DJdog
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Emotional content of maqqamat
A number of writers on middle-eastern music have commented that, for native listeners (people who have grown from childhood listening to microtonal
music)the different maqammat have different emotional meanings. So, for instance, the difference between a quarter tone in one maqqam, and a slightly
larger interval in another, has emotional significance that is quite specific and consistent. For instance, one maqqam may bring feelings of "longing
for a lost love" very consistently for native listeners. However, for people who haven't grown up with the music, there is no consistent difference of
emotional response between one maqqam and a slightly different one.
This is a terrific forum to discuss this, considering the widely different backgrounds of our members. What do you think?
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Arto
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This is a very interesting subject.
I am quoting this from memory (don´t have the book) but I think Mr Touma in his "Music of the Arabs" book mentioned about a test done for people with
Middle Eastern and Western backgrounds. They were made to listen to music in different maqams, and were asked to express their impressions about the
emotional feeling the music gave to them. To Middle Eastern group, the results were very consistent and correlated well to the generally accepted (in
Middle East) view about Bayati being a joyful mode and Saba a sad one (if I remeber right) etc.
The results for the Western group were generally the same, but there were much more variations than for those persons who "live in" Arab musical
culture. Generally, most people felt Saba was sad, but there were a large minority feeling the music was "neutral" and also some who felt the music
was cheerful.
Somewhere on these forums I saw a thread with music samples on maqams and on these the man giving instruction started by telling what is the
"accepted" emotional mood of the mode in question. For a Westener (and a newbie) like myself this was very interesting, and I feel that this would
help getting started about playing maqams oneself. If I know this is a sad mode, I play according to this feeling, and I suppose this would help me to
get feeling "right". I miss this sort of information, that is lacking in for example the excellent Arab Maqam World site.
best wishes, Arto
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zalzal
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Fm Samir Tahar booklet CD Magic Ud
"Maqam and its influence
Since ancient times, Arab artists, ,scholars and musicologists
have endowed maqams (musical modes) with the power of
exerting a real influence on the human being. By virtue of its
musical qualities, maqam is capable of revealing the most
subtle nuances in our states of mind
Each maqam conesponds to a different state of mind, which
can be experienced both intellectually and emotionally. The
intensity of its influence depends on how receptive the per-
son exposed to it is, The more sensitive one is to maqam, the
more one feels it. The provoked state of mind remains inti
mately connected to the type of maqam and to the musical or
r vocal phrases and inflexions, such as musical movements,
the richness of a poem and the way it is sung, the different
modulations, the variants, the lamentations
lt's certain that maqam has excellent seductive capacities It
produces such captivating and fascinating effects that one
can obviously not resist its charm. Listening to a taqsim on
the Œud (luth improvisation) is enough to be convinced
Maqam must be compared to a splendid landscape with
pleasant forms and a distinct outline The landscape,s beau-
ty never leaves us bored. Greatness and nobleness are its
undeniable qualities, ln order to discover aIl the treasures it
contains, admiring or contemplating it from afar will not suf-
fice One must enter it and stroll through every corner of it
This must be done calmly, with serenity, knowing what to do
in order to get the most out of the excursion The inexpe-
rienced person does not possess the necessary knowledge to
do this It will thus be impossible to approach the landscape,..
let alone to undertake its exploration That,s where the artist
intervenes, because what is the most important is the way the
landscape is described, the way the artist leads otbers to dis-
cover it.
Performing a taqsim means highlighting the maqam,s rich-
ne,s It is a difficult art, which requires a perfect knowledge
of maqam and a great mastery of instrumental technique
Furthennore, loving or appreciating a maqam is not enough
to become impregnated by it One must mingle intimately
with it, becoming part of the same vibration In another
realm of time and space the notes, like brilliantly pure pearls,
appear in a melodic cascade, and imperceptibly invade the
heart of he who was able to leave ajar the doors to his soul
And the soul, delivered at once from its burden and from
constraint, is in tum flooded by sensations coming from its
own invisible interior world
As already mentioned, Taqsim underlines the deepest quali-
lies of maqam Thanks to his rich, warm and powerful
playing, the artist lets us faste the deligbts of a musical form,
which has preserved the pure gold of the Arab Civilization,s
first glories A true return to the sources that enconrage uni-
versai love A search for authenticity which leaves the door
wide open to innovation and creation
]n order to understand the different subtleties in the art of
taqsim, one must enter maqam and establish contact with its fascinating and constantly moving universe until total transcendence And at the Same time
it is necessary to keep alive
a profound personal desire to play on the fingerboard of
human and spiritual wisdom The musical modes (maqam
which appear in this album are amongst the most important
ones in arabo-islamic music There are five of them and all
named "Raast, Bayati, Nahawand, Hijazi, Iraq"
More on each maqam to come soon.....
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oudmaker
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In the Middleast emotionally sick been treated with music while Europeans tortured and even burned those to get the devil out of them. So the Music
was and I believe still is a tool to cure.
Dear Zalzal and Amtaha,
You gave us some peoples thoughts of the musics influence on us. What about yours?
