ameer - 1-22-2010 at 11:12 AM
Warning: great wall of text ahead.
Today in class to avoid falling asleep I began catalogging the moods that maqamat have induced for me over my lifetime. I primarily analyzed maqamat
on different rootnotes, with tempo, lighting and time of day as secondary factors. Here are my results. You'll notice some factors have more impact on
some maqamat than on others because this is a product of my listening experiences more than anything else. My question to you is how much of this is
universal and how much of it is a product of chance and individual personality. Pointers to music that can fill in any gaps you might see or
counterexamples of the moods I've experienced would be appreciated.
We'll start with bayati which for some reason or other is my favorite maqam. I find that bayati on C produces a very raw feeling of sadness; whatever
you're lamenting happened very recently or isn't finished yet. Consequently bayati on C tends to be more effective at slower tempos and at night where
any artificial light doesn't have to contrast with the sun. Bayati on G produces a much happier feeling; it can shift to sadness for a while but I
find it never really sustains. Oddly enough I find it most effective in the afternoon with heavy sunlight, though it's universal enough to where
that's not too big a deal. It can go slow or fast, but is much more effective when faster.
Bayati on A has a similar feel to bayati on G but is most effective outside during sunset. I haven't been able to come to a decision on speed yet. If
played in the early morning though it does get a very interesting feeling that I'm failing to express for some reason.
Bayati on F# is again similar to bayati on G but is most effective late at night at faster tempos.
Bayati on E has some of that "Egyptian mystique" to it and is most effective in the morning; I'm not really sure about tempo. If played late at night
it comes pretty close to bayati on F#.
Other root notes will come pretty close to whichever one is closest.
Rast is a pretty happy maqam in general. On G it's most effective around sunset at faster tempos, but it is also pretty universal.
On C it's equally universal and most effective just after sunset with some artificial light but at medium tempos. Rast on A is like rast on G but
better at medium tempos.
Nahawand has a very intraspective lamenting feel to it; it's a lot like bayati but it's cry is not as loud. On D it's most effective during the late
afternoon at faster tempos, where as on C it's most effective in the early afternoon at any tempo with heavy artificial light.
These are just a few that are coming to me now; obviously there are a lot more that I have and haven't heard.