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Maqam Lessons تَحْليلُ المَقام

Analyses›Samai Bayati il-3ariyan

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Samai Bayati il-3ariyan

Probably the most well known Samai (an instrumental genre from Ottoman turkish music, which was adopted by 19th and 20th century Arabs as well) in the Arabic repertory, it was one of the very first pieces of Arabic music I ever learned. Not sure what to say about my interpretation of it here, except that I probably should have bothered to record it with a percussionist. The taqsim I added just before the return to the final taslim (not typical in performances of this Samai, but usual in some other Samaiat) isn't bad, and of course you'll notice I threw in the Shuri modulation, which otherwise doesn't occur in the Samai itself.

See the following analyses: Jins Bayati, Jins Nahawand, Jins Ajam, Jins Rast, Jins Hijaz, Jins Rast Baggage, Bayati Pathways: Nahawand & Ajam, Bayati Pathways: Rast, Bayati Pathways: Hijaz

Maqam Bayati

Composer: Ibrahim il-3ariyan

Performer: Sami Abu Shumays

Original clip-by-clip analysis · 69 clips

01

02

03

04

including notes under tonic; could also parse as Bayati

05

06

could also parse within Bayati 1

07

08

could also call "2nd Ajam 3/6"; tonic is 6, but note span 3-6

09

"Husseini" = emphasis on 5 descent to 4

10

11

a.k.a. "Secondary Ajam 3/6"

12

13

14

Husseini 5 (Rast)

emphasis on 5--resolving to 4 in next phrases

15

16

includes baggage underneath 2 & 3

17

18

Husseini 5 (Rast)

little bit of bayati at the octave within melody

19

20

21

Ajam 6 - Bayati 1

alternate parse of 08-11: bayati descent from 6

22

23

24

not fully realized until #27--just basically 7 to 8

25

26

27

inclusion of 7 within jins

28

Husseini 5 (Rast)

29

30

31

32

33

starts with flat-6 above Nah.; could be parsed as Kurd 8

34

also including Taslim: descent 6 to 1 (like #21)

35

again, an alternate parse--melody contained within #21

36

37

38

descent from 6--a major emphasis in this Samai, and in Bayati

39

Bayati 1 is tonic throughout; melody uses notes from 6 below to 6 above

40

Husseini 5 (Nah.)

emphasis on 5, tonic is Nahawand 4

41

42

Husseini 5 (Nah.)

43

44

though it is really only the note "6"

45

Husseini 5 (Nah.)

includes dip down to 3 under tonic of 4 (also typical)

46

47

48

Husseini 5 (Nah.)

admittedly, first 3 notes could be parsed as 2nd Ajam 3/6

49

50

51

start of taqsim

52

Husseini 5 (Nah4)

opening could also be parsed as Ajam 3

53

don't be thrown off by phrase ending a step below tonic

54

Husseini 5 (Nah4)

55

56

57

bayati octave hinted from start of phrase

58

59

Husseini 5 - Rast 4

resolution of Husseini within this phrase

60

not very strong--perhaps Nahawand 4 or Ajam 6 are felt more?

61

could make #60 retroactively feel like 2nd Ajam 3/6

62

dips down to 2 & 3

63

"Shuri"--which doesn't appear anywhere in the Samai itself

64

65

66

descent from 6

67

68

69

<< "Maqam Analysis: A Primer" ^ List of Songs ^ Resources / Links >> << Nura Nura "Taheya" >>