PaulS
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Saba the wayward son
I have been working on Saba lately, enjoying it 'too much' as they say here. Last night, one of the teachers in solfege said, 'Saba is a son of Bayat,
but he has gone astray'. Everyone else laughed knowingly, then commented on how sad it is. I find it rather mysterious than sad (for ex. in Naseer
Shammas's Hilal al Saba).
I would be interested in your thoughts on saba though... or other pieces you know in saba...
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SamirCanada
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaUjXzzVPHg
modulation at 5:45
THE most popular arabic song in Saba
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hamed
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Saba has always been my least favorite maqam, I don't know why but I have never been able to warm up to it. somehow I never "feel" Saba, i used to
feel the same about Sikah which I have grown to enjoy. I think one of the reasons I don't like Saba is that i''m not exposed to it as much as there
aren't very many songs written in Saba, it is usually a modulation as Samir pointed out .
good topic though, I'm really interested in what everyone else has to say, I think Saba is one of those you either love or hate.
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PaulS
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Thanks for that input.
One interesting piece I discovered online, apart from Shamma's Hilal Al Saba, is this Longa Saba by Eric Ederer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2mXj5wF6Xc
The music is here http://www.ericederer.com/comp/images/ee_saba_longa_on_d.pdf
I think it is very nice with lots of interesting modulations. Eric is also a really cool guy who went and studied in Turkey and did a Ph.d in
ethnomusicology
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nile pirate
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Another even more popular piece in saba is umkolthum introduction and first move of her famous song by zakaryia Ahmed " Howa Saheeh El Hawa
Ghallab"
Throgout the song she goes from saba to Byati to karjighar(byat shuri) and eventually back to saba
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfNmzvGrDmE&feature=player_detai...
BUT personally Iprefer saba zamzam with the E flat
Hope you enjoy the singing of al set umkolthum
The pirate
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SamirCanada
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+1 Nile pirate, that's another excellent example.
Paul, you could you argue the first 2 lines of the piece are in Bayat, I feel in this case the piece modulates into Saba quite fast but it's not the
main maqam introduce right away. The piece stays in Saba quite a long while so perhaps that's why he called it Saba song
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Lysander
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This topic is invaluable. I have been trying to get 'into' saba but with not much luck. It would make sense for me to connect with it because it's
generally thought of as a sad maqam. I'll listen to these songs and hopefully they'll take me some of the distance.
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SamirCanada
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For you non arabic speakers, I found these 2 translations to help understand what lyrics the composers and poets were using to accompany the Saba
Maqam. I think we can trust Zakaria Ahmad and Riadh el-Sombati knew something about maqamat and composing. Its generally thought of to be a maqam that
is used to express feelings of hurt and sadness, pain of loosing something etc... not really a joyfull maqam in the traditional history of classical
arabic music.
http://lyricstranslate.com/en/Howa-Sahih-El-Hawa-Ghalab-Its-True-Lo...
http://lyricstranslate.com/en/Lisa-faker-Lisa-faker.html
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reminore
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the modulations to saba are always pronounced...and in the ottoman/greek tradition almost always accompany a lament. for the greek urban smyrneika
style music recorded in the 20's, 30's the choice of saba underscores a lament...the music is so heavily imbued with this sense!
it was in large part refugee greeks from asia minor transported to greece lamenting for their lost homelands...have a listen to roza eskenazi singing
'dunya pos me kantintises' (oh world, what have you reduced me to). heavy saba...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgrGXVQ7W5U
the two line verse in the ottoman gazel style is this in translation:
oh world, what have you reduced me to, all unpleasantness
before i've had a chance to enjoy my youth, you tell me it is time to close my eyes.
"Ντουνιά πως μ' κατάντησες όλο
κακία είσαι, πριν να χαρώ τα
νιάτα μου, μου λες τα μάτια
κλείσε".
i remember many years ago listening to a lament played on buzuk about the death of che guevara called "jevara mat" and played in...saba!
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freya
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I've been attracted to this samai saba for a long time. Still trying to find the sheet music...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHox7FUviNk
Cheers,
Harry
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majnuunNavid
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Fascinating discussion. I really like Saba. It's a very easy modulation.
Interesting that it is a melody indicating sorrow or sadness in Arab tradition. I also read from a Turkish source that it is associated with feelings
of courage and fearlessness.
see here: http://www.turkishmusicportal.org/print.php?id=12&cat=article&a...
The latter resonates more with me, but I can also see where the sadness comes from, especially the way Umm Kulthum sings it... she practically weaps
her words out...
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Jack_Campin
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There are a couple of versions of "Guevara Mat" on YouTube. (I thought it might been a reworking of "Hasta Siempre" but there's no resemblance).
Anybody got the words and a translation?
I didn't know about either Sheikh Imam or Ahmed Fouad Negm before. Looks like I ought to find out more.
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Jono Oud N.Z
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Saba is a beautiful maqam
This is a really cool Samai:
http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/viewthread.php?tid=13850#pid94...
And interesting modulation to Saba from Rast (third khana):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbJr_XVYSlI
[file]30632[/file] (sheet music for piece)
Arabic style:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zig6GvPZiLk
A nice version of Howa Sahih:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gSVk9zB7g0
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Jono Oud N.Z
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Definitely
3 more:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rohX2zHUbk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugKFCPXZUVI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOTu4AW0TOs
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John Erlich
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I just came across a popular Arabic song in maqam saba and remembered this conversation. It's "Zeina, Zeina" by Farid El Atrache.
The movie clip is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZvCOQjftp4
A recording and two different scores can be had here: http://www.ahyasalam.com/play_song.php?songmd=6f186ffd5b68856b92ca6...
Peace out,
"Udi" John
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Eric Stern Music
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Thanks for posting this. I never heard this Zeina, I'm used to the other Zeina.
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