1 @c -*- coding: utf-8; mode: texinfo; -*-
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15 The purpose of this section is to highlight musical notation issues
16 that are relevant to traditions outside the Western tradition.
19 * Common notation for non-Western music::
21 * Turkish classical music::
25 @node Common notation for non-Western music
26 @subsection Common notation for non-Western music
28 This section discusses how to enter and print music scores
29 that do not belong to the Western classical tradition,
30 also referred to as @notation{Common Practice Period}.
33 * Extending notation and tuning systems::
37 @node Extending notation and tuning systems
38 @unnumberedsubsubsec Extending notation and tuning systems
40 Standard classical notation (also known as
41 @notation{Common Practice Period} notation) is commonly
42 used in all sorts of music, not limited to @q{classical}
43 Western music. This notation is discussed in
44 @ref{Writing pitches}, and the various note names
45 that may be used are explained in
46 @ref{Note names in other languages}.
48 However, many types of non-Western music (and
49 some types of Western folk and traditional music) employ
50 alternative or extended tuning systems that do not fit
51 readily into standard classical notation.
53 In some cases standard notation is still used, with the
54 pitch differences being implicit. For example,
55 @notation{Arabic music} is notated with standard
56 semitone and quarter-tone accidentals, with the precise
57 pitch alterations being determined by context. Italian
58 note names are typically used, while the init file
59 @file{arabic.ly} provides a suitable set of macros
60 and definitions extending the standard
61 notation. For more details, see
64 @cindex tuning, non-Western
66 Other types of music require extended or unique notations.
67 @notation{Turkish classical music} or Ottoman music, for
68 example, employs melodic forms known as @notation{makamlar},
69 whose intervals are based on 1/9 divisions of the whole tone.
70 Standard Western staff notes are still used, but with special
71 accidentals unique to Turkish music, that are defined in the file
72 @file{makam.ly}. For further information on Turkish classical
73 music and makamlar, see
74 @ref{Turkish classical music}.
76 To locate init files such as @file{arabic.ly} or
77 @file{makam.ly} on your system, see
78 @rlearning{Other sources of information}.
82 @lilypondfile[verbatim,quote,texidoc,doctitle]
87 @rglos{Common Practice Period},
91 @rlearning{Other sources of information}.
94 @ref{Writing pitches},
95 @ref{Note names in other languages},
97 @ref{Turkish classical music}.
101 @subsection Arabic music
103 This section highlights issues that are relevant to notating Arabic
107 * References for Arabic music::
108 * Arabic note names::
109 * Arabic key signatures::
110 * Arabic time signatures::
111 * Arabic music example::
112 * Further reading for Arabic music::
116 @node References for Arabic music
117 @unnumberedsubsubsec References for Arabic music
120 @cindex medium intervals
124 Arabic music so far has been mainly an oral tradition. When music
125 is transcribed, it is usually in a sketch format, on which
126 performers are expected to improvise significantly. Increasingly,
127 Western notation, with a few variations, is adopted in order to
128 communicate and preserve Arabic music.
130 Some elements of Western musical notation such as the
131 transcription of chords or independent parts, are not required to
132 typeset the more traditional Arabic pieces. There are however
133 some different issues, such as the need to indicate medium
134 intervals that are somewhere between a semi-tone and a tone, in
135 addition to the minor and major intervals that are used in Western
136 music. There is also the need to group and indicate a large
137 number of different maqams (modes) that are part of Arabic music.
139 In general, Arabic music notation does not attempt to precisely
140 indicate microtonal elements that are present in musical practice.
142 Several issues that are relevant to Arabic music are covered
146 @item Note names and accidentals (including quarter tones) can be
147 tailored as discussed in @ref{Common notation for non-Western music}.
149 @item Additional key signatures can also be tailored as described
150 in @ref{Key signature}.
152 @item Complex time signatures may require that notes be grouped
153 manually as described in @ref{Manual beams}.
155 @item @notation{Takasim} which are rhythmically free
156 improvisations may be written down omitting bar lines as
157 described in @ref{Unmetered music}.
164 @ref{Common notation for non-Western music},
172 @node Arabic note names
173 @unnumberedsubsubsec Arabic note names
176 @cindex Arabic note names
178 The more traditional Arabic note names can be quite long and are
179 not suitable for the purpose of music writing, so they are not
180 used. English note names are not very familiar in Arabic music
181 education, so Italian or Solfege note names (@code{do, re, mi, fa,
182 sol, la, si}) are used instead; modifiers (accidentals) can also
183 be used. Italian note names and accidentals are explained in
184 @ref{Note names in other languages}; the use of standard
185 Western notation to notate non-Western music is discussed in
186 @ref{Common notation for non-Western music}.
