Mike's Oud Forums

Methods of maqamat studies in late 19th-early 20th c.

Rambaldi47 - 7-14-2012 at 10:05 AM

I'm not sure whether this is the proper section to post this question,
but I was wondering how did the great singers and players in
the late 19th and early 20th century had learned the maqamat.
Was it entirely by rote, teaching the student, whether a prospective
Qari, tarab singer or a Qanun player, certain phrases in a given
maqam and then practicing movement between phrases from
different maqamat?

Were the student, or the teacher for that matter, aware of the
"building blocks" of the maqam the way they are presented in
theory books today? For example, if the players and students
had only learned by ear, there was no need for them to remember
that this note in Bayati is lower than the one in Rast, etc., because in
learning whole phrases in a given maqam, they are entirely separate
in their mind from phrases in the other ones.

I am not a player and my only mild training is vocally with a Jewish
cantor, originally from Morocco, who'd learned and is still learning by
rote extensive repertoire in the three different schools of al-Ala
(Morocco), gharnati (Algeria) and Masri (Egypt). He has the
exceptional ability to teach songs from these different schools by
rote, though musical notation has never been a part of his studies
and teaching. So he can, for example, listen to that Muwashah in
Rast I've posted a while ago and then relay it to the students by rote
gradually breaking down phrases, but he wouldn't know to tell you
note for note the progression of maqamat, only generally knowing
that in this verse, the Muwashah moves to Saba, and then in the
next one it returns to Rast.

However, in learning several songs in a given maqam or nouba, I
start acquiring phrases unique to it and seperate in mind from others.

I guess there are benefits and disadvantages to this way of
learning/teaching but I'd love to hear your answers and experiences.

David.B - 7-15-2012 at 03:39 AM

Here it is a shortcut of my thought:

About 1500 after JC, AL-SAYDAWI wrote a book of theory based on practice -> http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/viewthread.php?tid=12494
The melody types were written in poetical form. I think it was easier for students to memorize.

During the 19th century, Mikhâil Meshâkah wrote -> http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/viewthread.php?tid=10782
The form were prosaic. Because of the influence of the west equal temperament were introduce and staff notation took place.

"Building blocks" theory is from middle age, it has been reintroduce recently (20th century) even if it's inherent to Arab music.

Your own comprehension of maqamat (old school) is a mixture of what you hear and what you think.

The new school is about scales, "building blocks" and sheet music, it supposes to make life easier for students. Here we're back to the beginning: "The melody types were written in poetical form. I think it was easier for students to memorize." !

Rambaldi47 - 7-17-2012 at 03:50 AM

Thanks, David. I shall consult these books.

I once heard Sami Abu-Shamys on one of his earlier podcasts
discussing how equal temperament does not accurately represents
the micro-tonality of the Arabic maqam, at least in practice. He
mentioned how in the 1932 Congress in Cairo they'd tuned a qanun
into 24 equal quarter tones, and both players and performers,
Um Kalthoum among them, had said the maqamat didn't sound quite
right to their ears.

He then went and juxtaposed 12 notes of E (natural, flat and "half-
flat") from different maqamat, and while played in succession, it's
hard to figure out which note belongs in which maqam (especially to
my untrained ears), he showed that the same note sound slightly
lower on another maqam, and so on, but that this micro-tonality
cannot be accurately represented in musical notation, and that there
are also regional differences to be taken into account.

David.B - 7-17-2012 at 05:44 AM

This page from "Arab Music Theory in the Modern Period" (by Marcus, Scott Lloyd) might interest you -> http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/files.php?pid=77759&aid=17...

The Subcommittee calculated this sort of Arab scale this way -> http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/files.php?pid=77759&aid=16...

The 1932 Congress tried to rationalize the musical heritage, not without clashes.

David.B - 7-17-2012 at 07:38 AM

Check out this link -> http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/viewthread.php?tid=7795#pid687...

"Music from Lebanon and the Levant of the Arab Renaissance

The legacy of Mîkhâ'îl Mashshâqa (1800-1888)"

It is more musical than numbers ;)

Rambaldi47 - 7-18-2012 at 03:17 AM

Quote: Originally posted by David.B  
Check out this link -> http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/viewthread.php?tid=7795#pid687...

"Music from Lebanon and the Levant of the Arab Renaissance

The legacy of Mîkhâ'îl Mashshâqa (1800-1888)"

It is more musical than numbers ;)

Thanks, David. It's quite an invaluable recording. I'll
order a copy soon. :)