1 @c -*- coding: utf-8; mode: texinfo; -*-
3 Translation of GIT committish: FILL-IN-HEAD-COMMITTISH
5 When revising a translation, copy the HEAD committish of the
6 version that you are working on. For details, see the Contributors'
7 Guide, node Updating translation committishes..
15 The purpose of this section is to highlight musical notation issues
16 that are relevant to traditions outside the Western tradition.
20 * Turkish classical music::
23 @c update Music Glossary for makam, makamlar, maqam,... -vv
24 @c and add @rglos entries to pitches.itely "Non-Western note names"
28 @subsection Arabic music
30 This section highlights issues that are relevant to notating Arabic
34 * References for Arabic music::
36 * Arabic key signatures::
37 * Arabic time signatures::
38 * Arabic music example::
39 * Further reading for Arabic music::
43 @node References for Arabic music
44 @unnumberedsubsubsec References for Arabic music
47 @cindex medium intervals
51 Arabic music so far has been mainly an oral tradition. When music
52 is transcribed, it is usually in a sketch format, on which
53 performers are expected to improvise significantly. Increasingly,
54 Western notation, with a few variations, is adopted in order to
55 communicate and preserve Arabic music.
57 Some elements of Western musical notation such as the
58 transcription of chords or independent parts, are not required to
59 typeset the more traditional Arabic pieces. There are however
60 some different issues, such as the need to indicate medium
61 intervals that are somewhere between a semi-tone and a tone, in
62 addition to the minor and major intervals that are used in Western
63 music. There is also the need to group and indicate a large
64 number of different maqams (modes) that are part of Arabic music.
66 In general, Arabic music notation does not attempt to precisely
67 indicate microtonal elements that are present in musical practice.
69 Several issues that are relevant to Arabic music are covered
73 @item Note names and accidentals (including quarter tones) can be
74 tailored as discussed in @ref{Note names in other languages}.
76 @item Additional key signatures can also be tailored as described
77 in @ref{Key signature}.
79 @item Complex time signatures may require that notes be grouped
80 manually as described in @ref{Manual beams}.
82 @item @notation{Takasim} which are rhythmically free
83 improvisations may be written down omitting bar lines as
84 described in @ref{Unmetered music}.
91 @ref{Note names in other languages},
99 @node Arabic note names
100 @unnumberedsubsubsec Arabic note names
103 @cindex Arabic note names
105 The more traditional Arabic note names can be quite long and are
106 not suitable for the purpose of music writing, so they are not
107 used. English note names are not very familiar in Arabic music
108 education, so Italian or Solfege note names (@code{do, re, mi, fa,
109 sol, la, si}) are used instead. Modifiers (accidentals) can also
110 be used, as discussed in @ref{Note names in other languages}.
112 For example, this is how the Arabic @notation{rast} scale can be
115 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
118 do re misb fa sol la sisb do sisb la sol fa misb re do
123 @cindex Arabic semi-flat symbol
124 @cindex Semi-flat symbol appearance
126 The symbol for semi-flat does not match the symbol which is used
127 in Arabic notation. The @code{\dwn} symbol defined in
128 @code{arabic.ly} may be used preceding a flat symbol as a work
129 around if it is important to use the specific Arabic semi-flat
130 symbol. The appearance of the semi-flat symbol in the key
131 signature cannot be altered by using this method.
134 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
137 \set Staff.extraNatural = ##f
138 dod dob dosd \dwn dob dobsb dodsd do do
145 @ref{Note names in other languages}.
151 @node Arabic key signatures
152 @unnumberedsubsubsec Arabic key signatures
154 @cindex Arabic key signatures
156 In addition to the minor and major key signatures, the following
157 key signatures are defined in @code{arabic.ly}: @notation{bayati},
158 @notation{rast}, @notation{sikah}, @notation{iraq}, and
159 @notation{kurd}. These key signatures define a small number of
160 maqam groups rather than the large number of maqams that are in
163 In general, a maqam uses the key signature of its group, or a
164 neighbouring group, and varying accidentals are marked throughout
167 For example to indicate the key signature of a maqam muhayer piece:
174 Here @var{re} is the default pitch of the muhayer maqam, and
175 @var{bayati} is the name of the base maqam in the group.
177 While the key signature indicates the group, it is common for the
178 title to indicate the more specific maqam, so in this example, the
179 name of maqam muhayer should appear in the title.
181 Other maqams in the same bayati group, as shown in the table below:
182 (bayati, hussaini, saba, and ushaq) can be indicated in the same
183 way. These are all variations of the base and most common maqam
184 in the group, which is bayati. They usually differ from the base
185 maqam in their upper tetrachords, or certain flow details that
186 don't change their fundamental nature, as siblings.
188 The other maqam in the same group (Nawa) is related to bayati by
189 modulation which is indicated in the table in parenthesis for
190 those maqams that are modulations of their base maqam. Arabic
191 maqams admit of only limited modulations, due to the nature of
192 Arabic musical instruments. Nawa can be indicated as follows:
198 In Arabic music, the same term such as bayati that is used to
199 indicate a maqam group, is also a maqam which is usually the most
200 important in the group, and can also be thought of as a base
203 Here is one suggested grouping that maps the more common maqams to
206 @multitable @columnfractions 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.6
207 @headitem maqam group
210 @tab Other maqmas in group (finalis)
218 @tab hussaini, muhayer, saba, ushaq, nawa (sol)
222 @tab shahnaz, shad arban (sol), hijazkar (do)
230 @tab hijazkar kurd (do)
234 @tab busalik (re), farah faza (sol)
238 @tab nawa athar, hisar (re)
242 @tab mahur, yakah (sol)
251 @lilypondfile[verbatim,lilyquote,texidoc,doctitle]
252 {non-traditional-key-signatures.ly}
260 @rlearning{Accidentals and key signatures}.
