
Maqam Melodies
Pitches, Patterns, and Developments of Music in the Middle East and other Microtonal Writings
- 148 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
Maqam Melodies
Pitches, Patterns, and Developments of Music in the Middle East and other Microtonal Writings
About this book
This book discusses microtonal tunings in the Arabic maqam, prevalent in the Middle East and Central Asia, which employs microtonal intervals from Pythagorean tuning by perfect fifths. The ratio 3/2, as the third overtone in the overtone series, is used as a multiplier leading to numeric ratios for all pitches in the tetrachords and pentachords of the maqam. Musicians today are highly curious about expanding the pitch palette and are already employing microtones in their music, from folk rock to classical music. The maqam is among the few extant analyzed systems of music from antiquity that reflect the methods of the Greek Genera, in terms of tuning and function. The book also discusses Charles Ives's use of microtones, Bach and his use of microtones, and a score of Hypercube, the seminal composition discussed in the author's first book, Polytempic Polymicrotonal Music, which was not published in its entirety in the former book. The text covers microtones philosophically, questioning the efficacy of such tunings. This book is accessible to the beginners in the field and will be beneficial to musical analyses in colleges and universities also by showing detailed analysis of Bach chorales in their original modes, and how their tuning presented complete character shifts by the microtones they contained by mean-tone temperament, an offshoot of Pythagorean tuning during the Baroque.
Frequently asked questions
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover Page
- Half Title page
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Contents
- Preface
- 1. Microtonal Modes and Scales in the Middle East and Central Asia
- 2. Bachian Modality
- 3. Hypercube
- 4. Quartertones Are Not Out of Tune: You Are!
- 5. Charles Ives's Use of Quartertones: Are They Structural or Expressive?
- 6. Polytempic Polymicrotonal Music, and Freedom
- Index