Turkish and Arabic Bashraf

By Dr. Roula Baaklini

Introduction

It is well known that the musical connections between the Arabs and their

Persian and Turkish neighbors go back to pre-Islamic times. All three art music

share musical structures based on a similar modal system, and on a similar

rhythmic-temporal patterns.1 The main difference resides in the fact that Turkish

and Persian tone systems are based on the calculations of Safi ad-Din al-Urmawi

(d.1294),2 who further developed the Pythagorean system, whereas the Arab tone

system stems from the octave into twenty four equivalent intervals that was

explained by Farabi in his Kitab al-Musiqi al-Kabir. 3 Arabian, Turkish and Persian

respective music systems do not hold in common a similar path, only in the use of

the maqâm phenomenon and the rhythmic temporal patterns, but also in sharing of

1 -Maqâm in Arabic, Turkish and Persian classical music is a system of melody types that provide a complex set
of rules for composing and performance. Each maqâm specifies a unique intervallic structure and melodic
development .Whether it is a fixed or an improvisatory composition, all attempt to follow the melody types given by
a maqâm. The maqâm is represented theoretically by a scale of generally two octaves, divided into sets of trichords,
tetrachords and pentachords, called Ajnas (Plural of jins and meaning gender or type). If you ask an Arabian
musician to play a maqâm , he would never play it as a scale or a tone row, but rather as an improvisatory melodic
line that sets up the mood of the maqâm.

2 -Safi ad-Din al-Urmawi (1216-1294) was a renowned Iraki musician and writer on the theory of music. He is
perhaps best known for developing the widely used seventeen tone scale in the thirteenth century. Al-Urmawi's most
important work is two books on music theory, in Arabic language; the Kitab al-Adwār (The Book of Cycles), and
Risālah al-Sharafiyyah fi 'l-nisab al-taʾlifiyyah (The Sharafiyyah Letter on the Art of Composing).

3 -Known as al-Phrarabius in Europe, al-Farabi (870-950), was a Turkish philosopher and scientist of Persian
descent. Farabi wrote books on early Muslim sociology and a notable book on music titled Kitab al-Musiqi al-kabir
(The Great Book of Music).
some well-known classical music genres and forms, namely the Bashraf. The latter

is an instrumental form that is especially practiced in Turkish classical music under

the name Peşrev,4 despite that it is a Persian imported product. 5 In classical

Turkish music, it is the name of the first piece of a series of music pieces (fasil)

played during a group performance, which has its equivalent in the Suite in

Western classical music. The Peşrev also serves as the penultimate piece of the

Mevlevi Ayini ritual music of the Mevlevi order, under the name Son Peşrev (final

Peşrev).6 It usually uses long rhythmic cycles (usul, wazn or iqa’), stretching over

many measures.7

The Turkish Peşrev was introduced into Arabian music repertoire in the 19th

century, and became particularly popular in Egypt, Syria, Iraq and the four

Maghreb states (Tunisia, Morocco, Libya and Algeria. 8 It is widely acknowledged

4 -The Turkish letter (ş) corresponds to (Sh) in English.

5 -Peşrev is a Persian word composed of the two particles pīš, which means "before, ahead", and rev, which
means “that which goes"; the whole meaning would “that which comes first". In Persian music, the word
pišdaramad is used instead to denote the first piece of a traditional music performance.

6 -The Mevlevi Ayin is a highly developed form of Ottoman art music that evolved around an organized
religious ritual, the Whirling Dance ceremony of the Mevlevi (Arabic Moulawiyyun meaning followers) Dervishes.
The music of the Mevlevi Ayin is based on musical Makams and Usuls used in Turkey during the Ottoman Empire
by the Mevlevi Dervishes. The Ayin is a particular musical form, based on four sections of both vocal and
instrumental composition, Coranic recitation and Takasim (instrumental improvisations.

7 -Usul In Ottoman classical music is an underlying rhythmic cycle that accompanies a composition and
complements the melodic rhythm and sometimes helps shape the overall structure of a composition. An usul can be
as short as two beats or as long as 128 beats. The Arabic equivalent of usul is iqa` or wazn (literally meaning
“measure”.

8 -See Habib Hassan Touma, The Music of the Arabs (Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press, 1996), pp.99-100.

