Turkish and Arabic BashrafBy Dr. Roula Baaklini

Introduction

It is well known that the musical connections

between the Arabs and their Persian and Turkish

neighbors go back to pre-Islamic times. All three art

music share musical structures based on a similar modal

system, and on a similar rhythmic-temporal patterns.1

The main difference resides in the fact that Turkish

and Persian tone systems are based on the calculations

of Safi ad-Din al-Urmawi (d.1294),2 who further 1 -Maqâm in Arabic, Turkish and Persian classical music is a system of melody types that provide a complex set of rules for composing and performance. Each maqâm specifies a unique intervallic structure and melodic development .Whether it is a fixed or an improvisatory composition, all attempt to follow the melody types given by a maqâm. The maqâm is represented theoretically by a scale of generally two octaves, divided into sets of trichords, tetrachords and pentachords, called Ajnas (Plural of jins and meaning gender or type). If you ask an Arabian musician to play a maqâm , he would never play it as a scale or a tone row, but rather as an improvisatory melodic line that sets up the mood of the maqâm.

2 -Safi ad-Din al-Urmawi (1216-1294) was a renowned Iraki musician and writer on the theory of music. He is perhaps best known for developing the widely used seventeen tone scale in the thirteenth century. Al-Urmawi's most important work is two books on music theory, in Arabic language; the Kitab al-Adwār (The Book of Cycles), and Risālah al-Sharafiyyah fi 'l-nisab al-taʾlifiyyah (The Sharafiyyah

developed the Pythagorean system, whereas the Arab tone

system stems from the octave into twenty four

equivalent intervals that was explained by Farabi in

his Kitab al-Musiqi al-Kabir. 3 Arabian, Turkish and Persian

respective music systems do not hold in common a

similar path, only in the use of the maqâm phenomenon

and the rhythmic temporal patterns, but also in sharing

of some well-known classical music genres and forms,

namely the Bashraf. The latter is an instrumental form

that is especially practiced in Turkish classical music

under the name Peşrev,4 despite that it is a Persian

imported product. 5 In classical Turkish music, it is

Letter on the Art of Composing).

3 -Known as al-Phrarabius in Europe, al-Farabi (870-950), was a Turkish philosopher and scientist of Persian descent. Farabi wrote books on early Muslim sociology and a notable book on music titled Kitab al-Musiqi al-kabir (The Great Book of Music). 4 -The Turkish letter (ş) corresponds to (Sh) in English.

5 -Peşrev is a Persian word composed of the two particles pīš, which means "before, ahead", and rev, which means “that which goes"; the whole meaning would “that which comes first". In Persian music, the word pišdaramad is used instead to denote the first piece of a traditional music performance.

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the name of the first piece of a series of music pieces

(fasil) played during a group performance, which has

its equivalent in the Suite in Western classical music.

The Peşrev also serves as the penultimate piece of the

Mevlevi Ayini ritual music of the Mevlevi order, under

the name Son Peşrev (final Peşrev).6 It usually uses long

rhythmic cycles (usul, wazn or iqa’), stretching over

many measures.7

The Turkish Peşrev was introduced into Arabian

music repertoire in the 19th century, and became

particularly popular in Egypt, Syria, Iraq and the four

6 -The Mevlevi Ayin is a highly developed form of Ottoman art music that evolved around an organized religious ritual, the Whirling Dance ceremony of the Mevlevi (Arabic Moulawiyyun meaning followers) Dervishes. The music of theMevlevi Ayin is based on musical Makams and Usuls used in Turkey during the Ottoman Empire by the Mevlevi Dervishes. The Ayin is a particular musical form, based on four sections of both vocal and instrumental composition, Coranic recitation and Takasim (instrumental improvisations.

7 -Usul In Ottoman classical music is an underlying rhythmic cycle that accompanies a composition and complements the melodic rhythm and sometimes helps shape the overall structure of a composition. An usul can be as short astwo beats or as long as 128 beats. The Arabic equivalent of usul is iqa` or wazn (literally meaning “measure”.

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Maghreb states (Tunisia, Morocco, Libya and Algeria. 8

It is widely acknowledged that the traditional Arabian

Bashraf is quite similar, if not the same, to the

traditional Turkish model in terms of formal structure.

