Discovering Musical Links

Discovering Musical Links:

An Investigation of  Arabic Music from the Early Islamic Period and Jazz of the 20th Century

                                  

               

Overview:

In the history of global music, there are many direct musical links between cultures that correlate quite directly. For example, the influence of 20th century blues music on modern pop music. However, there are more distant musical links less often discussed. One of these links is the correlation between Arabic secular music during the early Islamic period and Jazz in the 20th century. Despite being divided by many centuries and vastly different culture, both forms of music are similar in many ways.

Background:

Early Islamic Period Arabic Music

Arabic music from the Early Islamic period began in about 800 A.D. and was characterized by the use of Maqams (Amrami). These are a form of melodic mode used in traditional Arabic music. These modes, unique to Arabic art music, are are a technique of improvisation that aid in conveying emotion through music. Maqam are not similar to chromatic scales used in Western music, because the scales they are built from are not even tempered. Instead, 5th notes are based on the third harmonic. 

In the Early Islamic period of Arabic Music music for the sake of entertainment was permitted. However, eventually Muslim legists condemned art music as well as other forms of entertainment, and this continues to this day in many middle-eastern countries.

Early art music used instruments such as the oud, the violin, and the qanan, each capable of playing quarter tones essential to ornamentation within early Arabic art music. 
The middle eastern "Oud", a plucked chordophone made of wood. 

Jazz: 

Jazz if a form of music originating from ethnically diverse regions near the mouth of the Mississippi river which focuses on syncopation, improvisation, and forceful rhythms which began in the early 20th century (History). Brass, woodwind, percussion, piano, and guitar are all important instruments to this genre. 

Initially, jazz was used for dancing but was later played for audiences to listen and enjoy. Because of the improvisational nature of Jazz, different players often take on their own distinct styles sound. This results in dozens of recordings of the same song sounding different and unique. 

Louis Armstrong, an influential jazz composer and performer. 

Link # 1: "Scales" and emotion

Central to both early Islamic period Arabic art music and Jazz are improvising within Maqams and scales, respectively. However, the Maqam is built on the Arabic scale, and are generally made up of an "octave" (eight notes), but can go all the way to two octaves. A Maqam is much more than a scale, as they can include micro-tonal variations of notes, such as quarter tones, that are not generally used in Jazz. Subtle tuning variations within scales must be identified by listening rather than reading music written within Maqam, which is why oral tradition is the appropriate way to learn to play Arabic music. Each Maqam is meant to have its own character and convey its own mood, similar to Major and Minor scales within Western music. The choice of Maqam can greatly affect the mood of a piece. 

For example, the Maqam Ajam used in the piece Um Kulthum Aghadan Algak is used to convey many of the same connotations associated with the Western Major scale: generally happy emotions. 


The Maqam Ajam

Cameron Powers, author of the book; Arabic Musical Scales, writes that Ajam's associated moods are: “bright, happy, majesty, pride, loftiness, national anthems, strength, and seriousness”. Um Kalthum Aghadan Algak utilizes this Maqam to convey to convey these associated emotions.

The Ajam trichord, consisting of the first three notes of the Maqam Ajam, is very similar to the first three notes in a major scale used in western music, or specifically in Jazz, the Major Bepop Scale.



A C major Bebop Scale

This scale is used within Jazz pieces such as Mulgrew Miller's solo on Bill Mobley's re-harmonization of The Touch of Your Lips and modulates to the C major Bepop scale around at the 2:00 minute mark. This shows that Jazz musicians use scales similar to those used in Arabic Maqams to convey emotion and feeling while improvising.

Link #2: Modulation

Another link showing similarity between these two culture's music is the way in which they modulate, and is an important feature in their pieces. Modulation is used in Arabic music to melodically devlop a Maqam. The easiest way this is done is by shifting emphasis between jins. A jin is similar to a trichord or tetrachord which make up a Maqam. The new jin after modulation can start on the same note, known as common tone modulation, or on a different note. What will make a modulation pleasing to the ear is going between compatible jins that have been established by tradition. This is done aurally, and is done most simply by developing upper jins after the lower ones

For example, the Maqam Ajam, begins with the Ajam trichord on the first note, and another Ajam trichord on the 5th, or the dominant. The secondary jin used in modulation is the Kurd tetrachord on the third note.