188 For example, this is how the Arabic @notation{rast} scale can be
191 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
194 do' re misb fa sol la sisb do sisb la sol fa misb re do
199 @cindex Arabic semi-flat symbol
200 @cindex Semi-flat symbol appearance
202 The symbol for semi-flat does not match the symbol which is used
203 in Arabic notation. The @code{\dwn} symbol defined in
204 @file{arabic.ly} may be used preceding a flat symbol as a work
205 around if it is important to use the specific Arabic semi-flat
206 symbol. The appearance of the semi-flat symbol in the key
207 signature cannot be altered by using this method.
210 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
213 \set Staff.extraNatural = ##f
214 dod' dob dosd \dwn dob dobsb dodsd do do
221 @ref{Note names in other languages},
222 @ref{Common notation for non-Western music}.
228 @node Arabic key signatures
229 @unnumberedsubsubsec Arabic key signatures
231 @cindex Arabic key signatures
233 In addition to the minor and major key signatures, the following
234 key signatures are defined in @file{arabic.ly}: @notation{bayati},
235 @notation{rast}, @notation{sikah}, @notation{iraq}, and
236 @notation{kurd}. These key signatures define a small number of
237 maqam groups rather than the large number of maqams that are in
240 In general, a maqam uses the key signature of its group, or a
241 neighbouring group, and varying accidentals are marked throughout
244 For example to indicate the key signature of a maqam muhayer piece:
251 Here @var{re} is the default pitch of the muhayer maqam, and
252 @var{bayati} is the name of the base maqam in the group.
254 While the key signature indicates the group, it is common for the
255 title to indicate the more specific maqam, so in this example, the
256 name of maqam muhayer should appear in the title.
258 Other maqams in the same bayati group, as shown in the table below:
259 (bayati, hussaini, saba, and ushaq) can be indicated in the same
260 way. These are all variations of the base and most common maqam
261 in the group, which is bayati. They usually differ from the base
262 maqam in their upper tetrachords, or certain flow details that
263 don't change their fundamental nature, as siblings.
265 The other maqam in the same group (Nawa) is related to bayati by
266 modulation which is indicated in the table in parenthesis for
267 those maqams that are modulations of their base maqam. Arabic
268 maqams admit of only limited modulations, due to the nature of
269 Arabic musical instruments. Nawa can be indicated as follows:
275 In Arabic music, the same term such as bayati that is used to
276 indicate a maqam group, is also a maqam which is usually the most
277 important in the group, and can also be thought of as a base
280 Here is one suggested grouping that maps the more common maqams to
283 @multitable @columnfractions 0.15 0.1 0.1 0.6
284 @headitem maqam group
287 @tab Other maqmas in group (finalis)
295 @tab hussaini, muhayer, saba, ushaq, nawa (sol)
299 @tab shahnaz, shad arban (sol), hijazkar (do)
307 @tab hijazkar kurd (do)
311 @tab busalik (re), farah faza (sol)
315 @tab nawa athar, hisar (re)
319 @tab mahur, yakah (sol)
328 @lilypondfile[verbatim,quote,texidoc,doctitle]
329 {non-traditional-key-signatures.ly}
345 @rlearning{Pitches and key signatures}.
348 @rinternals{KeySignature}.
355 @node Arabic time signatures
356 @unnumberedsubsubsec Arabic time signatures
358 @cindex Arabic time signatures
362 Some Arabic and Turkish music classical forms such as
363 @notation{Semai} use unusual time signatures such as 10/8. This
364 may lead to an automatic grouping of notes that is quite different
365 from existing typeset music, where notes may not be grouped on the
366 beat, but in a manner that is difficult to match by adjusting
367 automatic beaming. The alternative is to switch off automatic
368 beaming and beam the notes manually. Even if a match to existing
369 typeset music is not required, it may still be desirable to adjust
370 the automatic beaming behaviour and/or use compound time signatures.
374 @lilypondfile[verbatim,quote,texidoc,doctitle]
375 {arabic-improvisation.ly}
385 @ref{Automatic beams},
386 @ref{Unmetered music},
387 @ref{Automatic accidentals},
388 @ref{Setting automatic beam behavior},
389 @ref{Time signature}.
