Maqam-Music

explanation of the term

Maqam-Music is the classical music of the Near and Middle East. Maqam, arabic: place or range, means in the Music "Key" as scale and a semi-modal melodic development, which has special tones for each key. So we can that a maqam is compound of special scale and a compsitoric melocic element. Each makam is distinguished by these meldoic developments from a n other maqam. Most of the makams are subdivided by a Tetra- and a Pentachord, but in der melodic development through a composition or an improvisation in such a maqam specific increases of tone material by accidentals in the higher and lower octave of this scale gives the maqam a very strong dynamic element, which assumes a high elaborate technic in the expression of maqam-music.

Here we focus our attention first on the classical ottoman-turkish Maqam-Music in the perspective of a music theoretical, historical and therapeutic point of view. This music tradition which has expressed over 700 years until now the finest movements of the soul needs also in its description high attention. In the classical Maqam-Music we find art, science and spirituality strongly interwoven in each other. Since our evaluation on this sites is meanwhile based on the ottoman-turkish music tradition, we can only point out in passing the excellent persian, uzbek, azerbaijan and arabic Maqam-Music.

general contents

The art of Maqam-Music consists on a balance between a melodic predetermined structure and an individuell inspiriation. All asiatic music styles own the importance of a personly skilled music expression, in the Form of sound shaping process. In this tradition the instruments and the singing voice are extedend to their upmost area of over- and undertones. In this kind of technic the shamanistic heritage of Asia is recognized again. A sucessful performance of a classical Maqam-Music piece requires a high degree of empathy of the musician in relation to the composition and also in empathy to the listeners of his performance.

The creative dealing within the structures of a Maqam-tonality reaches its peak by improvisations (taksim). Normally a taksim goes ahead of a classical piece-performing. But even in such a taksim compositoric laws are dominant. Usually the improvistaions are moving through a free tempo, in which typical melodic figures (çesni) of a Maqam are been shown in the beginning and by continuing the whole range of ton material of a Maqam, normally 2.5 octaves, are been brought into full use. In the middle part of the taksim (meyan) the highest tones and most dramatic elements, and also some other Maqam which are related to the one, are been expressed. The conclusion moves mostly over some cadenzas back to the initial melodic figures. The characteristic of the instruments should also been presented in the taksim. Improvisations by singing on the basic of poetry are in the most part gazel and here the insturmentalist find their shining example: the deep expression of human voice. In the centralasian cultures the imitation of the human voice by music instruments had been brought through the centuries to perfection.

historical content

Maqam-Music developed on the intersection of the cultures of the Orient. The scale-structure of the greek music theory and the natural ninth comma subdivison of a whole tone, which was recovered by Pythagoras, created the first theoretical foundations. Arabic scientists in the ninth century adapted it, added substantial style elementes and the Maqam-Music was established in its compositoric maturity by persian and turkish universal scolars which united art and science in the 11th century.

Specific characteristics of Asian music traditions were also integrated. Some Maqams bear the names of certain regions or cities with which they were associated. Likewise, poetic descriptions of their effects served as namesakes, such as the Suz-i dil Maqam, translated as: burning of the heart. The term Maqam itself appears in the 11th century. Previously, other designations were used. This term was mentioned in connection with the characteristics of the teachings of al-Farabi (d. 930), as well as those of al-Kindi (d. 850) and the insights of the Greek philosophers. The designation "music" was likewise adopted from the Greeks.

Farabi expanded the 12-step tone division of an octave into a 17-step octave division, whereby exact semitones were avoided and two different semitone values (90 and 114 cents respectively) were employed. From the 17 tone steps, eight tones were designated for each scale. At the end of the 19th century, the 17-step system was replaced by a 24-step one. The ninth-tone division of Ottoman Maqam music yields an approximate interval of 23 cents, whereby only the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 8th divisions are used. In the overtone series, this tone vibration, lowered by one-ninth from the whole tone, sounds at the 5th degree. It is the Pythagorean comma. The connection between empirical auditory experiences and cosmic concepts formed the basis of independent research in the Near East for centuries. The master musician Abdulkadir Meragi added necessary practical corrections, particularly to the theoretical teaching of Maqam. The Nawba/Fasl suites formed the basis of performance practice. These were defined primarily through the many rhythmic forms, e.g., a song in 3/4 was called semai, one in 10/8 aksak semai. Song collections were compiled within a Maqam, whereby the sequence of pieces was determined by rhythmic specifications. This form was performed as a fasıl suite. Until the 19th century, such song cycles were part of courtly concerts. The Ottoman fasıl, the Uzbek Shash Maqam, and the Azerbaijani Muqam all followed this pattern.

When a Maqam composer in the Ottoman style creates a new Maqam, he should compose a small fasıl, consisting of at least one peşrev (overture), one şarkı (song), and one saz semaisi (finale piece), so that other musicians can recognize the structure of the Maqam. For according to the Turkish ud virtuoso and composer Cinuçen Tanrıkorur, a Maqam consists of 20% dizi (scale) and 80% seyir (melodic progression). The seyir, along with the writing down of semi-improvised pieces, has likewise become a foundation of Maqam theory.

