IV. 7) The Scales

of Maqams

 
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by dr. fazli arslan
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start: 09 january 2007, up-date: 09 january 2007
After telling the harmonious arrangements of tanînî, mujannab, and bakiyya intervals Safi al-Dîn starts to form maqam scales with these intervals. He indicates that the performers of his age have given the following names to the ranges he mentioned above and he gives the intervals:
1 Ushshâq T-T-B A-D-Z-H
2 Nawâ T-B-T A-D-h-H
3 Abûsalik B-T-T A-B-h-H
4 Râst T-C-C A-D-V-H
5 Nawrûz C-C-T A-C-h-H
6 Irâq C-T-C A-C-V-H
7 Isfehân C-C-C-B A-C-h-Z-H
8 Buzurg C-T-C-C-B A-C-V-H-Y-YA
9 Zîrâfkand C-C-B A-C-h-V
10 Râhawî C-C-C A-C-h-Z
 
Safi al-Dîn points out that seven out of ten kinds are of 4/3 value, one is 3/2, one is 5/4 and another one is 6/5.
 
We can count the intervals given in the table like this. In this case we will remember which ratios Safi al-Dîn used for tanînî, mujannab and bakiyya intervals:
 
Ushshâq : 9/8x9/8x256/243=4/3
Nawâ : 9/8x256/243x9/8=4/3
Abûsalik : 256/243x9/8x9/8=4/3
Râst : 9/8x65536/59049x2187/2048=4/3
Nawrûz : 65536/59049x2187/2048x9/8=4/3
Irâq : 65536/59049x9/8x2187/2048=4/3
Isfehân : 65536/59049x2187/2048x2187/2048x256/243=4/3
Buzurg : 65536/59049x9/8x2187/2048x65536/59049x256/243=3/2
Zîrâfkand : 65536/59049x2187/2048x256/243=8192/6561 (23)
Râhawî : 65536/59049x2187/2048x2187/2048=81/64 (24)
 
Safi al-Dîn arranges the first seven of the kinds above having the value of full tetrachord with their equals and one tanînî, that is to say, he does it by adding the penthachords of the same ranges into these tetrachords. While doing this he arranges them by leaving interval (tanînî-9/8) at the hign pitch side (munfasýl al-ahad), at the low pitch side (munfasýl al-athkal) and at the middle (munfasýl al-awsat) and he points out the most used ones of the ranges.
 
The first kind (Ushshâq) is arranged with the first and second tetrachords with the arrangement of munfasil al-ahad, munfasil al-athkal and munfasil al-awsat like this.
 
Munfasil al-ahad : A-D-Z-H-YA-YD-Yh-YH: 4/3x4/3x9/8=2/1
Munfasil al-athkal: A-D-Z-Y-YA-YD-YZ-YH: 9/8x4/3x4/3=2/1
Munfasil al-awsat: A-D-Z-H-YA-YD-YZ-YH: 4/3x9/8x4/3=2/1
 
He says that of the three, the range arranged as munfasil al-ahad is the most used one. We should remind that as this is the range of Ushshâq arranged as tetrachord-tetrachord-tanînî, its tetrachords are also arranged as T-T-B: 9/8x9/8x256/243x9/8=4/3.
 
As the interval ratios of the ranges above were mentioned before, we will not mention them again here. So, a range of Ushshâq is composed of ratio values of 9/8x9/8x256/243x 9/8x9/8x256/243x9/8=2/1 in one octave. This is the following topic and maqam ranges are composed of the ranges arranged here. As same as above Nawâ, Abûselik, Râst, Nawrûz, Irâk, Isfehân kinds are arranged, there occurs totally 63 scales.
 
Safi al-Dîn determined the ones well known among the musical artists and mostly used in these ranges and showed them in a table like this:
 
Ushshâq : A-D-Z-H-YA-YD-Yh-YH
Nawâ : A-D-h-H-YA-YB-Yh-YH
Abûsalik : A-B-h-H-T-YB-Yh-YH
Râst : A-D-V-H-YA-YC-Yh-YH
Hijâz : A-C-V-H-Y-YC-Yh-YH
Nawrûz : A-C-h-H-Y-YB-Yh-YH
Isfehân : A-D-V-H-YA-YC-Yh-YH
Zanqula : A-D-V-H-Y-YC-Yh-YH
Râhawî : A-C-V-H-Y-YB-Yh-T
Zîrâfkand : A-C-h-H-Y-YB-YC-YV-YH
Buzurg : A-C-V-H-Y-YA-YD-YV-YH
Muhayyer Husaynî : A-C-h-H-YA-YC-Yh-YH
Nihuft : A-C-V-H-Y-YA-YC-Yh-YH
Hijâz(its another scale): A-C-h-H-Y-YC-Yh-YH
Kawasht : A-C-V-H-Y-YB-YC-YV-YH
Kardâniye : A-D-V-H-Y-YA-YD-YV-YH
Husaynî : A-C-h-H-YA-YB-Yh-YH
Irâk : A-C-V-H-Y-YC-Yh-YZ-YH
 
Safi al-Dîn showed the one (Rast) he chose among these scales with its 17 tones and indicated that the ones knowing the arrangements of the intervals would be able to show each period with the same method.
 
Safi al-Dîn didn't show all the maqams he named and gave the intervals in the table. The ones he showed in the table are: Ushshâq, Abusalik, Nawâ, Râst, Husaynî, Râhawî, Zanqüla, Irâk, Isfehân, Zîrâfkand, Hijazi/Hijaz, Buzurg. He showed these maqam scales by adapting on each tone as 17 layers. However, he started from the starting sound of the second tetrachord of the former layer at each layer. (25)
 
Safi al-Dîn completes his work by mentioning several accords of the ûd, the subject of transforming tones (nagme), in the fifth discourse the subject of îkâ and composing.