2
that the traditional Arabian Bashraf is quite similar, if not the same, to the

traditional Turkish model in terms of formal structure. 9 However, Mahmud al

`ajjan,10 a notable Syrian composer, music historian and scholar, uncovers in his

book entitled Turathuna al-Musiqi, Engl. (Our Musical Heritage), about the

existence of a variant of the Bashraf that to my knowledge, has manifestly existed

nowhere in the repertoire of Turkish Basharef (plural of Bashraf), but solely in the

Arabian one.11 This version of the Bashraf, is usually accompanied by compound

meter iqa’at (plural of iqa’ e.g. rhythmic cycles), 12 instead of the usual simple

meter ones that are normally attached to this music form.13

In this presentation, I will argue that while there are known similarities between

the Turkish and Arabic versions of the Bashraf, the evident variations and

differences found in the Arabian version are substantial, thus requiring a closer

look through analysis that will include respectively, an Arabian and a Turkish

9 -Since the Arabic alphabet does not possess the letter (P), the term Bashraf is used instead of Peşrev.

10 - Since the letter (al) is an article in the Arabic language, it would not be subjected to capitalization.

11 -Mahmud al `ajjan was born in Lattakia-Syria in 1916. He worked as a teacher in music education at the
beginning of his life, and founded in 1945 the famous Cultural Music Club in Lattakia. In 1990, he published his a
book entitled Turathuna Al Musiqi, (Our Musical Heritage), published by Dar Talas- Damascus, Syria. He died in
September of 2006.

12 -The ( `) and the two letters (th), and the two other letters (dh) representent the respective Arabic letters (‫)ع‬
and (‫ )ث‬and (‫)ظ‬.

13 -See al `ajjan, Turathuna Al Musiqi (Damascus: Dar Talas, 1990), p. 84.

3
Bashraf composed on a same maqâm named Bayati. 14 The two pieces are in the

order given, the Turkish Beyati Peşrev by Amin Dede, and the Arabian Bashraf

Bayati Qadim (meaning old), whose composer is unknown. 15

Gathering Stage

Arabic music has always been a source of fascination to me, especially in

relation to the genres and forms in Arabian instrumental music. Actually, my first

intention was to talk about the similitudes and differences between the Bashraf and

the Sama’i which is similar to the former in terms of formal structure, but only

different in the rhythmical aspect.16

My first démarche, was to start looking online for well known scores of

14 -Bayati is the name of a same maqâm shared by the Arabic, Turkish, and Persian musicians. Bayati maqâm is
similar to a natural minor scale, with the primary exception of a half-flat second degree. The two dominants of this
scale are the fourth and the fifth degrees.

15 -Composer and calligrapher Emin Dede was born on March 14, 1883 in the Istanbul district of Tophane.
Though he studied for two years in the Law Department of Süleymaniye Law School, he was unable to finish and
began work as a civil servant, in a variety of positions. He studied ney (Middle Eastern end-blown flute) with Aziz
Dede, who belonged to the Mevlevi order. A stroke left him bedridden in August of 1943. He died on February 3,
1945. Emin Dede remained true to the end to the classic forms and traditions of Turkish classical music, and
composed several religious and secular works.

16 -The Sama’i is an instrumental piece of Ottoman Turkish that is similar to the Peşrev, consisting of three to four
sections and a refrain accompanied by a” sama’i” meter 10/8 meter, or by the “aksak semai” (broken semai in
Turkish) also in (10/8). The last section of this form follows a six parts measure shceme. Sama’i is one of the most
important forms in Ottoman Turkish Sufi music.

4
Basharef (plural of Bashraf) and Sama`iyyat (plural of Sama`i). Finding the scores

was not a difficult task; however what was really challenging was to find a Bashraf

and a Sama’i that were based on a same maqâm, so my comparative analysis

would be better well based.

Being aware that there is no literature dedicated to this particular subject,

except some paragraphs that we encounter here and there in several books on

Arabic music, my second step was to search online through well known music

databases (Jstor, Project Muse, RILM and RIPM etc…) for recent articles on that

field. Not discovering anything significant, my disappointment was even bigger.

My third step was to search for any audio visual material relevant to the subject,

and to my luck, my thorough online hunting led me to a serious and authoritative

website on Arabic music called Zaman al Wasl.17 The website was created by Mr.

