[lilypond.git] / Documentation / notation / world.itely

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@ignore
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@c \version "2.13.36"

@node World music
@section World music

The purpose of this section is to highlight musical notation issues
that are relevant to traditions outside the Western tradition.

@menu
* Non-Western notation and tuning systems::
* Arabic music::
* Turkish classical music::
@end menu


@node Non-Western notation and tuning systems
@subsection Non-Western notation and tuning systems

@c TODO: adapt & expand. -vv

Many non-Western musics (and some Western folk and
traditional musics) employ alternative or extended tuning
systems that do not fit readily into standard classical
notation.

In some cases standard notation is still used, with the
pitch differences being implicit.  For example, Arabic
music is notated with standard semitone and quarter-tone
accidentals, with the precise pitch alterations being
determined by context.  Others require extended or unique
notations.

@notation{Turkish classical music}, or Ottoman music,
employs melodic forms known as @notation{makamlar}, whose
intervals are based on 1/9 divisions of the whole tone.
From a modern notational point of view, it is convenient
to use the standard Western staff notes (c, d, e, ...)
with special accidentals unique to Turkish music.  These
accidentals are defined in @file{makam.ly} (to locate this
file on your system, see
@rlearning{Other sources of information}).  The following
table gives their names, the accidental suffix that must
be added to notes, and their pitch alteration as a
fraction of one whole tone.

@c TODO: can we include the actual accidentals in this table?
@quotation
@multitable {@b{büyük mücenneb (sharp)}} {@b{suffix}} {@b{pitch alteration}}
@headitem Accidental name
  @tab suffix @tab pitch alteration

@item büyük mücenneb (sharp)
  @tab -bm @tab +8/9
@item kücük mücenneb (sharp)
  @tab -k @tab +5/9
@item bakiye (sharp)
  @tab -b @tab +4/9
@item koma (sharp)
  @tab -c @tab +1/9

@item koma (flat)
  @tab -fc @tab -1/9
@item bakiye (flat)
  @tab -fb @tab -4/9
@item kücük mücenneb (flat)
  @tab -fk @tab -5/9
@item büyük mücenneb (flat)
  @tab -fbm @tab -8/9
@end multitable
@end quotation

For further information on Turkish classical music and
makamlar, see @ref{Turkish classical music}.


@snippets

@lilypondfile[verbatim,lilyquote,texidoc,doctitle]
{makam-example.ly}


@node Arabic music
@subsection Arabic music

This section highlights issues that are relevant to notating Arabic
music.

@menu
* References for Arabic music::
* Arabic note names::
* Arabic key signatures::
* Arabic time signatures::
* Arabic music example::
* Further reading for Arabic music::
@end menu


@node References for Arabic music
@unnumberedsubsubsec References for Arabic music

@cindex Arabic music
@cindex medium intervals
@cindex maqam
@cindex maqams

Arabic music so far has been mainly an oral tradition.  When music
is transcribed, it is usually in a sketch format, on which
performers are expected to improvise significantly.  Increasingly,
Western notation, with a few variations, is adopted in order to
communicate and preserve Arabic music.

Some elements of Western musical notation such as the
transcription of chords or independent parts, are not required to
typeset the more traditional Arabic pieces.  There are however
some different issues, such as the need to indicate medium
intervals that are somewhere between a semi-tone and a tone, in
addition to the minor and major intervals that are used in Western
music.  There is also the need to group and indicate a large
number of different maqams (modes) that are part of Arabic music.

In general, Arabic music notation does not attempt to precisely
indicate microtonal elements that are present in musical practice.

Several issues that are relevant to Arabic music are covered
elsewhere:

@itemize
@item Note names and accidentals (including quarter tones) can be
tailored as discussed in @ref{Non-Western notation and tuning systems}.

@item Additional key signatures can also be tailored as described
in @ref{Key signature}.

@item Complex time signatures may require that notes be grouped
manually as described in @ref{Manual beams}.

@item @notation{Takasim} which are rhythmically free
improvisations may be written down omitting bar lines as
described in @ref{Unmetered music}.

@end itemize


@seealso
Notation Reference:
@ref{Non-Western notation and tuning systems},
@ref{Key signature},
@ref{Manual beams}.

Snippets:
@rlsr{World music}.


@node Arabic note names
@unnumberedsubsubsec Arabic note names


@cindex Arabic note names

The more traditional Arabic note names can be quite long and are
not suitable for the purpose of music writing, so they are not
used.  English note names are not very familiar in Arabic music
education, so Italian or Solfege note names (@code{do, re, mi, fa,
sol, la, si}) are used instead.  Modifiers (accidentals) can also
be used, as discussed in
@ref{Non-Western notation and tuning systems}.

