Music of the Middle East
The music of the Middle East
encompasses the musical systems of Iran (Persia), the
Arab diaspora, and Turkey
Each region shares five traditions
similar to Western music
Islamic cultural and
musical values affect what is
and is not considered
music
There are three prominent features that unite Middle Eastern
musical culture
1. Vocal and compositional
styles are derived from the recitation
of the Holy Koran
2. Music creates a kind of ecstatic, emotional bond
between performer and audience
3. The “suite,” or collection of individual pieces played together, is the major unifying
compositional principle
In the Middle East, music is generally considered an indulgence and therefore not
good
In the Middle East amateur musicians maintain a higher status than professionals
In Western culture, improvised music has a tonal and structural framework
Arabic music has maqam
Ensemble music has a special kind of
monophony called heterophony
What are the differences between Middle Eastern and Indian ensemble textures?
Islam is the most distinctive feature of the Middle East as a cultural area
Religious ambivalence has not prohibited musical activity
Perhaps the most obvious difference is the definition of “music,” which is very narrow
On a sliding scale, between khandan and musiqi, where can we place
different types of Western music, from church hymns to punk rock?
Professional musicians are
mostly specialists
The scholarly study of music is admired
Chanting of the Holy Koran, CD 1 track 4
There is a broad similarity between Iranian traditions and those of Arabic and Turkish areas
There are numerous instruments common to
Iranian music
The tar is a heavy, long-necked lute with
frets
The kamancheh
(spiked fiddle)
The santour (hammered dulcimer)
The violin (played in the Western fashion)
What are the similarities and differences between the Middle Eastern chordophones
and chordophones found elsewhere throughout the word?
The ney (bamboo
flute)
The dombak or zarb (goblet-shaped drum)
In Iran, learning classical music and learning to improvise are more or less
synonymous
What are some similarities between Middle Eastern and Indian music improvisation?
Scales and arpeggios of
Western music are similar to the radif
Radif is the basic repertoire used as the foundation for composition and
improvisation
A typical Iranian
performance ideally consists
of five parts
Chahar Mezrab in Mahour, performed on santour. Textbook CD1, track 5.
An Avaz in Shur. Textbook CD1, track 7
Radif of Nour-Ali BoroumandCD 1 track 8
6 excerpts based on Daramad
CD1 track 11
Although each version is
individual, the essential
characteristics of the daramad can
be heard
A performance in any maqam may modulate to another maqam
Taqsim Nahawand
CD1 track 10
Illustrations of Major Maqams
CD1 track 6
Music of the dervishes is metric and ceremonial
Popular music is typically a female singer accompanied by a small ensemble of
instruments
Some of these singers, like Umm Kulthum, went beyond the music halls
Ya Zalimni CD1, track 9
The Middle East encompasses a large, diverse geographical and cultural area
Middle Eastern music generally is highly improvised and heterophonic
Vocal and instrumental music is generally highly
ornamented
Vocal music predominates
The primary instrument is the
oud, a type of lute
The most common musical form is the
suite
The best music is thought to inspire a trance-like, higher experience of life
Maqam are used as the basis of all melodic creation
There is a strict hierarchy of music and performers
What are the common beliefs in Christianity, Hinduism and Islam
concerning the origin of their vocal and instrument music?