395 @node Arabic music example
396 @unnumberedsubsubsec Arabic music example
398 @cindex Arabic music example
399 @cindex Arabic music template
400 @cindex Template Arabic music
402 Here is a template that also uses the start of a Turkish @notation{Semai}
403 that is familiar in Arabic music education in order to illustrate
404 some of the peculiarities of Arabic music notation, such as medium
405 intervals and unusual modes that are discussed in this section.
407 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
411 \set Staff.extraNatural = ##f
412 \set Staff.autoBeaming = ##f
416 re'4 re'8 re16 [misb re do] sisb [la sisb do] re4 r8
417 re16 [misb do re] sisb [do] la [sisb sol8] la [sisb] do [re] misb
418 fa4 fa16 [misb] misb8. [re16] re8 [misb] re [do] sisb
419 do4 sisb8 misb16 [re do sisb] la [do sisb la] la4 r8
422 title = "Semai Muhayer"
423 composer = "Jamil Bek"
434 @node Further reading for Arabic music
435 @unnumberedsubsubsec Further reading for Arabic music
440 @emph{The music of the Arabs} by Habib Hassan Touma [Amadeus Press, 1996],
441 contains a discussion of maqams and their method of groupings.
443 There are also various web sites that explain maqams and some
444 provide audio examples such as :
448 @uref{http://www.maqamworld.com/}
450 @uref{http://www.turath.org/}
453 There are some variations in the details of how maqams are grouped,
454 despite agreement on the criteria of grouping maqams that are
455 related through common lower tetra chords, or through modulation.
458 There is not a complete consistency, sometimes even in the same
459 text on how key signatures for particular maqams should be
460 specified. It is common, however, to use a key signature per
461 group, rather than a different key signature for each different
464 Method books by the following authors for the @dfn{Oud}, the Arabic lute,
465 contain examples of mainly Turkish and Arabic compositions.
473 Ibrahim Ali Darwish Al-masri
478 @node Turkish classical music
479 @subsection Turkish classical music
481 This section highlights issues that are relevant to notating Turkish
485 * References for Turkish classical music::
486 * Turkish note names::
490 @node References for Turkish classical music
491 @unnumberedsubsubsec References for Turkish classical music
493 @cindex Turkish music
494 @cindex Ottoman music
495 @cindex comma intervals
499 Turkish classical music developed in the Ottoman Empire in a
500 period roughly contemporaneous with classical music in Europe,
501 and has continued on into the 20th and 21st centuries as a
502 vibrant and distinct tradition with its own compositional
503 forms, theory and performance styles. Among its striking
504 features is the use of microtonal intervals based on @q{commas}
505 of 1/9 of a tone, from which are constructed the melodic
506 forms known as @notation{makam} (plural @notation{makamlar}).
508 Some issues relevant to Turkish classical music are covered
512 @item Special note names and accidentals are explained in
513 @ref{Common notation for non-Western music}.
518 @node Turkish note names
519 @unnumberedsubsubsec Turkish note names
521 @cindex Turkish note names
525 Pitches in Turkish classical music traditionally have unique
526 names, and the basis of pitch on 1/9-tone divisions means
527 makamlar employ a completely different set of intervals from
528 Western scales and modes: @notation{koma} (1/9 of a tone),
529 @notation{eksik bakiye} (3/9), @notation{bakiye} (4/9),
530 @notation{kücük mücenneb} (5/9), @notation{büyük mücenneb}
531 (8/9), @notation{tanîni} (a whole tone) and
532 @notation{artık ikili} (12/9 or 13/9 of a tone).
534 From a modern notational point of view it is convenient to
535 use the standard Western staff notes (c, d, e, @dots{}) with
536 special accidentals that raise or lower notes by intervals
537 of 1/9, 4/9, 5/9 and 8/9 of a tone. These accidentals are
538 defined in the file @file{makam.ly}.
540 The following table lists:
543 the name of these special accidentals,
545 the accidental suffix that must be added to notes,
547 and their pitch alteration as a
548 fraction of one whole tone.
552 @multitable {@b{büyük mücenneb (sharp)}} {@b{suffix}} {@b{pitch alteration}}
553 @headitem Accidental name
554 @tab suffix @tab pitch alteration
556 @item büyük mücenneb (sharp)
558 @item kücük mücenneb (sharp)
569 @item kücük mücenneb (flat)
571 @item büyük mücenneb (flat)
576 For a more general explanation of non-Western music notation, see
577 @ref{Common notation for non-Western music}.
585 @ref{Common notation for non-Western music}.