From the 13th century onward, a new synthesis of musical theories as well as instrumentaria took place in the Asia Minor region as a consequence of the Mongol invasions. The musicians at the whirling dances of the mystic Mevlana Rumi (d. 1273) played primarily ney, tanbur, rebab, and ud. These musical instruments belong to the most important Maqam instruments. To this day, the Mevlevi dervish order, which traces back to Rumi, remains the guarantor of artistically outstanding achievements in Maqam music.

Through the expansion of the Ottoman Empire in the 15th and 16th centuries across the entire Near East, the Balkans, and North Africa, the aforementioned instruments and Maqam music found wide dissemination. A peak in Maqam development regarding its multifaceted melodic formations can be found in the urban centers of the Ottoman Empire toward the end of the 17th century. Parallel to the European Baroque, master composers such as Itri and Hafız Post accomplished works of the greatest musical beauty and deepest spirituality. Two Europeans, Kantemir and Bobovski, were musicians and scholars at the Ottoman court and created hundreds of Maqam works. Their recordings and descriptions belong to the important documents of musicology. To the original letter notation was added, among others, the Hamparsum notation of the Armenian church musician Hamparsum, which used temporal and pitch indications.

From the end of the 18th century onward, the oral transmission tradition was expanded into large repertoire collections extending into the 19th century through these notations. With the colonial era began also the European notation as well as various compositional characteristics of European type. In the cosmopolitan milieu of Istanbul as well as Cairo, master musicians of different origins found new forms of Maqam composition. Even today, one can find a life-size portrait of the Turkish composer and tanbur virtuoso Tanburi Cemal Bey in the state conservatory of Tunis. He united the highest improvisational art with new compositional methods and thereby created his own style. Through the combination of rural dance music and this virtuosic Maqam playing style, a popular music with wide dissemination emerged. It is called sanat müziği and it carried the heritage of classical compositions united with the shorter melodic lines of folk songs into the 20th century.

Music-Theoretical Aspects of Ottoman-Turkish Maqam Music

The Maqams are based on a fundamental tone (karar), from which either a tetrachord or a pentachord is constructed, and this 4th or 5th tone serves as the dominant (güçlü), to which in turn a tetrachord or pentachord is connected. A tetrachord forms an octave with a pentachord when sharing the dominant. This 4th or 5th tone of the scale becomes a stopping point of the melody as a connecting tone in the melodic development of a Maqam. According to the music theorists Yekta, Ezgi, and Arel, six tetrachords of different interval structures constitute the basic tetrachords of Maqam music: Rast, Buselik, Çargâh, Kürdi, Hicaz, and Uşşak. Together with their pentachords extended by one scale degree, they form most of the basic Maqams.

As a simple example:
Rast tetrachord and Rast pentachord yield the Rast Maqam.

Maqams are subdivided into 3 groups:

1. Basic-Makams - basit makamat
2. Compound Maqams - mürekkeb makamat mürekkeb makamat
3. Transposed Maqams - şedd makamat schedd makamat

Today one speaks of 13 basic Maqams, and in older literature 12 were indicated, whereby variations can be observed over the centuries. Six of these basic Maqams exhibit a typically Oriental 1.5 tone step. They are called the Hicaz Maqam family.

2. Compound Maqams are built on the combination of different basic Maqams and their subsidiary modes.

3.The transposed Maqams are Maqams of the first and second groupings, whereby these Maqams played in specific transposition positions have attained great popularity through frequent application and thereby gained entry as independent Maqams.

The melodic progression of a Maqam has tendential directions upward or downward, or a combination of both. With the exception of the basic Maqams, which can exhibit all three directions, the compound Maqams are of descending tendency.

If we analyze Cinuçen Tanrıkorur's statement more closely: Maqam = 20% scale and 80% melodic progression, then it becomes evident that the European concept of modal scale structure is not applicable to Maqam music. Each Maqam has an approximate path of melodic development, whereby many variations should also be expressed therein. In the middle section of the melodic progression, called meyan, typical elements of other Maqams are interwoven. Here the art of geçki-taksim, the improvisation from one Maqam into another, comes into application. This requires much knowledge about the peculiarities of the Maqams, as well as the commonalities that are necessary as connecting elements for the transfer. From this it follows that the Maqam exhibits more than a modal structure. A Maqam in its profile is compatible with specific Maqams, and with certain others it is not. Why, for example, the Maqam Saba is gladly incorporated into the Maqam Acemasiran, but the Maqam Acem does not feature the Maqam Saba, are open questions that can perhaps only be explored through very much old song repertoire and performance practice.

Teacher - Student

In conclusion, it should be said that the actual understanding of a Maqam can only be conveyed by master musicians. They know the particularities from decades of practice and have for the most part likewise learned essential things from their master teachers. The training to become a Maqam musician does not presuppose the adoption of the master teacher's playing style, but this is regarded as extremely useful as training for one's own style.