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Gameel Gamaal

One of Farid's biggest hits. We could argue about whether the song is in Nawa Athar or Nahawand, but Nawa Athar wins because it ends all of the verses and the chorus. But most of the verse modulations belong more to the world of Nahawand than to Nawa Athar. Quite frankly, Nawa Athar is a fairly rare maqam in Arabic music (though much more common in Turkish music and Gypsy musics), so aside from the maqam hybridization already going on in the 1950's, Farid probably felt he needed to bring in some more ajnas to make it more interesting--and somehow he always ends up in Jins Bayati one way or the other!
See the following analyses: Jins Nahawand & Nakriz, Jins Hijazkar, Jins Hijaz, Jins Bayati & Saba, Jins Bayati and Hijaz Baggage

Maqam Nawa Athar

Composer & Performer:

Farid el-Atrash

Gameel Gamaal (complete recording)

(The complete recording starts with an oud taqsim, not included in analysis.)

01

because it doesn't go up to 4 or 5 yet, we don't realize this will be Nakriz

02

actually goes all the way up to 9 in the last phrase

03

now we see that "Gameel Gamaal" phrase is bottom of Nakriz, not Nahawand

04

Bayati 5 typical in Nahawand, not Nawa Athar

05

06

Bayati descent from its 6th degree

07

08

09

10

11

12

13

In a sense, this isn't Rast 1, but Rast 4 underneath the Bayati

14

possible to parse the last part of phrase as a part of Rast

15

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18

19

20

21

22

23

the note under the Hijaz tonic distinguishes it from Hijazkar

24

25

lazima descends from 6 above Hijaz

26

27

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29

30

same verse ending for all three verses

31

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33

34

35

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38

39

Like Bayati, Saba 5 occurs more typically in Nahawand

40

An unusual combo with Saba, but this establishes Nawa Athar

41

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45

46

47

back to same ending of verse

48

49

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55

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