263 @rinternals{KeySignature}.
270 @node Arabic time signatures
271 @unnumberedsubsubsec Arabic time signatures
273 @cindex Arabic time signatures
277 Some Arabic and Turkish music classical forms such as
278 @notation{Semai} use unusual time signatures such as 10/8. This
279 may lead to an automatic grouping of notes that is quite different
280 from existing typeset music, where notes may not be grouped on the
281 beat, but in a manner that is difficult to match by adjusting
282 automatic beaming. You can override this by switching off
283 automatic beaming and beaming the notes manually. Where matching
284 existing typeset music is not an issue, you may still want to
285 adjust the beaming behaviour and/or use compound time signatures.
289 @lilypondfile[verbatim,lilyquote,texidoc,doctitle]
290 {compound-time-signatures.ly}
292 @lilypondfile[verbatim,lilyquote,texidoc,doctitle]
293 {arabic-improvisation.ly}
299 @ref{Automatic beams},
300 @ref{Unmetered music},
301 @ref{Automatic accidentals},
302 @ref{Setting automatic beam behavior},
303 @ref{Time signature}.
309 @node Arabic music example
310 @unnumberedsubsubsec Arabic music example
312 @cindex Arabic music example
313 @cindex Arabic music template
314 @cindex Template Arabic music
316 Here is a template that also uses the start of a Turkish Semai
317 that is familiar in Arabic music education in order to illustrate
318 some of the peculiarities of Arabic music notation, such as medium
319 intervals and unusual modes that are discussed in this section.
321 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
325 \set Staff.extraNatural = ##f
326 \set Staff.autoBeaming = ##f
330 re4 re'8 re16 [misb re do] sisb [la sisb do] re4 r8
331 re16 [misb do re] sisb [do] la [sisb sol8] la [sisb] do [re] misb
332 fa4 fa16 [misb] misb8. [re16] re8 [misb] re [do] sisb
333 do4 sisb8 misb16 [re do sisb] la [do sisb la] la4 r8
336 title = "Semai Muhayer"
337 composer = "Jamil Bek"
348 @node Further reading for Arabic music
349 @unnumberedsubsubsec Further reading for Arabic music
354 @emph{The music of the Arabs} by Habib Hassan Touma [Amadeus Press, 1996],
355 contains a discussion of maqams and their method of groupings.
357 There are also various web sites that explain maqams and some
358 provide audio examples such as :
362 @uref{http://www.maqamworld.com/}
364 @uref{http://www.turath.org/}
367 There are some variations in the details of how maqams are grouped,
368 despite agreement on the criteria of grouping maqams that are
369 related through common lower tetra chords, or through modulation.
372 There is not a complete consistency, sometimes even in the same
373 text on how key signatures for particular maqams should be
374 specified. It is common, however, to use a key signature per
375 group, rather than a different key signature for each different
378 Method books by the following authors for the @dfn{Oud}, the Arabic lute,
379 contain examples of mainly Turkish and Arabic compositions.
387 Ibrahim Ali Darwish Al-masri
392 @node Turkish classical music
393 @subsection Turkish classical music
395 This section highlights issues that are relevant to notating Turkish
399 * References for Turkish classical music::
400 * Turkish note names::
404 @node References for Turkish classical music
405 @unnumberedsubsubsec References for Turkish classical music
407 @cindex Turkish music
408 @cindex Ottoman music
409 @cindex comma intervals
413 Turkish classical music developed in the Ottoman Empire in a
414 period roughly contemporaneous with classical music in Europe,
415 and has continued on into the 20th and 21st centuries as a
416 vibrant and distinct tradition with its own compositional
417 forms, theory and performance styles. Among its striking
418 features is the use of microtonal intervals based on @q{commas}
419 of 1/9 of a tone, from which are constructed the melodic
420 forms known as @notation{makam} (plural @notation{makamlar}).
422 Some issues relevant to Turkish classical music are covered
426 @item Note names and accidentals are provided in
427 @ref{Non-Western note names and accidentals}.
432 @node Turkish note names
433 @unnumberedsubsubsec Turkish note names
435 @cindex Turkish note names
439 Pitches in Turkish classical music traditionally have unique
440 names, and the basis of pitch on 1/9-tone divisions means
441 makamlar employ a completely different set of intervals from
442 Western scales and modes: @notation{koma} (1/9 of a tone),
443 @notation{eksik bakiye} (3/9), @notation{bakiye} (4/9),
444 @notation{kücük mücenneb} (5/9), @notation{büyük mücenneb}
445 (8/9), @notation{tanîni} (a whole tone) and
446 @notation{artık ikili} (12/9 or 13/9 of a tone).
448 From a modern notational point of view it is convenient to
449 use the standard Western staff notes (c, d, e, ...) with
450 special accidentals that raise or lower notes by intervals
451 of 1/9, 4/9, 5/9 and 8/9 of a tone. These accidentals are
452 defined in the file @file{makam.ly} (to locate this file on
453 your system, see @rlearning{Other sources of information}).
454 A more detailed description is provided in
455 @ref{Non-Western note names and accidentals}.