Mohsen Soua who is an international interpreter who works with the United

Nations, and who is an avid fan of Arabian Classical music. The membership to

this website is not open to the public, but only to professional musicians and

researchers as well as to serious music amateurs. My contact with the very

knowledgeable Mr. Soua through acquiring the membership has initiated a fruitful

collaboration , and when I ventured to ask him about serious references on the

Bashraf and Sama’i, he suggested to consult Mahmud al `ajjan’s book entitled

17 - http://www.zamanalwasl.net/forums/index.php

5
Turathuna al-Musiqi (Our Muscial Heritage) that was posted on the website.

In this book that happened to be in my possession in Lubbock, there is a long

chapter consecrated to the Turkish and Arabian Basharef and Sama`iyyat. The

second part is devoted to rare published scores of Arabic music pieces, including

few Basharef. Mr. Soua suggested establishing a comparison between the new

Arabian version of the Bashraf and the Turkish traditional one, instead of between

the Bashraf and the Sama’i, basing on his belief that there is much more to say on

this subject than on the one in relation to the Bashraf and Sama’i.

Following Mr. Soua’s advice, I started gathering some information relevant to

my new topic, and fortunately, I could find significant information in the

al `ajjan book among other ones cited in the Bibliography section. Finally my

choice of pieces landed on the Turkish Beyati Pe şrev composed by Emin Dede

that I could have hold of through a website dedicated to the ney flute

manufacturing. 18 As for the Arabian Bashraf based on a same maqâm, I decided on

the Bashraf Bayati Qadim that was published in the al `ajjan book. Both pieces’

live performances were existing in the Zaman al Wasl website.

Since the original Arabic and Turkish scores do not include their respective

awzan notation (plural of wazn, meaning rhythmic cycle) along with the melodies,

and since the Turkish Bashraf was written on a transposed maqâm Bayati starting

18 -http://www.neyzen.com

6
on (A), (A, -B, C, D, E, F, G), instead of the usual one starting on (D) , (D, -E, F,

G, A, Bb, C),19 I found it wiser to reproduce both scores through the music notator

software Sibelius, in order to be able to see how the respective melodies and awzan

come together, as well as to have access to a transposed score of the Turkish piece

with a Bayati starting on (D), as in the Arabic one.

Comparative Analysis

The Turkish Beyati Pe şrev composed by Emin Dede, was performed on the

ney, (an end-blown flute that figures prominently in Middle East), by Kudsi

Erguner, accompanied by a bendir player (a frame drum used as a traditional

instrument throughout North Africa, and in special ceremonies of the sufi). 20 This

piece follows the traditional formal structure of this genre, which can be

represented by (A T, B T, C T, D T), where T stands for taslim (refrain), and

where the sections A, B, C, D, named khanat (plural of khana), stand for

episodes. 21 The result is a formal design that is more or less equivalent to the

Western Rondo form.

19 -(-E) and (-A) stand for half flat (E) and (A).

20 -Kudsi Erguner (born 1952) is a Turkish musician. He is considered a master of traditional Mevlevi Sufi
music and is one of the best-known players of the Turkish ney flute.

21 - Persian name meaning home or shelter

7
 All four khanat and the taslim are usually equal in length and in measure

number in the traditional Bashraf. 22 The taslim is commonly located and played

after the first khana. Here is the formal layout in our example here:

1-First khana A, (episode) (mm.1-14)

2-Taslim (refrain), T (mm.15-28)

3-Second khana B, (mm.29-42)

4-Third khana C, (mm.43-56)

5- Fourth khana D, (mm. 57-70)

The Arabian Bashraf is performed by the “takht,” directed by the famous

Egyptian qanun (box zither) player Muhammad al `aqqad.23 It is composed of an A

section repeated twice: the first time acting as the first Khana of the piece, and the

second time, with a slightly varied A’, as the refrain. This section is divided into

two parts (a and b). Only one repeated Khana B follows the repeated A , where the

(b) part of the A section (Ex.1), is also the second part of the B section, thus

making the whole formal design somewhat similar to the Western Rounded Binary

form (Ex.2).

Example 1: Part (b) of the A section of the Arabian Bashraf in the taslim
22 -See Mahmud al `ajjan, p. 90.

23 -“Takht” literally means “bed”; it is an instrumental ensemble of three to six musicians. Al-'aqqad (1849-1829)
is one of the most important Egyptian qanun players of the Nahdha era in the Arab countries (end of the XIXth
century, early XXth century). He was one of the pioneers of the first 78 rpm records produced in Egypt, creating his
own ensemble records with instrumental preludes of the classical Ottoman repertoire and solo improvisations
(taqasims, plural of taqsim).

