Turkish makam

The Turkish makam (Turkish: makam pl. makamlar; from the Arabic word maqam مقام) is a system of melody types used in Turkish classical music and Turkish folk music. It provides a complex set of rules for composing and performance. Each makam specifies a unique intervalic structure (cinsler meaning genera) and melodic development (seyir).^[1] Whether a fixed composition (beste, şarkı, peşrev, âyin, etc.) or a spontaneous composition (gazel, taksim, recitation of Kuran-ı Kerim, Mevlid, etc.), all attempt to follow the melody type. The rhythmic counterpart of makam in Turkish music is usul.

Geographic and cultural relations

The Turkish makam system has some corresponding relationships to maqams in Arabic music and echos in Byzantine music. Some theories suggest the origin of the makam to be the city of Mosul in Iraq. "Mula Othman Al-Musili," in reference to his city of origin, is said to have served in the Ottoman Palace in Istanbul and influenced Turkish Ottoman music. More distant modal relatives include those of Central Asian Turkic musics such as Uyghur “muqam” and Uzbek shashmakom. North and South Indian classical raga-based music employs similar modal principles. Some scholars find echoes of Turkish makam in former Ottoman provinces of the Balkans.^[2] All of these concepts roughly correspond to mode in Western classical music, although their compositional rules vary.

Similarities between Turkish classical and folk music

Turkish classical music and Turkish folk music are both based on modal systems. Makam is the name of the scale in classical music, while Ayak (Ayağı) is the name of the scale in folk music. Makam and Ayak are similar; following are some examples:

Yahyalı Kerem Ayağı: Hüseyni Makamı
Garip Ayağı: Hicaz Makamı
Düz Kerem Ayağı: Karcığar Makamı
Yanık Kerem Ayağı: Nikriz Makamı
Muhalif Ayağı: Segâh Makamı
Tatyan Kerem Ayağı: Hüzzam Makamı
Misket Ayağı: Eviç Makamı
Bozlak Ayağı: Kürdî Makamı
Kalenderi Ayağı: Sabâ Makamı
Müstezat veya Beşirî Ayağı: Mahur Makamı

There are some similarities between the rhythms used in Turkish folk music and Turkish classical music, with respect to their forms, classification, and rhythmic patterns.^[3]

Makam building blocks

Commas and accidentals

In Turkish music theory, the octave is divided into 53 equal intervals known as commas (koma), specifically the Holdrian comma. Each whole tone is an interval equivalent to nine commas. The following figure gives the comma values of Turkish accidentals. In the context of the Arab maqam, this system is not of equal temperament. In fact, in the Western system of temperament, C-sharp and D-flat—which are functionally the same tone—are equivalent to 4.5 commas in the Turkish system; thus, they fall directly in the center of the line depicted above.

Notes

Unlike in Western music, where the note C, for example, is called 'C' regardless of what octave it might be in, in the Turkish system the notes are – for the most part – individually named (although many are variations on a basic name); this can be seen in the following table, which covers the notes from middle C ("Kaba Çârgâh", C₄) to the same note two octaves above ("Tîz Çârgâh", C₆):

The following table gives the tones over two octaves (ordered from highest to lowest), the pitch in commas and cents relative to the lowest note (equivalent to Western middle C), along with the nearest equivalent equal-temperament tone. The tones of the Çârgâh scale are shown in bold.

