TruePharaoh21
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Maqam Question
Hey everyone,
I was wondering if there is a lesser used maqam which has he following starting three notes in it:
C Db E(half-flat)
Spacing: - 1/2 5/4... etc.
I remember coming across something like this before, but I don't remember the name. Help?
TP21
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al-Halabi
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A sequence close to the one you list (C Db E half-flat) would be found most commonly in a Hijaz tetrachord in which the augmented second between the
second and third notes is compressed. The sequence appears in a variant of maqam Suznak (called Zirguleli Suznak in Turkish music) in which the scale
is roughly C Db E half-flat F G Ab B C. This maqam has a Hijaz pentachord on the note rast and a Hijaz tetrachord on the note nawa (neva). The Turkish
maqam Hijazkar has a similar sequence of intervals, also beginning on rast. You can find this sequence also in maqam Awj Ara (Turkish Evcara) which
begins on the note iraq (B half-flat).
The interval 5/4 that you mention actually appears in Arab music theory very rarely (6/4 is the standard interval for the augmented second in modes
like Hijaz). You find 5/4 in the unusual Musta'ar trichord E half-flat F# G (5/4 1/2). The two maqams that have this sequence are Awj Ara and
Musta'ar. You also find something close to a 5/4 in a maqam often called Hijaz Gharib. This is Hijaz played with the second note Eb sharpened to E
half-flat and the F# flattened some. The augmented second is thus compressed to something around 5/4. This modified Hijaz is played commonly by
Turkish musicians, especially gypsy musicians, and also by gypsies in Syria (where it is also called Gypsy Hijaz). Try it - it produces more tarab
than the standard Hijaz.
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TruePharaoh21
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al-Halabi,
In the variant of the Suznak scale that you have listed above, would it be possible to have Bayati instead of Hijaz on Nawa? As such, it'd be that the
third and sixth notes of the standard Hijaz Kar Kord would be raised by a quarter tone.
Also, is there a name for this sequence? That is to say, for this type of spacing... a special tetrachord name, perhaps?
Thanks in advance, and for all the info that you've listed above.
TP21
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al-Halabi
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Peter,
The variant Suznak mode does not incorporate a Bayati on Nawa as part of its structure or normal progression. Its main internal modulation is to the
standard Suznak mode, in which Rast on the note Rast replaces the Hijaz on Rast. In Hijazkarkurd you do find Bayati on Nawa often played as part of
the normal progression of the maqam (instead of Kurd on Nawa), and also the incorporation sometimes of Hijakzar on Rast (the Eb is raised to E in Arab
music, or to E half-flat in Turkish music). I think it can be misleading, though, to think of a compex maqam like Hijazkarkurd in terms of a linear
scale broken down into a couple of tetrachords. It is more useful to think of its progression or pattern of melodic development, which introduces a
number of tetrachords that are not readily visible from the scale itself. They come from the traditional rules of melody-making in the maqam rather
than the basic notes of a scale.
There is no tetrachord in Arab music theory that includes the intervals 1/2 5/4. In practice, though, they correspond roughly to the first two
intervals of Hijaz as they are actually played based on traditional intonation. The second degree (Eb) is raised by a comma or two and the third
degree (F#) is flattened by a comma or two. This produces a first interval that is larger than the 1/2 that appears in the theory and a second
interval that is smaller than the 6/4 that appears in the theory (bringing it closer to 5/4). Measuring intervals using quarter tones, which is the
current practice in Arab music, tends to produce inaccuracies in representing practice. Turkish theory, using the old system of commas, is more
accurate, but it too does not faithfully represent the nuances of performance practice (for example, the higher and lower varieties of the note
segah).
I don't know if I answered your question, butI think that you can see 1/2+, ~5/4, 1/2+ as corresponding most closely to the actual intervals of the
traditional Hijaz tetrachord, even though the theory represents them more neatly as 12, 6/4, 1/2.
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TruePharaoh21
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al-Halabi,
It is understandable that the Suznak variant wouldn't allow for the Bayati on Nawa, as, by definition, it is Hijaz. My question was more along the
lines of the basis of the Rast-Bayati combination.
Anyways, thank you very much for all of this information. You are very well versed with this, and so you can expect that I'll be asking a lot more
questions in the future (if you don't mind  ).
Thank you again,
TP21
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al-Halabi
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Peter,
Sorry if I misunderstood your question. Maybe you can rephrase it. If you are interested to know about the possibilities of a Rast-Bayati combination,
I can think of two maqams where you find the two as part of the mode's melodic progression. One is maqam Yegah (Yakah), which looks like maqam Rast
transposed to the note Yegah (lower G). The Rast on D is often replaced in performance with Bayati on D (D E half-flat F instead of D E F half-sharp).
There is also a maqam called Nayruz Rast built on a pentachord of Rast on the note rast and Bayati on nawa. It is maqam Rast with Bayati on nawa
replacing Rast on nawa. Here you have the combination build into the explicit scale of the maqam. This maqam is mentioned in older writings but is not
currently played.
Feel free to follow up with other questions or comments.
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TruePharaoh21
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al-Halabi,
Thank you very much for your patience. What I was trying to articulate was if there is a maqam who follows this sort of spacing:
C Db E(half-flat) F G A(half-flat) Bb C
As such, the first three notes would be as the first post above described, and the second tetrachord, if you will, would be Bayati on Nawa.
TP21
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al-Halabi
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Peter,
If the E half-flat is played high (as in Turkish intonation in modes like Hijazkar, for example) then your scale will actually correspond to a maqam
called Uzzal. It has a Hijaz pentachord on Rast (C Db E high half-flat F G) followed by a Bayati tetrachord on G (G A half-flat Bb C). Uzzal is part
of the Hijaz family of modes, and is commonly played on D, but there is no technical problem with transposing it and playing it on C. The tricky part
here is the E half-flat. If you play it in a low position (as, for example, in Bayati on D) you will get a sequence of intervals that does not
actually exist in any maqam (although you might be able to claim it as your invention). If your E half-flat is on the high side you will be playing
recognized melodic sequences. Try the maqam in D and see what you think. The notes would be D Eb (sharpend a bit) F# (flattened a bit) G A B half-flat
C D.
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TruePharaoh21
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al-Halabi,
Wouldn't the higher E half-flat correspond to the Rast E half-flat?
TP21
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al-Halabi
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That's right, it would be the higher E half-flat played in Rast (or Segah).
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TruePharaoh21
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Now a bit of a different question... is Ussal used in Arabic music? For example, would we find it an Om Kolthoum song, for example? Or do the
proficient oud players of the older times (el-Qasabji, Sunbati, Farid) use them in their taqsims ever?
Once again, thank you very much. You've greatly assisted me, al-Halabi.
TP21
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al-Halabi
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Uzzal can be found in Arab music, but it would be identified typically as maqam Hijaz. There are four major variants of Hijaz, and Arab music tends
usually to name them Hijaz rather than differentiate between them with distinct names (as Turkish music does). I would have to go back and check if
performances by some of the artists you mention are actually in Uzzal. You can tell if the tonal center between the two main tetrachords is A rather
than G (when playing in D), and the second tetrachord is Bayati on A rather than the more common Busalik or Rast on G. The first tetrachord or
pentachord in the four variants is always Hijaz, while the second can be Busalik, Rast, Bayati, or Hijaz.
Are you playing this maqam in C? I think the fingerings are a bit awkward, and it's more of a challenge to get the intonation right than when playing
it in D. But challenges can make us better players.
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