8
 Despite that the Arabian Bashraf, shows some differences in terms of formal

layout as well as length, from the Turkish one, it also bears equal measure numbers

in each of the three (or two) sections of the piece:

1-First khana A, (mm.1-12)

2-Taslim A’ (mm.13-24)

3-Second khana B, (mm.25-36) repeated twice with a different ending

between (mm.34-36)

Finally, it is worth mentioning that when listening to the historical recording of

al `aqqad “takht”, we notice that the taslim A’, is not repeated integrally after the

second khana (b) as it is expected to happen, but we only hear the second half of

the (a) and the whole (b) ending with a cadential formula that is not written out in

the score. 24

Example 2: Bashraf `Arabi Qadim: Part (b) of the B section

24 -There is also a missing last cadential formula in the Beyati Peşrev score that we hear in the last unfolding of
the taslim in Erguner’s performance.

9
Concerning the wazn (or usul in Turkish music) that is attached to the

Beyati Peşrev, it is the “Devr-i- Kebir” or “Dawr kabir” in Arabic, meaning

literally (long cycle). According to Habib Hassan Touma (p.100), the Bashraf

develops in most cases in “binary rhythmic units.” The “Dawr kabir” is a cycle of

twenty eight beats (28/4), where the (dum) and (tak) are played as following

(Ex.3).25 We notice however that the “Dawr Kabir” played in the Beyati Peşrev, is

slightly varied (Ex.4).

The wazn associated with the Bashraf `arabi Qadim, is the “Murabba`”,

meaning literally (square), although this cycle is far for being as such, knowing

that it unfolds through thirteen beats (13/4), (Ex.5). According to the tabla

25 - (Dum) and (tak) are onomatopoeia used to represent two basic sounds produced by Arabic and Middle
Eastern percussion instruments. (Dum) is produced with the hand striking the center and the sweet spot of the skin.
(Tak) is produced with the hand striking the rim. The (dum) is presented by a note on one line with the stem down,
and the (tak) with the stem up.

10
percussionist (Middle Eastern goblet percussion), Elie Faqih,26 who is the director

of the tabla studio in the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music, the

“Murrabba`” is purely Arabic of origin, and it does not exist anywhere in the

Turkish classical music.

Example 3: Wazn of iqa` “Dawr Kabir”

28

Picture copied from http://www.maqamworld.com/

Example 4:”Dawr Kabir” as played in the Beyati Peşrev

26 -Also author of a book on tabla: Al Iqa’ al Sharqi, (Lebanon: Le Conservatoire National Superieur de
Musique, 1996). See bibliography.

11
 It is worth noting that most, if not all, of the Turkish traditional Basharef, use

significant long rhythmic cycles, the shortest being of (16/4). As for the purely

Arabian ones, we can find anything between (4/4) and (16/4), 27 but not longer than

the latter, which arises the following question: Since it is obvious that the formal

design of any composed Arabian or Turkish music piece, is more or less

conditioned by the selection of the specific wazn that comes with it, could it be that

the fact of choosing pure Arabian rhythmic cycles in the Arabian Basharef , which

are in most cases shorter in length than the Turkish ones, has determined shorter

pieces and consequently a more or less deviation from the traditional Turkish

Bahraf?

Example 5: Wazn “Murabba`” 28

13

Picture copied from http://www.maqamworld.com/

27 -Actually, the longest well-known Arabian awzan (plural of wazn), are only in (16/4), which are the
“Mukhammas” and the “Nawakht”. See Elie, Faqih, Al Iqa’ al Sharqi (Lebanon: Le Conservatoire National
Superieur de Musique, 1996), pp. 179-182.

28 -The Murabba` cycle given in this example, is subdivided into units of 3,4,4,2, which is not conform to the
measure subdivision given by Al `ajjan in his notation of the Arabian Bahsraf Qadim, (p.244), as we notice in the
examples 1 and 2 in this paper.

12
 Before setting out through the melodic analysis of the respective Turkish and

Arabian Basharef, I would like to talk about the maqâm used in both pieces, which

is the Bayati. The tone row of this maqâm shared by the Arabic and Turkish music,

comprises the following intervals, (3/4, 3/4, 1, 1, 1/2, 1, 1) (Ex.7). However, it is

well known that slight differences are found respectively in the use of ajnas in the

second octave of that scale as well as in the selected secondary and modulating

ajnas. 29

In the Turkish Bayati, if the scale is extended above the octave, a Kurd

tetrachord (1/2, 1, 1) is used above the Nihawand pentachord (Ex.8). As for the

modulating ajnas, a Nakriz pentachord on F (overlapping with a Hijaz tetrachord

on G) can also be used in the Bayati maqâm (Ex.9). Despite that the Arabian

Bayati maqâm, uses the same basic tone row that is employed in the Turkish one,

however the modulatory ajnas are not the Kurd, Nakriz and Hijaz as in the Turkish

music, but the `ajam trichord on (F), (F, G, A, ….[Bb]) and on (Bb), (Bb, C, D)

(Ex.10).