For example, this is how the Arabic @notation{rast} scale can be
notated:

@lilypond[quote,verbatim]
\include "arabic.ly"
\relative do' {
  do re misb fa sol la sisb do sisb la sol fa misb re do
}
@end lilypond


@cindex Arabic semi-flat symbol
@cindex Semi-flat symbol appearance

The symbol for semi-flat does not match the symbol which is used
in Arabic notation.  The @code{\dwn} symbol defined in
@code{arabic.ly} may be used preceding a flat symbol as a work
around if it is important to use the specific Arabic semi-flat
symbol.  The appearance of the semi-flat symbol in the key
signature cannot be altered by using this method.


@lilypond[quote,verbatim]
\include "arabic.ly"
\relative do' {
  \set Staff.extraNatural = ##f
  dod dob dosd \dwn dob dobsb dodsd do do
}
@end lilypond


@seealso
Notation Reference:
@ref{Non-Western notation and tuning systems}.

Snippets:
@rlsr{World music}.


@node Arabic key signatures
@unnumberedsubsubsec Arabic key signatures

@cindex Arabic key signatures

In addition to the minor and major key signatures, the following
key signatures are defined in @code{arabic.ly}: @notation{bayati},
@notation{rast}, @notation{sikah}, @notation{iraq}, and
@notation{kurd}.  These key signatures define a small number of
maqam groups rather than the large number of maqams that are in
common use.

In general, a maqam uses the key signature of its group, or a
neighbouring group, and varying accidentals are marked throughout
the music.

For example to indicate the key signature of a maqam muhayer piece:

@example
\key re \bayati
@end example

@noindent
Here @var{re} is the default pitch of the muhayer maqam, and
@var{bayati} is the name of the base maqam in the group.

While the key signature indicates the group, it is common for the
title to indicate the more specific maqam, so in this example, the
name of maqam muhayer should appear in the title.

Other maqams in the same bayati group, as shown in the table below:
(bayati, hussaini, saba, and ushaq) can be indicated in the same
way.  These are all variations of the base and most common maqam
in the group, which is bayati.  They usually differ from the base
maqam in their upper tetrachords, or certain flow details that
don't change their fundamental nature, as siblings.

The other maqam in the same group (Nawa) is related to bayati by
modulation which is indicated in the table in parenthesis for
those maqams that are modulations of their base maqam.  Arabic
maqams admit of only limited modulations, due to the nature of
Arabic musical instruments.  Nawa can be indicated as follows:

@example
\key sol \bayati
@end example

In Arabic music, the same term such as bayati that is used to
indicate a maqam group, is also a maqam which is usually the most
important in the group, and can also be thought of as a base
maqam.

Here is one suggested grouping that maps the more common maqams to
key signatures:

@multitable @columnfractions 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.6
@headitem maqam group
  @tab key
  @tab finalis
  @tab Other maqmas in group (finalis)
@item ajam
  @tab major
  @tab sib
  @tab jaharka (fa)
@item bayati
  @tab bayati
  @tab re
  @tab hussaini, muhayer, saba, ushaq, nawa (sol)
@item hijaz
  @tab kurd
  @tab re
  @tab shahnaz, shad arban (sol), hijazkar (do)
@item iraq
  @tab iraq
  @tab sisb
  @tab -
@item kurd
  @tab kurd
  @tab re
  @tab hijazkar kurd (do)
@item nahawand
  @tab minor
  @tab do
  @tab busalik (re), farah faza (sol)
@item nakriz
  @tab minor
  @tab do
  @tab nawa athar, hisar (re)
@item rast
  @tab rast
  @tab do
  @tab mahur, yakah (sol)
@item sikah
  @tab sikah
  @tab misb
  @tab huzam
@end multitable

@snippets

@lilypondfile[verbatim,lilyquote,texidoc,doctitle]
{non-traditional-key-signatures.ly}


@seealso
Notation Reference:
@ref{Key signature}.

Learning Manual:
@rlearning{Accidentals and key signatures}.

Internals Reference:
@rinternals{KeySignature}.

Snippets:
@rlsr{World music},
@rlsr{Pitches}.


@node Arabic time signatures
@unnumberedsubsubsec Arabic time signatures

@cindex Arabic time signatures
@cindex Semai form
@cindex taqasim

Some Arabic and Turkish music classical forms such as
@notation{Semai} use unusual time signatures such as 10/8.  This
may lead to an automatic grouping of notes that is quite different
from existing typeset music, where notes may not be grouped on the
beat, but in a manner that is difficult to match by adjusting
automatic beaming.  You can override this by switching off
automatic beaming and beaming the notes manually.  Where matching
existing typeset music is not an issue, you may still want to
adjust the beaming behaviour and/or use compound time signatures.