9 However, Mahmud al `ajjan,10 a notable Syrian

composer, music historian and scholar, uncovers in his

book entitled Turathuna al-Musiqi, Engl. (Our Musical

Heritage), about the existence of a variant of the

Bashraf that to my knowledge, has manifestly existed

nowhere in the repertoire of Turkish Basharef (plural of

Bashraf), but solely in the Arabian one.11 This version

of the Bashraf, is usually accompanied by compound meter

8 -See Habib Hassan Touma, The Music of the Arabs (Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press, 1996), pp.99-100.9 -Since the Arabic alphabet does not possess the letter (P), the term Bashraf is used instead of Peşrev.

10 - Since the letter (al) is an article in the Arabic language, it wouldnot be subjected to capitalization.

11 -Mahmud al `ajjan was born in Lattakia-Syria in 1916. He worked as a teacher in music education at the beginning of his life, and founded in 1945 the famous Cultural Music Club in Lattakia. In 1990, he published his a book entitled Turathuna Al Musiqi, (Our Musical Heritage), published by Dar Talas- Damascus,Syria. He died in September of 2006.

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iqa’at (plural of iqa’ e.g. rhythmic cycles), 12 instead

of the usual simple meter ones that are normally

attached to this music form.13

In this presentation, I will argue that while

there are known similarities between the Turkish and

Arabic versions of the Bashraf, the evident variations

and differences found in the Arabian version are

substantial, thus requiring a closer look through

analysis that will include respectively, an Arabian and

a Turkish

Bashraf composed on a same maqâm named Bayati. 14 The two

pieces are in the order given, the Turkish Beyati Peşrev by

Amin Dede, and the Arabian Bashraf Bayati Qadim (meaning

12 -The ( `) and the two letters (th), and the two other letters (dh)

representent the respective Arabic letters (ع) and ( ) and (ث� .(ظ�13 -See al `ajjan, Turathuna Al Musiqi (Damascus: Dar Talas, 1990), p. 84.

14 -Bayati is the name of a same maqâm shared by the Arabic, Turkish, andPersian musicians. Bayati maqâm is similar to a natural minor scale, with the primary exception of a half-flat second degree. The two dominants of this scale are the fourth and the fifth degrees.

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old), whose composer is unknown. 15

Gathering Stage

Arabic music has always been a source of

fascination to me, especially in relation to the genres

and forms in Arabian instrumental music. Actually, my

first intention was to talk about the similitudes and

differences between the Bashraf and the Sama’i which is

similar to the former in terms of formal structure, but

only different in the rhythmical aspect.16 15 -Composer and calligrapher Emin Dede was born on March 14, 1883 in theIstanbul district of Tophane. Though he studied for two years in the Law Department of Süleymaniye Law School, he was unable to finish and began work as a civil servant, in a variety of positions. He studied ney (Middle Eastern end-blown flute) with Aziz Dede, who belonged to the Mevlevi order. A stroke left him bedridden in August of 1943. He died on February 3, 1945. Emin Dede remained true to the end to the classic forms and traditions of Turkish classical music, and composed several religious and secular works.

16 -The Sama’i is an instrumental piece of Ottoman Turkish that is similar to the Peşrev, consisting of three to four sections and a refrain accompanied by a” sama’i” meter 10/8 meter, or by the “aksak semai” (broken semai in Turkish) also in (10/8). The last section of this form follows a six parts measure shceme. Sama’i is one of the most important forms in Ottoman Turkish Sufi music.

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My first démarche, was to start looking

online for well known scores of Basharef (plural of

Bashraf) and Sama`iyyat (plural of Sama`i). Finding the

scores was not a difficult task; however what was

really challenging was to find a Bashraf and a Sama’i that

were based on a same maqâm, so my comparative analysis

would be better well based.

Being aware that there is no literature dedicated

to this particular subject,

except some paragraphs that we encounter here and there

in several books on Arabic music, my second step was to

search online through well known music databases

(Jstor, Project Muse, RILM and RIPM etc…) for recent

articles on that field. Not discovering anything

significant, my disappointment was even bigger.

My third step was to search for any audio visual

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material relevant to the subject, and to my luck, my

thorough online hunting led me to a serious and

authoritative website on Arabic music called Zaman al

Wasl.17 The website was created by Mr. Mohsen Soua who is

an international interpreter who works with the United

Nations, and who is an avid fan of Arabian Classical

music. The membership to this website is not open to

the public, but only to professional musicians and

researchers as well as to serious music amateurs. My

contact with the very knowledgeable Mr. Soua through

acquiring the membership has initiated a fruitful

collaboration , and when I ventured to ask him about

serious references on the Bashraf and Sama’i, he suggested

to consult Mahmud al `ajjan’s book entitled Turathuna al-

Musiqi (Our Muscial Heritage) that was posted on the

website.

