Danielo - 9-2-2010 at 02:34 AM
Dear Friends,
While working on this very nice samai in Hijaz Kar, I was puzzled with something.
In several places, the accidental D# is used, seemingly as a leading-tone to busalik (E). If I remember well I noticed the same in other music
pieces in Hijaz Kar....
So what does this really mean? (I think it cannot be to emphasize a secondary jins, kurd on E, as there the leading-tone to the tonic is one full
tone below...)
Thanks !
Dan
David.B - 9-2-2010 at 09:42 AM
Salut Danielo,
The D# you're talking about is a dint to E, sometimes called hassas al-hassas, in other words a leading tone to the leading tone (this is really usual
in Hijaz tetrachord).
D# leads to E, E last for a while (one quarter note) before its resolution on the attack on F which is the tonic of a second jins (Nawa Athar). I
would see E as a pivot between F, G and C.
Also you've got interesting things after the fourth bar!
I hope it helps.
Alfaraby - 9-2-2010 at 11:30 PM
Forum's friend Proff. Taiseer Elias instructs his students at the Accademy of Music that in this case, D# here is a very prominent
leading tone to the E natural (Buslik), which is the unstable third degree in Hijaz Kar (it leads to the F ). Therefore, the D# supports and
strengthens the E and converts it into temporary stable focal note ("tonic") on which a "SABA ZAMZAMA" tetrachord (JINS) on E is based, as follows: E,
F,G, Ab (flat). But it's only a very tentative, passing and decorating tetrachord in the very momentary and immediate level, which very soon resolves
back again to Hijaz Kar in a descending directionality. This is a significant typical feature of the modal behaviour of Hijaz Kar, which occurs often
in both composition and improvisation.
Hope this would solve the puzzle Dan, wouldn't it ?
Yours indeed
Alfaraby
David.B - 9-3-2010 at 05:56 AM
Thanks for this interpretation Alfaraby, I thought about Saba Zamzam too but I'm not so familiar with this maqam. BTW, I think the most important
thing is that D# is a temporary leading tone to E and E is "unstable" as you said.
Danielo - 9-4-2010 at 12:54 AM
Thanks a lot David and Alfaraby !
There are really great people on this forum 
Are there such kind of "features" in all maqamat ? Is there a good source to learn this (apart from going to Jerusalem 
)?
thanks !
Dam
David.B - 9-4-2010 at 12:59 AM
Hi Danielo,
It seems you're online... You can read "Arab music theory in the modern period" by Marcus Scott Lloyd. There's a chapter about accidentals and one
about modulations. Also I use a lot the chapter about notes below the tonic and maqam ambitus to understand what happens in the music I listen to.
David.B - 9-4-2010 at 01:04 AM
PS
What happens here with the D# happens with the A# there : http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/viewthread.php?tid=9746#pid739... at 04:51
Danielo - 9-4-2010 at 01:18 AM
Merci beaucoup David !
I should give a closer look to Lloyd's PhD...
Up to now my main source of info was Erlanger's book. Unfortunately it does not cover this kind of refined topics.
Dan
David.B - 9-4-2010 at 01:25 AM
Yes Lloyd's work is the only one I've found which treats clearly about accidentals. These notes are not so discussed but it's so important to notice
them in order to distinguish them from a note which belongs to a new maqam during a temporary modulation.