done in Saba - well, I may have heard it when I was in Petra, but I didn't know maqam from macaroni then. I'll
have to keep my ears open if I'm ever out that way again. For the adhan in Morocco they usually stick to Hijaz, Rast or Bayati (or a monotone). The
Arabs love Saba, though. An easy way to please my good lady wife is to break out a little bit of Saba on the nay spartan - 9-14-2012 at 02:41 AM
there is a Sabah Samai composed by Abd-El Fatah Soukar in Jabakji's book.
dont know anything else about the composer though...
I will try to upload a copy if I can
=============================================
There are very few saba samais or bachraf in Ottoman tradition also.
I guess because this specific maqam has a very beautiful and distinguish timbre, But also has limited seyir.Rambaldi47 - 9-14-2012 at 04:29 AM
A couple of religious songs from Syria in Saba (an emotive, long mawwal precedes it; in
9:52min it turns to a different performance): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt8ns0MPARg
I have a recording of Sabri Mudallal of several songs in Saba (I suspect of religious nature
as well, although my Arabic is very limited):
In this last recording I can feel the hard-to-sustain intensity
Brian Prunka has noted. Rambaldi47 - 9-14-2012 at 09:18 AM
I don't know whether Tahmila is a strictly Ottoman genre or Arabic but
this was a nice performance of Tahmila Saba by the Michigan Arab Orchestra
Takht Ensemble:
(link removed; forum changes it for some reason to a nonexistent video)
That dour I posted by Saleh Abdel Hay is "A3ashaq il Khales", originally recorded by
Abdel Hay Hilmi. Here's a rather poor quality recording but bear in mind this is
c. 1910-1920: Abdel Hay Hilmi - A3ashaq il Khales
Jews, in their usual tradition of taking existing melodies in the Arabian repertoire
and writing religious songs in similar rhyming syllables (onomatopoeia), have
come up with "El Rahum Halets Yedidkha" ("Oh Merciful God Rescue Your Friend"
in quite a literal translation). We can discuss the merits and disadvantages of having
a derivative rather than original musical culture elsewhere (not to mention the billions
in royalties my people owe to Oum Kalthoum alone lol) . I don't have a recording
of it though.
Another dour, Maheb Ghirak (not sure about the spelling),
by Dawoud Housni in Saba: Dawoud Housni - Maheb Ghirak
Both adwar sound pretty much the same which is perhaps the "problem" of
Saba's limited reach.Rambaldi47 - 9-16-2012 at 09:02 AM
I think A3ashaq il Khales is in maqam Dilanshin but draws more heavily
on Saba jins than say, 3eshna wa-Shufna. The Hebrew version is listed here
under Dilanshin.
It's very difficult to maintain this kind of sound, a kind of lingering sorrow.Jono Oud N.Z - 9-16-2012 at 04:10 PM
Hi.
Thanks very much for all the links and info'.
I will check out these pieces soon. ultragroove - 9-17-2012 at 09:28 AM
Quote:
... but this was a nice performance of Tahmila Saba by the Michigan Arab Orchestra Takht Ensemble:
(link removed; forum changes it for some reason to a nonexistent video)
I was wondering what's the problem with that link - it's containing the other word for a rooster and is filtered by the word filter for the forum
software to "<b>rooster</b>". This is actually not very helpful.
I'm afraid there's no way to post that particular link to this forum. But you can search YouTube for the video by using the words "Tahmila Saba - Old
Traditional arr." http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Tahmila+Saba+-+Old+Trad...
the first video in the result list is it.
greetings.Jono Oud N.Z - 9-17-2012 at 02:21 PM
Just been checking out more of these pieces.
I am glad that the Michigan Arab Orchestra is working now.
Amazing players!
I am a big fan of Abdel hay Hilmi, Sabah Fakhri and all the others mentioned too.
It would be good to have a full Wasla Suite in Saba.
Al Kindi have touched on a short one, and this Bashraf:
Just been checking out more of these pieces.
I am glad that the Michigan Arab Orchestra is working now.
Amazing players!
I am a big fan of Abdel hay Hilmi, Sabah Fakhri and all the others mentioned too.
It would be good to have a full Wasla Suite in Saba.