17 - http://www.zamanalwasl.net/forums/index.php

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In this book that happened to be in my possession

in Lubbock, there is a long chapter consecrated to the

Turkish and Arabian Basharef and Sama`iyyat. The second

part is devoted to rare published scores of Arabic

music pieces, including few Basharef. Mr. Soua suggested

establishing a comparison between the new Arabian

version of the Bashraf and the Turkish traditional one,

instead of between the Bashraf and the Sama’i, basing on

his belief that there is much more to say on this

subject than on the one in relation to the Bashraf and

Sama’i.

Following Mr. Soua’s advice, I started gathering

some information relevant to my new topic, and

fortunately, I could find significant information in

the

al `ajjan book among other ones cited in the

Bibliography section. Finally my choice of pieces

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landed on the Turkish Beyati Pe şrev composed by Emin Dede

that I could have hold of through a website dedicated

to the ney flute manufacturing. 18 As for the Arabian

Bashraf based on a same maqâm, I decided on the Bashraf

Bayati Qadim that was published in the al `ajjan book.

Both pieces’ live performances were existing in the

Zaman al Wasl website.

Since the original Arabic and Turkish scores do

not include their respective awzan notation (plural of

wazn, meaning rhythmic cycle) along with the melodies,

and since the Turkish Bashraf was written on a

transposed maqâm Bayati starting on (A), (A, -B, C, D,

E, F, G), instead of the usual one starting on (D) ,

(D, -E, F, G, A, Bb, C),19 I found it wiser to reproduce

both scores through the music notator software

Sibelius, in order to be able to see how the respective18 -http://www.neyzen.com

19 -(-E) and (-A) stand for half flat (E) and (A).

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melodies and awzan come together, as well as to have

access to a transposed score of the Turkish piece with

a Bayati starting on (D), as in the Arabic one.

Comparative Analysis

The Turkish Beyati Pe şrev composed by Emin Dede, was

performed on the ney, (an end-blown flute that figures

prominently in Middle East), by Kudsi Erguner,

accompanied by a bendir player (a frame drum used as a

traditional instrument throughout North Africa, and in

special ceremonies of the sufi). 20 This piece follows

the traditional formal structure of this genre, which

can be represented by (A T, B T, C T, D T), where T

20 -Kudsi Erguner (born 1952) is a Turkish musician. He is considered a master of traditional Mevlevi Sufi music and is one of the best-known players of the Turkish ney flute.

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stands for taslim (refrain), and where the sections A,

B, C, D, named khanat (plural of khana), stand for

episodes. 21 The result is a formal design that is more

or less equivalent to the Western Rondo form.

All four khanat and the taslim are usually equal

in length and in measure number in the traditional

Bashraf. 22 The taslim is commonly located and played

after the first khana. Here is the formal layout in

our example here:

1-First khana A, (episode) (mm.1-14)

2-Taslim (refrain), T (mm.15-28)

3-Second khana B, (mm.29-42)

4-Third khana C, (mm.43-56)

5- Fourth khana D, (mm. 57-70)

The Arabian Bashraf is performed by the “takht,”

21 - Persian name meaning home or shelter

22 -See Mahmud al `ajjan, p. 90.

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directed by the famous Egyptian qanun (box zither)

player Muhammad al `aqqad.23 It is composed of an A

section repeated twice: the first time acting as the

first Khana of the piece, and the second time, with a

slightly varied A’, as the refrain. This section is

divided into two parts (a and b). Only one repeated

Khana B follows the repeated A , where the (b) part of

the A section (Ex.1), is also the second part of the B

section, thus making the whole formal design somewhat

similar to the Western Rounded Binary form (Ex.2).

Example 1: Part (b) of the A section of the Arabian

Bashraf in the taslim

23 -“Takht” literally means “bed”; it is an instrumental ensemble of threeto six musicians. Al-'aqqad (1849-1829) is one of the most important Egyptian qanun players of the Nahdha era in the Arab countries (end of the XIXth century, early XXth century). He was one of the pioneers of the first 78 rpm records produced in Egypt, creating his own ensemble records with instrumentalpreludes of the classical Ottoman repertoire and solo improvisations (taqasims, plural of taqsim).