@snippets

@lilypondfile[verbatim,lilyquote,texidoc,doctitle]
{compound-time-signatures.ly}

@lilypondfile[verbatim,lilyquote,texidoc,doctitle]
{arabic-improvisation.ly}


@seealso
Notation Reference:
@ref{Manual beams},
@ref{Automatic beams},
@ref{Unmetered music},
@ref{Automatic accidentals},
@ref{Setting automatic beam behavior},
@ref{Time signature}.

Snippets:
@rlsr{World music}.


@node Arabic music example
@unnumberedsubsubsec Arabic music example

@cindex Arabic music example
@cindex Arabic music template
@cindex Template Arabic music

Here is a template that also uses the start of a Turkish Semai
that is familiar in Arabic music education in order to illustrate
some of the peculiarities of Arabic music notation, such as medium
intervals and unusual modes that are discussed in this section.

@lilypond[quote,verbatim]
\include "arabic.ly"
\score {
  \relative re' {
    \set Staff.extraNatural = ##f
    \set Staff.autoBeaming = ##f
    \key re \bayati
    \time 10/8

    re4 re'8 re16 [misb re do] sisb [la sisb do] re4 r8
    re16 [misb do re] sisb [do] la [sisb sol8] la [sisb] do [re] misb
    fa4 fa16 [misb] misb8. [re16] re8 [misb] re  [do] sisb
    do4 sisb8 misb16 [re do sisb] la [do sisb la] la4 r8
  }
  \header {
    title = "Semai Muhayer"
    composer = "Jamil Bek"
  }
}
@end lilypond


@seealso
Snippets:
@rlsr{World music}.


@node Further reading for Arabic music
@unnumberedsubsubsec Further reading for Arabic music

@enumerate

@item
@emph{The music of the Arabs} by Habib Hassan Touma [Amadeus Press, 1996],
contains a discussion of maqams and their method of groupings.

There are also various web sites that explain maqams and some
provide audio examples such as :

@itemize @bullet
@item
@uref{http://www.maqamworld.com/}
@item
@uref{http://www.turath.org/}
@end itemize

There are some variations in the details of how maqams are grouped,
despite agreement on the criteria of grouping maqams that are
related through common lower tetra chords, or through modulation.

@item
There is not a complete consistency, sometimes even in the same
text on how key signatures for particular maqams should be
specified.  It is common, however, to use a key signature per
group, rather than a different key signature for each different
maqam.

Method books by the following authors for the @dfn{Oud}, the Arabic lute,
contain examples of mainly Turkish and Arabic compositions.

@itemize @bullet
@item
Charbel Rouhana
@item
George Farah
@item
Ibrahim Ali Darwish Al-masri
@end itemize
@end enumerate


@node Turkish classical music
@subsection Turkish classical music

This section highlights issues that are relevant to notating Turkish
classical music.

@menu
* References for Turkish classical music::
* Turkish note names::
@end menu


@node References for Turkish classical music
@unnumberedsubsubsec References for Turkish classical music

@cindex Turkish music
@cindex Ottoman music
@cindex comma intervals
@cindex makam
@cindex makamlar

Turkish classical music developed in the Ottoman Empire in a
period roughly contemporaneous with classical music in Europe,
and has continued on into the 20th and 21st centuries as a
vibrant and distinct tradition with its own compositional
forms, theory and performance styles.  Among its striking
features is the use of microtonal intervals based on @q{commas}
of 1/9 of a tone, from which are constructed the melodic
forms known as @notation{makam} (plural @notation{makamlar}).

Some issues relevant to Turkish classical music are covered
elsewhere:

@itemize
@item Note names and accidentals are provided in
@ref{Non-Western notation and tuning systems}.

@end itemize


@node Turkish note names
@unnumberedsubsubsec Turkish note names

@cindex Turkish note names
@cindex makam
@cindex makamlar

Pitches in Turkish classical music traditionally have unique
names, and the basis of pitch on 1/9-tone divisions means
makamlar employ a completely different set of intervals from
Western scales and modes: @notation{koma} (1/9 of a tone),
@notation{eksik bakiye} (3/9), @notation{bakiye} (4/9),
@notation{kücük mücenneb} (5/9), @notation{büyük mücenneb}
(8/9), @notation{tanîni} (a whole tone) and
@notation{artık ikili} (12/9 or 13/9 of a tone).

From a modern notational point of view it is convenient to
use the standard Western staff notes (c, d, e, ...) with
special accidentals that raise or lower notes by intervals
of 1/9, 4/9, 5/9 and 8/9 of a tone.  These accidentals are
defined in the file @file{makam.ly} (to locate this file on
your system, see @rlearning{Other sources of information}).
A more detailed description is provided in
@ref{Non-Western notation and tuning systems}.