Example 7: Basic ajnas and intervals of the Arabian and Turkish Bayati
maqâm

29 -Ajnas (plural of jins) is the set of trichords, tetrachords and pentachords that subdivide a maqâm.

13
Example 8: Kurd jins (tetrachord)

Example 9: The overlapping Nakriz and Hijaz ajnas in the Bayati maqâm.

However, the former eminent Professor of music and voice at the Lebanese

National Higher Conservatory Salim el Helou, mentions in his book Al Musiqa Al

Nadhariyya that a Nihawand tetrachord could also replace a Bayati jins on the

octave of (D) (D, E, F, G) when concluding the maqâm. 30 Finally, it is important to

note that the starting note when playing a Turkish piece written in the Bayati

maqâm laying on the finalis (D), is usually (G), 31 whereas in the Arabian Bayati,
30 - Salim, el Helou, Al Musiqa Al Nadhariyya (Dar Maktabat Al Hayat: Beirut, Lebanon, 1961), pp. 118-119.

31 - The note (D) is usually used as the first note of the tone row Bayati in Arabic music. However, in the Turkish
Bayati, it is usually allotted to the note (A). In any case, it does not really matter which note is the tonic in the Bayati
maqâm in both music, as they do not have as in Western music a fixed pitch notation.

14
the starting notes could be (G) as in the Turkish, the same finalis note(D), as well

as the notes (F) and (A).

According to Karl L. Signell,32 the maqâm sequence of the four khanat and the

taslim is:

1-Bayati (Bayati) see (Ex.7) that is a ascending and a descending scale at the

same time.

2- Huseyni (Bayati), (Ex.11) that is an ascending and descending version of the

scale called Muhayyar (Bayati).

3-Muhayyer (Bayati), (Ex.11), is only a descending version of the same scale

Huseyni (Bayati).

4-Saba (Bayati), (Ex.12).

Example 10: The Arabian Bayati maqâm

32 -Karl L, Signell, Makam: Modal Practice in Turkish Art Music (Seattle, Wash.: Asian Music, 1977), p. 96.

15
 Picture taken from http://www.maqamworld.com/

Example 11: Muhayyar and Huseyni maqâms

Picture copied from http://www.oud.eclipse.co.uk/

16
Example 12: Saba maqâm

Picture copied from http://www.maqamworld.com/

So in reality, there are several versions of the Bayati maqâm implicated in the

Beyati Pe şrev. The first khana (section or episode), displays the features of a

Bayati (Bayati) that unfolds in its descending direction, starting with the note (F)

as with the Arabian manner of starting this maqâm, for Turkish musicians usually

start their melodies in the Bayati scale with the note (G), as it is stated by Selim el

Helou , (P.118). The first four measure underline the jins Nihawand (G, A, Bb, C)

that concludes in (F), (mes.5), with a leading tone (-E) in (mes.4). From (mes.5 /3)

to (mes.8), where the same melody from (mes.1) to (mes.7) repeats again, we see a

melodic progression through a `ajam jins from (mes.5/2) to (mes.6/2), then a

17
Nihawand one (mm.5/3-6/3) that is followed by a stepwise descent drawing a jins

Bayati on (D) ending on the note(C). The latter is nothing than an upbeat note on

the dominant of the next (F) starting (mes.8), (Ex.13). Finally, contrarily to the

Arabic tradition that usually initiates this scale in an upward motion; the Turkish

musical tradition prefers the downward direction (Ex.7).

