Jono Oud N.Z - 12-21-2010 at 02:28 PM
Seyir / Sayr
Hi.
I recently stumbled on this old column from 2007 about Seyir and Sayr.
http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/viewthread.php?action=printabl...
I am studying Arab and Turkish clasical music. My teacher is form Cairo though, so I play in the Arab style on an Iraqi style oud.
I have many books that deal with the concept of Seyir and theory and history in general. The most comprehensive on Turkish art music is "Music of the
Ottoman Court" by Walter Feldman and then "Makam, Modal practice in Turkish Art Music" by Karl Signell.
Scott Marcus' Thesis "Arab Music in the Modern Period" and "A Treatise on Arab Music" by the Syrian Mikail Meshakah are the most comprehensive
documents on Arab music in English available. "Malouf" by Ruth Davis, " A History of Arabian Music to the 13th century" by Henry Farmer, "The
Repertoire of Iraqi Maqam" by Rob Simms and "the Music of the Arabs" by Habib Hassan Touma are other good sources.
A good book on Persian music is "The dastgah Concept in Persian Music" by Hormoz Farhat.
The concept of Seyir seems to be more ingrained in Turkish music, but I believe that Turkish and Arab classical musics were much more similar
(basically the same) during the Ottoman Empire, when people could be famous performers regardless of theier religion or nationality.
The recordings of taqasim by the Jewish Egyptian Ottoman musician Misrili Ibrahim Efendi is a good example, he plays maqam Farahnak (seldom heard in
Arab music if at all) in the Egyptian style ('ud, CD 2, Kalan).
Anyway my main point here is that I believe that the old Turkish makam "Cargah" has its origins in the Persian dastgah Charagah, as this is a type of
Hijazkar family maqam with some intonational differences.
Segah, Hijaz Homayun, Dashti (in Iraq) and Mahur also seem to clearly come from Persian music.
I am also studying Persian music now, as I have learned through Feldmans book that the court music of Istanbul was modelled on the strongly Persian
influenced music of Herat (Persian Afghanistan).
Sometimes people forget about Iran. The more I listen to and read abut Persian music, the more its close relation to Turkish and Arabic music becomes
apparant.
Walter Feldman also has a diagram in his book that compares the fretting of the old Turkish tanbur with the Setar of Iran. The fretting is identical,
meaning that there was one origional intonation for the notes Segah and Awj (Evic). The Egyptians lowered the pitch of Segah (Sikah) after the 1932
Cairo Congress, and the Turks have been using a higher pitch for Segah since the late 1700's.
The recent Al Kindi album "Ottoman Perfumes", and "Istanbul. Dimitrie Cantemir" by Jordi Savall and some of the most amazing musicians around, and all
the Bezmara and Al Kindi albums are important in restoring this multicultural maqam music
Peyman - 12-21-2010 at 07:24 PM
The question of the relationship between makams and dastgah was raised once and I pointed the person to a nice website that unfortunately doesn't
exist anymore. It was run by Mohammad Reza Darvishi who created a similar ensemble to Bezmara. The intro on the website traced the footsteps of
Abdulghader Maraghi from Persia to Turkey and the ensemble performed and recorded some of the works attributed to him, using similar instruments from
the time. The work was called Showqname. Darvishi also wrote a book on this topic which I would like to read at some point. I am not an expert or an
academic but I am somewhat interested.
I hadn't heard of Al Kindi before, so I'll check them.
londonoudi - 1-3-2011 at 09:20 PM
...maqam farahnak?
Does anyone have a sample of this maqam? Did a quick search and can't seem to find anything. Very keen to hear this.
So in light of what you say, what are the maqams which are categorically arab? I am guessing all we are left with is rast and bayati?
Marina - 1-4-2011 at 06:37 AM
farahnak, it's just sega on si half flat
here is piyut in farahnank, "ismah har cion":
http://www.piyut.org.il/textual/278.html
and olmost same melody of turkish sufies Niyaz ilahisi (2.07):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GU4nXNm2rE
there is great CD in makam farahnak:
Sermüezzin Rıfat Bey - Ferahnak Mevlevi Ayini (First Recording)
