Music of the Middle East

We will watch a BBC documentary called Breaking the Silence

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

Summary

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