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Despite that the Arabian Bashraf, shows some

differences in terms of formal layout as well as

length, from the Turkish one, it also bears equal

measure numbers in each of the three (or two) sections

of the piece:

1-First khana A, (mm.1-12)

2-Taslim A’ (mm.13-24)

3-Second khana B, (mm.25-36) repeated twice

with a different ending

between (mm.34-36)

Finally, it is worth mentioning that when listening to

the historical recording of

al `aqqad “takht”, we notice that the taslim A’, is 14

not repeated integrally after the second khana (b) as

it is expected to happen, but we only hear the second

half of the (a) and the whole (b) ending with a

cadential formula that is not written out in the score.

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Example 2: Bashraf ` Arabi Qadim : Part (b) of the B section

Concerning the wazn (or usul in Turkish music) that is

attached to the

Beyati Peşrev, it is the “Devr-i- Kebir” or “Dawr kabir” in

Arabic, meaning literally (long cycle). According to

24 -There is also a missing last cadential formula in the Beyati Peşrev score that we hear in the last unfolding of the taslim in Erguner’s performance.

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Habib Hassan Touma (p.100), the Bashraf develops in most

cases in “binary rhythmic units.” The “Dawr kabir” is a

cycle of twenty eight beats (28/4), where the (dum) and

(tak) are played as following (Ex.3).25 We notice

however that the “Dawr Kabir” played in the Beyati Peşrev,

is slightly varied (Ex.4).

The wazn associated with the Bashraf `arabi Qadim, is

the “Murabba`”, meaning literally (square), although

this cycle is far for being as such, knowing that it

unfolds through thirteen beats (13/4), (Ex.5).

According to the tabla percussionist (Middle Eastern

goblet percussion), Elie Faqih,26 who is the director

of the tabla studio in the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory

of Music, the “Murrabba`” is purely Arabic of origin, and 25 - (Dum) and (tak) are onomatopoeia used to represent two basic sounds produced by Arabic and Middle Eastern percussion instruments. (Dum) is produced with the hand striking the center and the sweet spot of the skin. (Tak) is produced with the hand striking the rim. The (dum) is presented by a note on one line with the stem down, and the (tak) with the stem up.

26 -Also author of a book on tabla: Al Iqa’ al Sharqi, (Lebanon: Le Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique, 1996). See bibliography.

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it does not exist anywhere in the Turkish classical

music.

Example 3: Wazn of iqa` “Dawr Kabir”

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4

Picture copied from http://www.maqamworld.com/

Example 4:”Dawr Kabir” as played in the Beyati Peşrev

It is worth noting that most, if not all, of the

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Turkish traditional Basharef, use significant long

rhythmic cycles, the shortest being of (16/4). As for

the purely Arabian ones, we can find anything between

(4/4) and (16/4), 27 but not longer than the latter,

which arises the following question: Since it is

obvious that the formal design of any composed Arabian

or Turkish music piece, is more or less conditioned by

the selection of the specific wazn that comes with it,

could it be that the fact of choosing pure Arabian

rhythmic cycles in the Arabian Basharef , which are in

most cases shorter in length than the Turkish ones, has

determined shorter pieces and consequently a more or

less deviation from the traditional Turkish Bahraf?

Example 5: Wazn “Murabba`” 28 27 -Actually, the longest well-known Arabian awzan (plural of wazn), are only in (16/4), which are the “Mukhammas” and the “Nawakht”. See Elie, Faqih, Al Iqa’ al Sharqi (Lebanon: Le Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique, 1996), pp. 179-182.

28 -The Murabba` cycle given in this example, is subdivided into units of3,4,4,2, which is not conform to the measure subdivision given by Al `ajjan in his notation of the Arabian Bahsraf Qadim, (p.244), as we notice in the examples 1 and 2 in this paper.

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13

4

Picture copied from

http://www.maqamworld.com/

Before setting out through the melodic analysis of

the respective Turkish and Arabian Basharef, I would like

to talk about the maqâm used in both pieces, which is

the Bayati. The tone row of this maqâm shared by the

Arabic and Turkish music, comprises the following

intervals, (3/4, 3/4, 1, 1, 1/2, 1, 1) (Ex.7).

However, it is well known that slight differences are

found respectively in the use of ajnas in the second

octave of that scale as well as in the selected

secondary and modulating ajnas. 29

29 -Ajnas (plural of jins) is the set of trichords, tetrachords and pentachords that subdivide a maqâm.