Example 13: Beyati Pe şrev, first part of the first khana (mm.1-7)

The taslim of the Beyati Peşrev also draws the main scale Bayati (Bayati),

where the finalis (D) is heard openly for the first time at the very beginning

(mes.15). Moreover, this part starts with the note (G), e.g. in the Turkish manner of

starting the Bayati maqâm. The two ajnas used in this section, are the Bayati on

(D) and the Nihawand on (G), which are the main ajnas of the maqâm Bayati

(Bayati). 33

According to al `ajjan (p.86), it is possible to move up to a higher register,

33 - According to the tradition, the taslim should always be on the main basic maqâm, upon which a Peşrev is
composed, which is the Bayati (Bayati) in our example here. See Al `ajjan, p.68

18
and/ or to modulate to a neighboring maqâm in the second khana of a traditional

Bashraf. However, it is mandatory to return to the main maqâm, when heading

back to the taslim. In our example here, the second khana could be subdivided into

two parts in terms of melodic unfolding. The first section draws mainly the scale

Husayni (Bayati), (Ex.11), in (mm.29- 35) with a hint of a (G) Nihawand in

(mes.34), (Ex.14). The second section (mm.37-42) is largely devoted to the scale

Bayati (Bayati), thus announcing the return of the taslim.

Example 14: Beyati Pe şrev, first part of the second khana (mm.29-36)

Usually the third khana, in line with what is said in al `ajjan’s book, Turathuna

al-Musiqi (P.86) is characterized by its clear vitality, its attractiveness and its

shining colors. In order to have all that, the Bashraf composers usually go to the

upper register of the maqâm, 34 whether they decide to remain in the same maqâm
34 - e.g. the second octaves of the maqâm, for most of the Turkish and Arabic maqâmat, are represented as two
octaves scales in theory, conforming to the average tessitura of a singer. Arabic and Turkish music remain
primordially a vocal one.

19
or to modulate to a neighboring one. In the Beyati Pe şrev, the note at the octave of

(D) is preceded by the note (C), which is the first note of this section (mes.43).

From (mes.43) to (mes.45/2), it is clear that the adopted jins is the Nihawand on

(C), but soon enough the melody anchors on (D) octave, thus underlining an octave

Bayati jins, (mes.46), (Ex.15). As for the second part of this section, we find

arbitrarily a Rast jins (C, D, -E, D) on (C), 35 descending to the note (G), by mean

of outlining the (G) Nihawand. What is left in this section, is dedicated to

announcing the reappearance of the taslim.

Finally, the last and fourth khana, is usually less active than the third khana,

and is generally considered as the receptacle of the summarized basic melodic idea

of the Bahsraf, as well as of the main characteristics of the basic maqâm. 36 To my

surprise, the fourth section in the Beyati Pe şrev, composed by Emin Dede is far

from sticking to this description, perhaps following in that the steps of his

predecessor, the famous Turkish composer Tatius Afandi, who used to keep the

best and most active melodic development to the last khana.37 Thus the fourth

section takes off on a long ride on the lower (C) Rast jins, (C, D, -E, F, G), 38 which
35 - Rast is a Persian word meaning "right" or "direct”.

36 - Al `ajjan, P.86.

37 - Armenian-Turkish Composer, who lived between 1855and 1913.

38 -It is played on the higher octave (C) in Erguner’s live performance.

20
is not of a general use, when playing a Bayati maqâm (Ex.16).39 It is not unusual

however, to meet a Bayati (Saba) scale (Ex.12), in a Bayati (Bayati) composition,

which is the case in the last part of the fourth section (Ex.17).

Example 15: Beyati Pe şrev, first part of the third khana (mm.43-49)

Example 16: Beyati Pe şrev, first part of the fourth khana (mm.57-63)

39 -What is usual however in the Huseyni or Muhayyar (Bayati), is to draw the Bayati jins on (A), or the Rast
jins on (G), (G, A, -B, C, G).

21
Example 17: Beyati Pe şrev, second part of the fourth khana (mm.65-70) 40

The Bashraf `Arabi Qadim, coincides with the Turkish model in its use of two

sets of its proper rhythmic cycle, which is the “Murabba`” in each section (Ex.5).

However, since the latter is shorter than the “Dawr Kabir”, which accompanies the

Beyati Pe şrev, this would imply less melodic developmental possibilities than in

its Turkish counterpart, within each section. Thus, the first khana depicts without
40 - Actually the section starts at measure 64 in example 16.

22
any preliminaries the ascending Bayati jins on (D), 41 which is heard in (mes.3) of

the first khana (Ex.18). The melody starts with the note (C), as it is dictated by the

tradition, in relation to the Bayati maqâm (Ex.18).