The Maqam Ajam

The practice of aurally analyzing which tetra chords and scales are appropriate to modulate between is also an important aspect of Jazz improvisation (Furstner). Just as players of middle-eastern art music must learn what jin are aurally pleasing to modulate between, Jazz musicians learning to improvise must know what chord progressions will result in solos that are pleasing to the ear (Parfitt). 

For example, here's the first eight measures of Miles Davis's Nefertiti. 



In these measures, the first two chords are progressing in a cycle movement, measures three and four are a minor ii V progression, a half step lower than the initial chords (Dealing). Next, the C7b5b9 progresses to a BMaj9. In essence, measures three and four are only a triton-sub of C# minor F#7 which resolves into B in measure number five. Next, in measure six, the chord sound is slightly changed from measure five by flatting the fifth. In measure 7 a half step is moved down in order to play a minor ii V progression, similar to measures three and four. This minor ii V would naturally resolve to Ab minor. However, in Nefertiti, it resolves to E major in measure 9, not included in the image above. Ab minor seven is essentially E major seven beginning on the third. In regards to composition, this allows chords to be interchanged. 

When played by an experienced jazz musician, these chord markings allow for unique expression of the musical idea. However, much like modulating within a maqam, it requires experience to be able to sound good. 

Link #3: Improvisation

Improvisation plays an important part in the performance and composition of both Arabic art music and Jazz. Central to almost pieces of Arabic art music is the maqam it is written in, for example, Um Kulthum Aghadan Algak composed in the maqam ajam. Although passed on through aural tradition rather than composition, there are large sections within the piece where the oud player is free to improvise within the maqam ajam, as well as modulate between jin. Jazz music is similar in many ways. The musician must learn to improvise within the bounds of the piece (Jazz). 

Look one more time at Mile Davis's Nefertiti.



Just as the chord progression results in modulation, it also leaves a large amount of freedom to the player to improvise within the chord progression. 

Ultimately, both the music of both culture's are rooted in improvisation, with their compositions more of a structure for improvising than an actual piece. This allows the musician in both cases to express more of their uniqueness and individuality and means that the same piece can be fresh and exciting every time it is played. 

Although separated by thousands of miles across the globe and hundreds of years, Jazz and Arabic art music share stunning musical similarities including the way they are meant to convey emotion, the way in which they modulate, and their structure of improvisation. 

Bibliography

Miller, Terry E., and Andrew Shahriari. “Islam and the Arab World, Iran,Egypt, Sufism,Judaism.” World Music: A Global Journey, Fourth Edition ed., Routledge, pp. 219–250.

Arabic Maqam. OMICS International, 2014,
DDDDDresearch.omicsgroup.org/index.php/Arabic_maqam.

Amrami, Zivar. The MAQAM Project, The Maqam Project,

DDDDDthemaqamproject.com/.

“History of Jazz.” Black History in America, Scholastic.com, DDDDDteacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/history_of_jazz.htm.

Parfitt, David. “Arabic Maqamat.” The Oud, 2015, DDDDDwww.oud.eclipse.co.uk/maqamat.html.

“Jazz Improvisation.” A Passion for Jazz!, 2017, DDDDDwww.apassion4jazz.net/improvisation.html.

Furstner, Michael. “Jazz Music Improvisation.” Jazz Class, 1999,

Wheeler, Michael. “Pondering Music from a Global Perspective.” Discussions on the Arabic Maqam Tradition., 1 Jan. 2005.

“Arabic Maqam .” Arabic Maqam World, 14 July 2007,

www.maqamworld.com/.

“Dealing With Non-Standard Progressions.” Jazzadvice.com, 15 June 2015.

Discography

Miles Davis. “Nefertiti.” 15 June 1967.

The Touch of Your Lips (feat. Mulgrew Miller, Robert Hurst, Eric Harland)

Umm Kulthum. “Aghadan Alqak.”