Al Kindi have touched on a short one, and this Bashraf:
It appears to be from this CD. The back cover doesn't
list the composer but perhaps it's written in the CD liner notes.Jack_Campin - 9-18-2012 at 09:28 AM
[/url]
There was a post a while back by David Parfitt pertaining
to the composer of this samai with no replies. Amazing
playing!
Here's Zakariya Ahmed with a young woman singing
Nisi 3a Laq 7ayirga3 (not sure about spelling and
individual words) in Saba: Zakariya Ahmed - Nisi 3a Laq 7ayirga3 Jody Stecher - 9-20-2012 at 12:01 PM
Just been checking out more of these pieces.
I am glad that the Michigan Arab Orchestra is working now.
Amazing players!
I am a big fan of Abdel hay Hilmi, Sabah Fakhri and all the others mentioned too.
It would be good to have a full Wasla Suite in Saba.
Al Kindi have touched on a short one, and this Bashraf:
Al Kindi also have recorded a Saba wasla of nearly 40 minutes in length. It's the second half of Disc One in the double cd set released by Chant du
Monde, called Le Salon de Musique d'Alep/The Allepian Music Room.Jono Oud N.Z - 9-25-2012 at 06:25 PM
Hi.
Good point, I have that Al Kindi one too.
It's a good one for sure.
The composer or the Saba Bashraf maybe Tawfiq Al Sabbagh, my friend told me recently. yazeed777 - 9-26-2012 at 05:10 AM
I can think of a Saudi song called AlAmakin by Mohammed Abduh on Saba...
you can find on this link.... it is a very popular and sad song....
Oum Koulthoum's Lessa Faker. The second part modulates into Saba. I dont have a link handy but its worth a listen.
I think like Brian said earlier, saba can achieve dramatic effects when it comes as an unexpected modulation. Thats the feeling we call Tarab.
But for that feeling to be achieved, it cant be overdone...Jono Oud N.Z - 9-26-2012 at 02:23 PM
Hi.
The Mohammed Abduh song is very good, thanks!
I like his music, particularly the recordings with a small group.
I will check out the Oum Kalhtoum song too.
Also, I agree about Saba being used often as an effective modulation, often to cause temporary tension/sadness.
In many old pieces Ajam modulates to Saba and vice versa.
Also from Bayati, Rast (nawa, or husseyni) and Iraq/Segah - Bastanikar.
And of course the Tarab is the most important thing.
Sadreddin Ozcimi, Goksel Baktagir and Ahmet Celik. The Turkish Saba seems to suffer less from the problem of "too much intensity to sustain", at least
to my ear. Is it because they spend more time in the upper reaches?Jono Oud N.Z - 10-2-2012 at 05:07 PM
Quote:
The Turkish Saba seems to suffer less from the problem of "too much intensity to sustain", at least to my ear. Is it because they spend more time in
the upper reaches?
Very good point.
There are two Saba maqamat these days.
Julien Weiss from Al Kindi explains that the one with the flat fourth (Gb) is common to Arabic music, like Bedouin music.
This emphasizes the lower tetrachord mostly with emphasis on the note Saba (Gb).
This version was also common to Ottoman music until the 1700's.
The other one is common to ancient Antioch Church music and has a Gd ('quarter' tone) as the fourth.
In modern Turkish music, it is really a mixture of Zirgulah Hijaz and Ushshaq/Bayati, but as you said there is mostly a focus on the upper part.
Ali al- Darwish referred to this as the Saba Rakb maqam.
There is a modulation to this from regular Saba on the Husayn IsmâÎl Al-Azami / Al-Kindî Ensemble album.
(Thanks to the very detailed liner notes).
spartan - 10-7-2012 at 10:49 PM
I finally found the samai Saba from Jabakji's book
Dont know much about Abd El Fatah Sukar that (I guess) wrote this piece and never heard someone play it.
[img][/img]
[img][/img]Jono Oud N.Z - 10-8-2012 at 11:48 AM
Cool!
A good one to learnBaniYazid - 10-9-2012 at 03:01 AM
Thank you!Rambaldi47 - 10-12-2012 at 05:54 PM
There's a beautiful Oum Kalthoum song from her early years
titled "Tishuf 'umuri". According to this site, it was composed by
Mohammad al-Qasabji with Lyrics by Ahmad Ramy.
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