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In the Turkish Bayati, if the scale is extended

above the octave, a Kurd tetrachord (1/2, 1, 1) is used

above the Nihawand pentachord (Ex.8). As for the

modulating ajnas, a Nakriz pentachord on F (overlapping

with a Hijaz tetrachord on G) can also be used in the

Bayati maqâm (Ex.9). Despite that the Arabian Bayati

maqâm, uses the same basic tone row that is employed in

the Turkish one, however the modulatory ajnas are not

the Kurd, Nakriz and Hijaz as in the Turkish music, but

the `ajam trichord on (F), (F, G, A, ….[Bb]) and on

(Bb), (Bb, C, D) (Ex.10).

Example 7: Basic ajnas and intervals of the Arabian andTurkish Bayati maqâm

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Example 8: Kurd jins (tetrachord)

Example 9: The overlapping Nakriz and Hijaz ajnas in

the Bayati maqâm.

However, the former eminent Professor of music and

voice at the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory

Salim el Helou, mentions in his book Al Musiqa Al Nadhariyya

that a Nihawand tetrachord could also replace a Bayati

jins on the octave of (D) (D, E, F, G) when concluding

the maqâm.30 Finally, it is important to note that the

starting note when playing a Turkish piece written in

the Bayati maqâm laying on the finalis (D), is usually 30 - Salim, el Helou, Al Musiqa Al Nadhariyya (Dar Maktabat Al Hayat: Beirut, Lebanon, 1961), pp. 118-119.

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(G), 31 whereas in the Arabian Bayati, the starting

notes could be (G) as in the Turkish, the same finalis

note(D), as well as the notes (F) and (A).

According to Karl L. Signell,32 the maqâm sequence

of the four khanat and the taslim is:

1-Bayati (Bayati) see (Ex.7) that is a ascending

and a descending scale at the same time.

2- Huseyni (Bayati), (Ex.11) that is an ascending

and descending version of the scale called Muhayyar

(Bayati).

3-Muhayyer (Bayati), (Ex.11), is only a descending

version of the same scale Huseyni (Bayati).

4-Saba (Bayati), (Ex.12).

Example 10: The Arabian Bayati maqâm

31 - The note (D) is usually used as the first note of the tone row Bayatiin Arabic music. However, in the Turkish Bayati, it is usually allotted to thenote (A). In any case, it does not really matter which note is the tonic in the Bayati maqâm in both music, as they do not have as in Western music a fixed pitch notation.

32 -Karl L, Signell, Makam: Modal Practice in Turkish Art Music (Seattle, Wash.: Asian Music, 1977), p. 96.

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Picture taken from http://www.maqamworld.com/

Example 11: Muhayyar and Huseyni maqâms

Picture copied from http://www.oud.eclipse.co.uk/

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Example 12: Saba maqâm

Picture copied from http://www.maqamworld.com/

So in reality, there are several versions of the

Bayati maqâm implicated in the Beyati Pe şrev. The first

khana (section or episode), displays the features of a

Bayati (Bayati) that unfolds in its descending

direction, starting with the note (F) as with the

Arabian manner of starting this maqâm, for Turkish

musicians usually start their melodies in the Bayati

scale with the note (G), as it is stated by Selim el

Helou , (P.118). The first four measure underline the

jins Nihawand (G, A, Bb, C) that concludes in (F),

(mes.5), with a leading tone (-E) in (mes.4). From

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(mes.5 /3) to (mes.8), where the same melody from

(mes.1) to (mes.7) repeats again, we see a melodic

progression through a `ajam jins from (mes.5/2) to

(mes.6/2), then a Nihawand one (mm.5/3-6/3) that is

followed by a stepwise descent drawing a jins Bayati on

(D) ending on the note(C). The latter is nothing than

an upbeat note on the dominant of the next (F) starting

(mes.8), (Ex.13). Finally, contrarily to the

Arabic tradition that usually initiates this scale in

an upward motion; the Turkish musical tradition prefers

the downward direction (Ex.7).