Tone name	Commas above middle C	Cents above middle C	Arel-Ezgi-Uzdilek notation of 53-ΤΕΤ tone	Nearest equivalent 12-ΤΕΤ tone
Tîz Çârgâh	106	2400	C₆	C₆
Tîz Dik Bûselik	105	2377	C ₆	C₆
Tîz Bûselik	102	2309	B₅	B₅
Tîz Segâh	101	2287	A ₅ / B ₅	B₅
Dik Sünbüle	98	2219	A ₅ / B ₅	A^♯ ₅ / B^♭ ₅
Sünbüle	97	2196	A^♯ ₅ / B^♭ ₅	A^♯ ₅ / B^♭ ₅
Muhayyer	93	2106	A₅	A₅
Dik Şehnâz	92	2083	G ₅ / A ₅	A₅
Şehnâz	89	2015	G ₅ / A ₅	G^♯ ₅ / A^♭ ₅
Nim Şehnâz	88	1992	G^♯ ₅ / A^♭ ₅	G^♯ ₅ / A^♭ ₅
Gerdâniye	84	1902	G₅	G₅
Dik Mâhûr	83	1879	F ₅ / G ₅	G₅
Mâhûr	80	1811	F ₅ / G ₅	F^♯ ₅ / G^♭ ₅
Eviç	79	1789	F^♯ ₅ / G^♭ ₅	F^♯ ₅ / G^♭ ₅
Dik Acem	76	1721	F ₅ / G ₅	F₅
Acem	75	1698	F₅	F₅
Hüseynî	71	1608	E₅	E₅
Dik Hisâr	70	1585	D ₅ / E ₅	E₅
Hisâr	67	1517	D ₅ / E ₅	D^♯ ₅ / E^♭ ₅
Nim Hisâr	66	1494	D^♯ ₅ / E^♭ ₅	D^♯ ₅ / E^♭ ₅
Nevâ	62	1404	D₅	D₅
Dik Hicâz	61	1381	C ₅ / D ₅	D₅
Hicâz	58	1313	C ₅ / D ₅	C^♯ ₅ / D^♭ ₅
Nim Hicâz	57	1291	C^♯ ₅ / D^♭ ₅	C^♯ ₅ / D^♭ ₅
Çârgâh	53	1200	C₅	C₅
Dik Bûselik	52	1177	C ₅	C₅
Bûselik	49	1109	B₄	B₄
Segâh	48	1087	A ₄ / B ₄	B₄
Dik Kürdi	45	1019	A ₄ / B ₄	A^♯ ₄ / B^♭ ₄
Kürdi	44	996	A^♯ ₄ / B^♭ ₄	A^♯ ₄ / B^♭ ₄
Dügâh	40	906	A ₄	A₄
Dik Zirgüle	39	883	G ₄ / A ₄	A₄
Zirgüle	36	815	G ₄ / A ₄	G^♯ ₄ / A^♭ ₄
Nim Zirgüle	35	792	G^♯ ₄ / A^♭ ₄	G^♯ ₄ / A^♭ ₄
Rast	31	702	G₄	G₄
Dik Gevest	30	679	F ₄ / G ₄	G₄
Gevest	27	611	F ₄ / G ₄	F^♯ ₄ / G^♭ ₄
Irak	26	589	F^♯ ₄ / G^♭ ₄	F^♯ ₄ / G^♭ ₄
Dik Acem Aşîrân	23	521	F ₄ / G ₄	F₄
Acem Aşîrân	22	498	F₄	F₄
Hüseynî Aşîrân	18	408	E₄	E₄
Kaba Dik Hisâr	17	385	D ₄ / E ₄	E₄
Kaba Hisâr	14	317	D ₄ / E ₄	D^♯ ₄ / E^♭ ₄
Kaba Nim Hisâr	13	294	D^♯ ₄ / E^♭ ₄	D^♯ ₄ / E^♭ ₄
Yegâh	9	204	D₄	D₄
Kaba Dik Hicâz	8	181	C ₄ / D ₄	D₄
Kaba Hicâz	5	113	C ₄ / D ₄	C^♯ ₄ / D^♭ ₄
Kaba Nim Hicâz	4	91	C^♯ ₄ / D^♭ ₄	C^♯ ₄ / D^♭ ₄
Kaba Çârgâh	0	0	C₄	C₄

Intervals

The names and symbols of the different intervals (şifre) are shown in the following table:

Interval Name (Aralığın adı)	Value in terms of commas (Koma olarak değeri)	Symbol (Simge)
koma or fazla	1	F
eksik bakiye	3	E
bakiye	4	B
küçük (sağir) mücenneb	5	S
büyük (kebir) mücenneb	8	K
tanîni	9	T
artık ikili	12 - 13	A

Tetrachords (dörtlüler) and pentachords (beşliler)

Similar to the construction of maqamat noted above, a makam in Turkish music is built of a tetrachord built atop a pentachord, or vice versa. Trichords exist, e.g. Saba, but are rarely used. Additionally, most makams have what is known as a "development" (genişleme in Turkish), which can occur either above or below (or both) the tonic and/or the highest note.