Whereas the phrasal structure of the Turkish first khana section shows a design

of a repeated (A,B) phrase, the first khana in the Bashraf `Arabi Qadim, adopts the

structure (A,A,B,C), 42 which indicates that the Arabian first khana is of a more

developmental character from the outset than the Turkish one, perhaps due to the

shortness in length of the Bashraf `Arabi Qadim in relation to the Beyati Pe şrev

(Ex.18), where there is no room to building up for a further melodic development

in a later stage . The third phrasal branch (B) outlines the Nihawand jins (mm.7-

9/1), with a hint on the Hijaz jins on (C), (C, Db, E, ... [F])), (Ex.7), 43 whereas the

Nihawand jins is employed at the very beginning in the Turkish piece, for as I have

mentioned earlier, it is common for Turkish musicians to start their Bayati scale in

the Nihawand jins, down to the Bayati one. In the last part (C) of the phrase

(A,A,B,C), we notice the return of the Bayati jins, and this section ends with the

41 - As I have already mentioned, the Arabs prefer to approach this scale in an ascendant direction, rather than
the descendant one adopted by the Turkish.

42 -There is a clear analogy between this phrasal structure and what we call “musical sentence” in the Western
Classical music.

43 - Actually, we do also hear a note (F) added to the set (C, Db, E) in al `aqqad’s “takht” performance.

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note (G) that is considered as the dominant of the scale along with the other note

(A) (Ex.18).44

The taslim in the Bashraf `Arabi Qadim is no more than a slightly varied

repetition of the first khana, according to the score provided by al `ajjan,45 and to

what I have heard in the `aqqad’s “takht” performance. It is obvious that the first

khana a.k.a. taslim, in the Arabian piece, bears both the refrain and the episode

characteristics at the same time, since it shows the Bayati jins at the very beginning

instead of building up for its appearance in a later stage or section, which occurs in

the taslim of the Beyati Peşrev, alongside with the developmental nature of this its

(A, A, B, C) phrase, which pertains more to an episode section than to a refrain.

Example 18: First khana of the Bashraf `Arabi Qadim (mm.1-12)

44 -In fact the Bayati ma has two dominants (G) and (A) depending on starting note of the next jins to the Bayati.
If it is a Nihawand jins on (G) then, the dominant would be the note (G). If the second jins starts on (A), as in the
Muhayyar and Huseyni (Bayati) (Ex.11), then the dominant is (A).

45 -P.244.

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 In the second section, which is the second and last khana, the first part seems to

draw solely a Rast jins on (C), (C, D, -E, F, G), with a (-B) note as a leading

tone in (mm.25), (27) and (28). This section bears some analogy with the Turkish

Beyati Peşrev’s fourth section, where a Rast on (C), is also outlined at the outset

(Ex.16). It is also obvious that the first part of this section in the Bashraf `Arabi

Qadim, is more elaborated and active melodically than the precedent one(s), since

it modulates to the jins (C) Rast, and since it goes to a higher register, which

clearly indicates the contrasting nature of this part in relation to the whole piece

(Ex.19).

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Example 19: Bashraf `Arabi Qadim, first part of the second khana (mm.25-30)

The reminder of this section is reserved to the reappearance of the second part

of the previous section, whose last measures at the second repeat are changed

accordingly to conclude on the finalis (D), (Ex.20). As I have mentioned earlier in

this paper, the fact of considering the second part of the taslim as the second part of

the second and last khana, makes the whole piece look like more as a Rounded

Binary form, than a Rondo form, to which the formal structure of the Bashraf is

more or less related.46 Finally, I would like to underline the fact that in the live

performance of al `aqqad “takht” the final taslim is not repeated integrally as one

would expect, as the first branch (A) was dropped out in the phrasal structure (A,

A, B, C).

Example 20: Bashraf `Arabi Qadim, second part of the second khana with its
two repetitions (mm.25-36)

46 -There is a paragraph in Turathuna al Musiqi, where al `ajjan compares the Bashraf with the Rondo (pp.98-
99).

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 Conclusion

Despite some differences in their musical nomenclatures, the Persians, Turkish

and Arabs have always shared a similar musical culture characterized by musical

structures based on the theory of the maqâm, and on the use of rhythmic cycles

called awzan (plural of wazn), iqa`at (plural of iqa`) or Usul in Turkish music. The

three above mentioned cultures also inter circulated some of their musical forms,

notably the Bashraf. The latter is a Persian creation that was passed on to the

Turkish, then to the Arabs in the 19th century. However, Mahmud al `ajjan reveals

in a book entitled Turathuna al-Musiqi that was primarily dedicated to the

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repertoire of Arabian Adwar (plural of Dawr), 47 about the presence of a pure

Arabian Bashraf , which deviated from the traditional Turkish Peşrev, by mean of

downsizing the number of its khanat to the half. According to al `ajjan this

category of Bashraf is usually accompanied by the Murabba` (13/4) iqa` among

others.