Example 13: Beyati Pe şrev, first part of the first khana

(mm.1-7)

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The taslim of the Beyati Peşrev also draws the

main scale Bayati (Bayati), where the finalis (D) is

heard openly for the first time at the very beginning

(mes.15). Moreover, this part starts with the note (G),

e.g. in the Turkish manner of starting the Bayati

maqâm. The two ajnas used in this section, are the

Bayati on (D) and the Nihawand on (G), which are the

main ajnas of the maqâm Bayati (Bayati). 33

According to al `ajjan (p.86), it is possible to

move up to a higher register,

33 - According to the tradition, the taslim should always be on the main basic maqâm, upon which a Peşrev is composed, which is the Bayati (Bayati) in our example here. See Al `ajjan, p.68

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and/ or to modulate to a neighboring maqâm in the

second khana of a traditional Bashraf. However, it is

mandatory to return to the main maqâm, when heading

back to the taslim. In our example here, the second

khana could be subdivided into two parts in terms of

melodic unfolding. The first section draws mainly the

scale Husayni (Bayati), (Ex.11), in (mm.29- 35) with a

hint of a (G) Nihawand in (mes.34), (Ex.14). The second

section (mm.37-42) is largely devoted to the scale

Bayati (Bayati), thus announcing the return of the

taslim.

Example 14: Beyati Pe şrev, first part of the second

khana (mm.29-36)

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Usually the third khana, in line with what is said

in al `ajjan’s book, Turathuna al-Musiqi (P.86) is

characterized by its clear vitality, its attractiveness

and its shining colors. In order to have all that, the

Bashraf composers usually go to the upper register of

the maqâm, 34 whether they decide to remain in the same

maqâm or to modulate to a neighboring one. In the Beyati

Pe şrev, the note at the octave of (D) is preceded by the

note (C), which is the first note of this section

(mes.43). From (mes.43) to (mes.45/2), it is clear that34 - e.g. the second octaves of the maqâm, for most of the Turkish and Arabic maqâmat, are represented as two octaves scales in theory, conforming tothe average tessitura of a singer. Arabic and Turkish music remain primordially a vocal one.

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the adopted jins is the Nihawand on (C), but soon

enough the melody anchors on (D) octave, thus

underlining an octave Bayati jins, (mes.46), (Ex.15).

As for the second part of this section, we find

arbitrarily a Rast jins (C, D, -E, D) on (C), 35

descending to the note (G), by mean of outlining the

(G) Nihawand. What is left in this section, is

dedicated to announcing the reappearance of the taslim.

Finally, the last and fourth khana, is usually

less active than the third khana, and is generally

considered as the receptacle of the summarized basic

melodic idea of the Bahsraf, as well as of the main

characteristics of the basic maqâm. 36 To my surprise,

the fourth section in the Beyati Pe şrev, composed by Emin

Dede is far from sticking to this description, perhaps

35 - Rast is a Persian word meaning "right" or "direct”.

36 - Al `ajjan, P.86.

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following in that the steps of his predecessor, the

famous Turkish composer Tatius Afandi, who used to keep

the best and most active melodic development to the

last khana.37 Thus the fourth section takes off on a

long ride on the lower (C) Rast jins, (C, D, -E, F, G),

38 which is not of a general use, when playing a Bayati

maqâm (Ex.16).39 It is not unusual however, to meet a

Bayati (Saba) scale (Ex.12), in a Bayati (Bayati)

composition, which is the case in the last part of the

fourth section (Ex.17).

Example 15: Beyati Pe şrev, first part of the third khana

(mm.43-49)

37 - Armenian-Turkish Composer, who lived between 1855and 1913. 38 -It is played on the higher octave (C) in Erguner’s live performance. 39 -What is usual however in the Huseyni or Muhayyar (Bayati), is to drawthe Bayati jins on (A), or the Rast jins on (G), (G, A, -B, C, G).

30

Example 16: Beyati Pe şrev, first part of the fourth

khana (mm.57-63)

31

Example 17: Beyati Pe şrev, second part of the fourth

khana (mm.65-70) 40

The Bashraf `Arabi Qadim, coincides with the

Turkish model in its use of two sets of its proper

rhythmic cycle, which is the “Murabba`” in each section

(Ex.5). However, since the latter is shorter than the

“Dawr Kabir”, which accompanies the

Beyati Pe şrev, this would imply less melodic developmental

possibilities than in its Turkish counterpart, within

each section. Thus, the first khana depicts without any

40 - Actually the section starts at measure 64 in example 16.

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preliminaries the ascending Bayati jins on (D), 41 which

is heard in (mes.3) of the first khana (Ex.18). The

melody starts with the note (C), as it is dictated by

the tradition, in relation to the Bayati maqâm (Ex.18).