There are six basic tetrachords, named sometimes according to their tonic note and sometimes according to the tetrachord's most distinctive note:

Çârgâh
Bûselik
Kürdî
Uşşâk
Hicaz and
Rast

There are also six basic pentachords with the same names with a tone (T) appended.

It is worth keeping in mind that these patterns can be transposed to any note in the scale, so that the tonic A (Dügâh) of the Hicaz tetrachord, for example, can be moved up a major second (9 commas) to B (Bûselik), or in fact to any other note. The other notes of the tetrachord, of course, are also transposed along with the tonic, allowing the pattern to preserve its character.

Basic makam theory

A makam, more than simply a selection of notes and intervals, is essentially a guide to compositional structure: any composition in a given makam will move through the notes of that makam in a more or less ordered way. This pattern is known in Turkish as seyir (meaning, "route"), and there are three types of seyir:

Ascending (çıkıcı);
Descending (inici);
Descending-ascending (inici-çıkıcı)

Makams are built of a tetrachord plus a pentachord (or vice versa), and in terms of this construction, there are three important notes in the makam:

The durak ("tonic"), which is the initial note of the first tetrachord or pentachord and which always concludes any piece written in the makam.

The güçlü ("dominant"), which is the first note of the second tetrachord or pentachord, and which is used as a temporary tonic in the middle of a piece (in this sense, it is somewhat similar to the axial pitches mentioned above in the context of Arab music). This use of the term "dominant" is not to be confused with the Western dominant; while the güçlü is often the fifth scale degree, it can just as often be the fourth, and occasionally the third.

The yeden ("leading tone"), which is most often the penultimate note of any piece and which resolves into the tonic; this is sometimes close to an actual Western leading tone (either slightly sharper or slightly flatter) and sometimes close to a Western subtonic.

Additionally, there are three types of makam as a whole:

Simple makams (Basit makamlar), almost all of which have a rising seyir,
Transposed makams (Göçürülmüş/Şed makamlar), which as the name implies are the simple makams transposed to a different tonic,
Compound makams (Bileşik/Mürekkeb makamlar), which are a joining of differing makams and number in the hundreds.

Some simple makams

Bûselik makam

This makam has two basic forms: in the first basic form (1), it consists of a Bûselik pentachord plus a Kürdî tetrachord on the note Hüseynî (E) and is essentially the same as the Western A minor; in the second (2), it consists of a Bûselik pentachord plus a Hicaz tetrachord on Hüseynî (E) and is identical to A harmonic minor. The tonic is A (Dügâh), the dominant Hüseynî (E), and the leading tone G-sharp (Nim Zirgüle). Additionally, when descending from the octave towards the tonic, the sixth (F, Acem) is sometimes sharpened to become F-sharp (Dik Acem), and the dominant (E, Hüseynî) flattened four commas to the note Hisar (1A). All these alternatives are shown below:

1)

2)

1A)

Çârgâh makam

This makam is thought to be identical to the Western C-major scale, but actually it is misleading to conceptualize a makam through Western music scales. Çârgâh makam consists of a Çârgâh pentachord and a Çârgâh tetrachord starting on the note Gerdâniye (G). Thus, the tonic is C (Çârgâh), the dominant is G (Gerdâniye), and the leading tone is B (Bûselik).