The main goal of this study was to show the evident similarities, as well as the

differences between the traditional Turkish Peşrev and its new born Arabian

derivative through a comparative analysis of two Basharef, taken respectively from

the Turkish and Arabic repertoire. After a serious and a tedious search, my choice

set down on the Beyati Peşrev composed by Emin Dede, and on the Bayati `Arabi

Qadim whose composer was anonymous.

My comparative analysis was subdivided into three parts. The first part, dealt

with the general formal design of each piece. What I found in this section, is that

the musical structure of the Arabian Bashraf was closer to a Rounded Binary than a

Rondo form, the traditional Turkish Peşrev being associated with the latter.

The second part was dedicated to the awzan related respectively to each work.

According to Elie Faqih, (p.11) in the present paper, the Murabba` wazn, which is

shorter in length than the usual awzan selected to accompany a traditional Turkish

47 - A Dawr is an Arabic vocal music genre sung in regional or colloquial Arabic. This genre lost its popularity
after 1920s.

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Peşrev, is exclusively Arabian of origin. A question might arise in this context;

whether the shortness of the purely Arabian awzan, was a determinant factor to the

truncated formal length of the Arabian Bashraf.

Finally, the comparative analysis concluded upon a close examination of the

melodic components of each khana in both pieces, which are conditioned by the

choice of the maqâm as well as its related or/and unrelated ajnas. I discovered in

this part that the Bayati jins was approached openly from the outset, in the first

khana of the Arabian Bahsraf, whereas it was delayed till the advent of the taslim

in the Turkish Peşrev, which confirms the fact that the repeated first khana of the

Arabian Bahsraf could be considered as a taslim as well, since it incorporate a jins

Bayati at the very beginning. This first section also bears the characteristics of a

khana due to the developmental nature of its phrasal structure. Finally, I also found

out that the first part of the second khana of the Arabian Bashraf resembles to a

great extent to the fourth Khana’s first part of the Beyati Peşrev, in terms of

venturing to less related ajnas to the original maqâm, as well as wandering in a

higher register which brings up the following question: It is obvious that the

Arabian Bashraf corresponds more a less to a Rounded Binary from, however has

the latter resulted because of an extreme contraction of the traditional Bashraf , by

merging the first khana and the episode in one section, and by dropping out the

second and the third khana?, or maybe because the importation of the Rounded

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Binary from to the Arabic Classical music?. Unfortunately, it is still early to

answer those questions or to draw any final conclusion, before looking through

more Arabian Basharef, and before digging deeper in relation to the history of the

Bashraf, which I hope will happen in the near future.

Bibliography

Books

30
-Al 'ajjan, Mahmud. Turathuna al-Musiqi. Damascus: Dar Talas, 1990.

-El Helou, Salim. Al Musiqa Al Nadhariyya. Dar Maktabat Al Hayat:

Beirut, Lebanon, 1961.

-Faqih, Elie. Al Iqa’ al Sharqi. Lebanon: Le Conservatoire National Superieur de

Musique, 1996.

-Jargy, Simon. La Musique Arabe, 2cd. Edition. France: Presses Universitaires de

France, 1977.

-Lagrange, Frederic. Musiques D’Egypte. Arles: Cité de la Musique/ Actes Sud,

1996.

-Mahdi, Salah. La Musique Arabe. France: Alphonse Leduc et Cie, 1972.

-Signell, Karl L. Makam: Modal Practice in Turkish Art Music. Seattle, Wash.:
Asian Music, 1977.

-Touma, Habib H. The Music of the Arabs. Translated into English by Laurie
Schwartz. Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press, 1996.

Discography

-Erguner, Kudsi. The Turkish Ney. Naïve Unesco (Traditional Musics of Today)
D 8204.

Websites

-Farraj, Johnny. “Maqam World.” 2001. http://www.maqamworld.com/

(accessed 2009).

-Soua, Mohsen. “Zaman al Wasl.” June. 2005

http://www.zamanalwasl.net/forums/index.php (accessed 2011).

-Yücel, Mehmet. “Ney Manufacturing Centre.” 2002. http://www.neyzen.com

(accessed 2011).

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