skeletonleaves
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Maqam Busalik in the Arabic tradition
I'm wondering if anyone has some information (especially about the sayr) of Maqam Busalik as played in Arabic music, and how it differs from Nahawand.
I know Busalik as a maqam is far more common in the Turkish tradition than the Arab one, but it appears that some Arab musicians are familiar with it
as well.
The main thing confusing me is the sayr of the Arabic Busalik – I have seen two different sources showing that it starts on the tonic (D) and
immediately starts emphasizing jins ajam on the third (F); to my ear this appears to be a defining feature that distinguishes it from Nahawand. They
also show the ghammaz/dominant landing on the fifth (A), which is typical of scales starting with jins nahawand/busalik.
However, two other sources I've come across do not mention this melodic movement at all, and further claim that the ghammaz/dominant is on the fourth
(G), not the fifth.
Does anyone have any further info to add, or can point to some songs in Maqam Busalik in the Arabic repertoire? If anyone has anything to say about
how Busalik and Nahawand are distinguished in Turkish music, that could be interesting for comparison too.
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suz_i_dil
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hello
i gave it a quick look, but i think you may get some answers checking this one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zelbtqGoxZo
best wishes
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John Erlich
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Do you have David Muallem's book, "The Maqam Book"? I think it's quite worthwhile. There is a discussion of Buselik from an Arab perspective (pgs.
130-132). https://www.amazon.com/Maqam-Book-Doorway-Scales-Modes/dp/965505053X
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Brian Prunka
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His presentation is interesting, the main distinction other than transposition is the treatment as being closer to dukah-based maqamat like Kurd and
Bayati in that the 4th note is regarded as ghammaz rather than the 5th note.
So in this analysis, the ajnas comprising Buselik are Nahawand 1 and Nahawand/Nikriz 4, rather than Nahawand 1 and Kurd/Hijaz 5 as in
Nahawand/Farahfeza/Sultani Yekah.
He mentions that this analysis (based on Arab textual sources - al-Hilu and al-3Abbas) diiffers from that provided in Turkish sources, which regard
the ghammaz as 5 and indeed that Nahawand is a transposition of Buselik.
I'd be curious to see real musical Arab examples, I don't know of any that are specifically Buselik. I don't believe there are any in Min Kounouzia.
Muallam occasionally gives musical examples to support his analysis, but he doesn't provide any for Buselik. Even Ushshaq Masri, a rather rare maqam,
has some examples.
In my studies, I have only once encountered an Arab musician who really considered Buselik a separate maqam with any identifiable differences (rather
than simply a transposed version of Nahawand). I still have some notes somewhere, if i can find them I will see what they said (I don't recall what
the difference supposedly was).
It's worth noting that Arabic music in the psot-Ottoman period went through many changes; to whatever extent there ever was a difference, I expect it
would largely be a historical difference rather than a contemporary one.
Simon Shaheen has a Nahawand Sama'i that is sometimes labeled Buselik as it is in D. I don't think it would really qualify as an example as Simon has
never expressed a belief in Buselik as a distinct maqam that I'm aware of.
Without examples of it existing, it seems like an essentially theoretical proposition.
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Jono Oud N.Z
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Hi.
Haven't been on the forum for ages.
Good to be back 
The old Ottoman form of Busalik is jins Nahawand with jins Bayati on the 5th.
Originally the maqam had a flat 7th but later uses the C# in the final resolution (otherwise using the C natural).
In the modern Turkish version jins Ajam on the 3rd is emphasised also.
Here is a taqsim of mine in maqam Busalik:
https://soundcloud.com/oud-player-nz/buselik-oud-taqsim
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Jono Oud N.Z
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Here is the (modern) Arab Busalik from Baron Rodolphe d'Erlanger's La Musique Arabe:
https://app.box.com/s/xeoxfpt34x00cqdurw6takks14zhfu3d
https://app.box.com/s/u1ot9mn04dy1alqorx923lkc61wa85no
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