Whereas the phrasal structure of the Turkish

first khana section shows a design of a repeated (A,B)

phrase, the first khana in the Bashraf `Arabi Qadim, adopts

the structure (A,A,B,C), 42 which indicates that the

Arabian first khana is of a more developmental

character from the outset than the Turkish one, perhaps

due to the shortness in length of the Bashraf `Arabi Qadim

in relation to the Beyati Pe şrev (Ex.18), where there is

no room to building up for a further melodic

development in a later stage . The third phrasal branch

(B) outlines the Nihawand jins (mm.7-9/1), with a hint 41 - As I have already mentioned, the Arabs prefer to approach this scalein an ascendant direction, rather than the descendant one adopted by the Turkish.

42 -There is a clear analogy between this phrasal structure and what we call “musical sentence” in the Western Classical music.

33

on the Hijaz jins on (C), (C, Db, E, ... [F])), (Ex.7),

43 whereas the Nihawand jins is employed at the very

beginning in the Turkish piece, for as I have mentioned

earlier, it is common for Turkish musicians to start

their Bayati scale in the Nihawand jins, down to the

Bayati one. In the last part (C) of the phrase

(A,A,B,C), we notice the return of the Bayati jins, and

this section ends with the note (G) that is considered

as the dominant of the scale along with the other note

(A) (Ex.18).44

The taslim in the Bashraf `Arabi Qadim is no more

than a slightly varied repetition of the first khana,

according to the score provided by al `ajjan,45 and to

what I have heard in the `aqqad’s “takht” performance. 43 - Actually, we do also hear a note (F) added to the set (C, Db, E) in al `aqqad’s “takht” performance.

44 -In fact the Bayati ma has two dominants (G) and (A) depending on starting note of the next jins to the Bayati. If it is a Nihawand jins on (G) then, the dominant would be the note (G). If the second jins starts on (A), asin the Muhayyar and Huseyni (Bayati) (Ex.11), then the dominant is (A).

45 -P.244.

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It is obvious that the first khana a.k.a. taslim, in

the Arabian piece, bears both the refrain and the

episode characteristics at the same time, since it

shows the Bayati jins at the very beginning instead of

building up for its appearance in a later stage or

section, which occurs in the taslim of the Beyati Peşrev,

alongside with the developmental nature of this its (A,

A, B, C) phrase, which pertains more to an episode

section than to a refrain. Example 18: First khana of

the Bashraf ` Arabi Qadim (mm.1-12)

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In the second section, which is the second and

last khana, the first part seems to draw solely a Rast

jins on (C), (C, D, -E, F, G), with a (-B) note as a

leading

tone in (mm.25), (27) and (28). This section bears some

analogy with the Turkish Beyati Peşrev’s fourth section,

where a Rast on (C), is also outlined at the outset

(Ex.16). It is also obvious that the first part of this36

section in the Bashraf `Arabi Qadim, is more elaborated

and active melodically than the precedent one(s), since

it modulates to the jins (C) Rast, and since it goes to

a higher register, which clearly indicates the

contrasting nature of this part in relation to the

whole piece (Ex.19).

Example 19: Bashraf ` Arabi Qadim , first part of the

second khana (mm.25-30)

The reminder of this section is reserved to the

reappearance of the second part of the previous

section, whose last measures at the second repeat are

changed accordingly to conclude on the finalis (D),

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(Ex.20). As I have mentioned earlier in this paper, the

fact of considering the second part of the taslim as

the second part of the second and last khana, makes the

whole piece look like more as a Rounded Binary form,

than a Rondo form, to which the formal structure of the

Bashraf is more or less related.46 Finally, I would like

to underline the fact that in the live performance of

al `aqqad “takht” the final taslim is not repeated

integrally as one would expect, as the first branch (A)

was dropped out in the phrasal structure (A, A, B, C).

Example 20: Bashraf ` Arabi Qadim , second part of the second khana with its two repetitions (mm.25-36)

46 -There is a paragraph in Turathuna al Musiqi, where al `ajjan comparesthe Bashraf with the Rondo (pp.98-99).

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Conclusion

Despite some differences in their musical

nomenclatures, the Persians, Turkish and Arabs have

always shared a similar musical culture characterized

by musical structures based on the theory of the maqâm,

and on the use of rhythmic cycles called awzan (plural

of wazn), iqa`at (plural of iqa`) or Usul in Turkish

music. The three above mentioned cultures also inter

circulated some of their musical forms, notably the

39

Bashraf. The latter is a Persian creation that was

passed on to the Turkish, then to the Arabs in the 19th

century. However, Mahmud al `ajjan reveals in a book

entitled Turathuna al-Musiqi that was primarily dedicated

to the repertoire of Arabian Adwar (plural of Dawr), 47

about the presence of a pure Arabian Bashraf , which

deviated from the traditional Turkish Peşrev, by mean of

downsizing the number of its khanat to the half.