The çârgâh makam has at certain points in history been criticized for being a clumsy and unpleasant makam that can inspire those listening to it to engage in delinquency of various kinds.^{[dubious – discuss]}

Hicaz makam

Rast makam

This much-used makam - which is said to bring happiness and tranquility to the hearerer - consists of a Rast pentachord plus a Rast tetrachord on the note Neva (D); this is labeled (1) below. The tonic is G (Rast), the dominant D (Neva), and the leading tone F-sharp (Irak). However, when descending from the octave towards the tonic, the leading tone is always flattened 4 commas to the note Acem (F), and thus a Bûselik tetrachord replaces the Rast tetrachord; this is labeled (2) below. Additionally, there is a development (genişleme) in the makam's lower register, below the tonic, which consists of a Rast tetrachord on the note D (Yegâh); this is labeled (1A) below.

1)

1A)

2)

In Turkey, the particular Muslim call to prayer (or ezan in Turkish) which occurs in the afternoon and is called Ikindi, as well as the day's final call to prayer called Yatsı, are often recited using the Rast makam.

Kürdî makam

Rast makam

Uşşâk makam

This makam consists of an Uşşâk tetrachord plus a Bûselik pentachord on the note Neva (D); this is labelled (1) below. The tonic is A (Dügâh), the dominant—here actually a subdominant—is D (Neva), and the leading tone—here actually a subtonic—is G (Rast). Additionally, there is a development in the makam's lower register, which consists of a Rast pentachord on the note D (Yegâh); this is labeled (1A) below.

1)

1A)

In Turkey, the particular call to prayer which occurs around noon and is called Öğle is most often recited using the Uşşak makam.

Notes

^ Beken and Signell 2006,^{[page needed]}.
^ Shupo, Sokol, ed., Urban Music in the Balkans. Tirana:ASMUS, 2006
^ "https://www.pegem.net:TÜRK MUSİKÎSİ TEORİK VE UYGULAMALI BİLGİLERİNİN, EĞİTİM VE ÖĞRETİMDE VERİLEBİLMESİNE İLİŞKİN BİR MODEL ÖNERİSİ" (PDF). Retrieved 26 March 2017.

Sources

Beken, Münir, and Karl Signell. "Confirming, delaying, and deceptive elements in Turkish improvisation," Maqām Traditions of Turkic Peoples: Proceedings of the Fourth Meeting of the ICTM Study Group "maqām", Istanbul, 18–24 October 1998, edited by Jürgen Elsner and Gisa Jähnishen, in collaboration with Theodor Ogger and Ildar Kharissov, ^{[page needed]} Berlin: trafo verlag Dr. Wolfgang Weist, 2006. ISBN 3-89626-657-8 http://www.umbc.edu/eol/makam/2008Kongre/confirming.html

External links

Klasik Türk (Tasavvuf) Musikisi İlahi Peşrev Saz semaisi ve Taksim nota ve mp3 kayıtları
Cinuçen Tanrıkorur, "The Ottoman Music", translated by Savaş Ş. Barkçin, https://web.archive.org/web/20061215165158/http://www.turkmusikisi.com/osmanli_musikisi/the_ottoman_music.htm
Maqam World
Sephardic Pizmonim Project- Jewish use of Makam

[1] Beken and Signell 2006,^{[page needed]}.

[2] Shupo, Sokol, ed., Urban Music in the Balkans. Tirana:ASMUS, 2006

[3] "https://www.pegem.net:TÜRK MUSİKÎSİ TEORİK VE UYGULAMALI BİLGİLERİNİN, EĞİTİM VE ÖĞRETİMDE VERİLEBİLMESİNE İLİŞKİN BİR MODEL ÖNERİSİ" (PDF). Retrieved 26 March 2017.

[1]

[2]

[3]

Turkish makam

Geographic and cultural relations

Similarities between Turkish classical and folk music

Makam building blocks

Commas and accidentals

Notes

Intervals

Tetrachords (dörtlüler) and pentachords (beşliler)

Basic makam theory

Some simple makams

Bûselik makam

Çârgâh makam

Hicaz makam

Rast makam

Kürdî makam

Rast makam

Uşşâk makam

See also

Notes

Sources

Further reading

External links