Regards
Dincer
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amtaha
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Mood: beginner's frustration ...
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Dincer,
As I am a beginner, I'm still having a hard time knowing what maqam I'm currently playing.
But I've had an experience that perhaps might be worthwhile. It was surprising for me as well.
It is a usual case where, when I'm away from the oud, I keep humming tunes and comming up with certain refrains that make me excited. Once I hold the
the oud, all of my thoughts get wasted, and go back to usual sounds. This very might have to do with my limited capabilities as a player where the
technical difficulty overwhelms the flow of music within.
But there was this time where I tought of closing my eyes. My third finger was at C at the 4th string. And I paced myself. I thought of what I wanted
to say at the moment - and I hardly remember now what was that. I would play a sentence. Stop. Think. Play. And so on. Eventually, and for some
unknown reason, the duration of the "stop" didn't have much to do with "thinking" There was a form of unison of playing and thought that sustained me,
and sustained itself for maybe and hour or so. I shed a tear. I smiled. And in the end, I was as if rinsed and cleansed.
There's a certain understanding that I've reached, and it makes sense at times. Honesty and sincerity in composition go a long away. Even with limited
capabilities, I think that telling as it is, regardless of the tonalities and regardless of the context (and, more importantly, regardless of the
familiarity with 1/4, 1/8 and 1/16th tones) - telling it as it is hits at the core.
... Then again, what do I know? 
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zalzal
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Dincer, In fact I am very bad player, almost an ear-closed to music, am not an artist either, so i can not describe influence of music on us like
Amtaha did it so nice here before.
Just i would say that i have only one religion: oud taqsim music, (in facts i have two others: human rights and......olive oil).
Music is the most powerful energy on earth, and oud taqsim music is the one which makes me "stand up and fight for my rights"....
I mean that oud taqsim music is, to me, the one which put human animals in front of their real divine humanity.
In any case i would much appreciate knowing more on psychological effects of oud on humans.
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DJdog
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The responses to my initial curiosity have been truly wonderful. Thank you...all of you. I think that no matter what the cultural context, music is
a language of the emotions. As a Western classical composer, I use the complexities of European harmony and counterpoint tl construct my music.
However, I am not concerned with my listeners knowing that I have modulated from an initial key to its subdominant, nor that I have inverted a theme
and created a three or four voice counterpoint. What I am concerned about is that the listener feel a strong emotion when listening to my music.
Maybe the same emotion that I felt when writing it, but maybe not. The importance is for some emotion to be the result of listening to the music. I
think this is the same for maqqam-consructed music. Yes?
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SamirCanada
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I can probably add my general perception on this subject wich I find quite facinating. In the first place what keeps amazing me is the ratio of Arabs
or Members of arab decent... vs the members who are otherwise not related culturaly to the middle-east. I would speculate that there is a slightly
higher number of members who arent arab. In the end I can feel that there are different perspective to the apreciation of arabic music for both groups
of members. So I will offer mine. First Arabic music to most non professionaly trained amateurs of arab decent is something that is generaly
apreciated for the lyrics first and then the general asociation of a maqam to the feelings are put forth in relation with the lyrics and the feel of
the singing. This creates a general knowlege for the music enthousiast by asociation. Saba is a sad maqam for me because of songs like Lessa Faker of
oum Koulthoum and others who tackle the same theme. The Maqam segah for example when it modulates in houzam I get overwhelemed with emotions, other
maqams like Hijaz and Nahawend(love songs) can produce the same feeling wich I generaly asociate to TARAB. I was told by a oud teacher that most of
the Maqams bear names that represent somehow the feeling to be associated with it example nikriz is suposed to corespond the feeling of be ing upset
or anger. Tarab to is a feeling that gets produced for me when there is a breaking point reached in the lyrics and intonation of the singer wich will
be usualy acompanied by a powerfull modulation in the maqam. Also you will hear the crowd scream or shout words like Allah etc...
This could also be related to a spiritual level. Verry Generaly speaking the main diference with western civilisation and the middle-eastern people is
that the middle easterns are a people of Faith regardless of there religion be it Christianity or Islam. You will often hear the word Inchallah wich
literaly means god willing. And it is asociated for simple things wich most western people would put in there full personal control where the
middle-eastern will put it in the hands of god. EX: Will I see you tomorow? asks one person. Inchallah (god willing) is the awnser you will get most
of the time.
To add to this is the music that is used in the religious hymns be it christian tarateel or muslim sung recitation of Koranic verses. They use maqams
and music wich is verry powerfull both lyricaly and Musicaly. Of course the effect of those could only be experianced by someone who understands and
can Identify with the hymn but it is quite similar to the Tarab effect that can be attained when listening to non arabic music.
Hope you liked my explanation..
Your all welcomed to correct me if I mis interprated something.
Here is a sample to ilustrate that the To high level of Tarab may actualy stop a performance...
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SamirCanada
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Here is another extract from siret el Hob wich draws at least 8 out loud expression of feelings from the crowd in the space of just under 6 minutes
http://songs1.6arab.com/omkalthoom..serat-el-7ob-2.rm
Incredible.
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