According to al `ajjan this category of Bashraf is

usually accompanied by the Murabba` (13/4) iqa` among

others.

The main goal of this study was to show the

evident similarities, as well as the differences

between the traditional Turkish Peşrev and its new born

Arabian derivative through a comparative analysis of

47 - A Dawr is an Arabic vocal music genre sung in regional or colloquial Arabic. This genre lost its popularity after 1920s.

40

two Basharef, taken respectively from the Turkish and

Arabic repertoire. After a serious and a tedious

search, my choice set down on the Beyati Peşrev composed

by Emin Dede, and on the Bayati `Arabi Qadim whose

composer was anonymous.

My comparative analysis was subdivided into three

parts. The first part, dealt with the general formal

design of each piece. What I found in this section, is

that

the musical structure of the Arabian Bashraf was closer

to a Rounded Binary than a Rondo form, the traditional

Turkish Peşrev being associated with the latter.

The second part was dedicated to the awzan

related respectively to each work. According to Elie

Faqih, (p.11) in the present paper, the Murabba` wazn,

which is shorter in length than the usual awzan

selected to accompany a traditional Turkish Peşrev, is

41

exclusively Arabian of origin. A question might arise

in this context; whether the shortness of the purely

Arabian awzan, was a determinant factor to the

truncated formal length of the Arabian Bashraf.

Finally, the comparative analysis concluded upon

a close examination of the melodic components of each

khana in both pieces, which are conditioned by the

choice of the maqâm as well as its related or/and

unrelated ajnas. I discovered in this part that the

Bayati jins was approached openly from the outset, in

the first khana of the Arabian Bahsraf, whereas it was

delayed till the advent of the taslim in the Turkish

Peşrev, which confirms the fact that the repeated first

khana of the Arabian Bahsraf could be considered as a

taslim as well, since it incorporate a jins Bayati at

the very beginning. This first section also bears the

characteristics of a khana due to the developmental

42

nature of its phrasal structure. Finally, I also found

out that the first part of the second khana of the

Arabian Bashraf resembles to a great extent to the

fourth Khana’s first part of the Beyati Peşrev, in terms

of venturing to less related ajnas to the original

maqâm, as well as wandering in a higher register which

brings up the following question: It is obvious that

the Arabian Bashraf corresponds more a less to a Rounded

Binary from, however has the latter resulted because of

an extreme contraction of the traditional Bashraf , by

merging the first khana and the episode in one section,

and by dropping out the second and the third khana?, or

maybe because the importation of the Rounded Binary

from to the Arabic Classical music?. Unfortunately, it

is still early to answer those questions or to draw any

final conclusion, before looking through more Arabian

Basharef, and before digging deeper in relation to the

43

history of the Bashraf, which I hope will happen in the

near future.

Bibliography

44

Books

-Al 'ajjan, Mahmud. Turathuna al-Musiqi. Damascus: Dar

Talas, 1990.

-El Helou, Salim. Al Musiqa Al Nadhariyya. Dar Maktabat Al Hayat: Beirut, Lebanon, 1961. -Faqih, Elie. Al Iqa’ al Sharqi. Lebanon: Le Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique, 1996.

-Jargy, Simon. La Musique Arabe, 2cd. Edition. France: Presses Universitaires de France, 1977.

-Lagrange, Frederic. Musiques D’Egypte. Arles: Cité de la Musique/ Actes Sud, 1996.

-Mahdi, Salah. La Musique Arabe. France: Alphonse Leduc etCie, 1972.

-Signell, Karl L. Makam: Modal Practice in Turkish Art Music. Seattle, Wash.: Asian Music, 1977.

-Touma, Habib H. The Music of the Arabs. Translated into English by Laurie Schwartz. Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press, 1996.

45

Discography

-Erguner, Kudsi. The Turkish Ney. Naïve Unesco (Traditional Musics of Today) D 8204.

Websites

-Farraj, Johnny. “Maqam World.” 2001. http://www.maqamworld.com/ (accessed 2009).

-Soua, Mohsen. “Zaman al Wasl.” June. 2005 http://www.zamanalwasl.net/forums/index.php (accessed 2011).

-Yücel, Mehmet. “Ney Manufacturing Centre.” 2002. http://www.neyzen.com (accessed 2011).

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