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Hijaz and Hijazkar Analyses

Hijaz is not adequately covered on this site; I don't have a full song analysis of something that would be considered "Maqam Hijaz" as opposed to Maqam Hijazkar (with only one song representation here, "Harramt Ahibbak"--which, however, does go through the most important areas of both Hijaz and Hijazkar). As a Jins, Hijaz is represented here by one of its most iconic melodies, the call to prayer, in a really stunning rendition. We also have one example of a song in Maqam Hijazkar-Kurd, which could also be classified in the Kurd Family (otherwise completely unrepresented on this site).

The full network represented here is as follows (compare with the pedagogical versions from 2010 of the Maqam Hijaz Network and the Maqam Hijazkar Network):

06

(Harramt Ahibbak)

19

(Harramt Ahibbak)

24

(Harramt Ahibbak)

26

(Harramt Ahibbak)

27

(Harramt Ahibbak)

07

(Tif Ya Durri)

10

(Tif Ya Durri)

11

(Tif Ya Durri)


Adhan (call to prayer) in Hijaz

[song page with full recording]

Although this is a complete melody, it doesn't leave the primary area of Jins Hijaz, staying within 5-6 notes throughout, but with a few small modulations. But there's a lot to this melody!

01

prominent note a step below tonic

02

03

prominent use of 5

04

lowered 5; more typical for this to occur as ending within maqam Hijazkar

05

prominent use of both step below & 5th scale degree

06

both step below & 5th scale degree included

07

prominent step below; 5 used in last phrase

Zeina Zeina

[song page with full recording]

Just a fragment of this song, to illustrate Jins Hijaz, and its prominent whole step below the tonic.

01

melody uses both step below tonic, and up to 6


Harramt Ahibbak

Maqam Hijazkar, because of its opening and closing emphasis, but goes through the main Hijaz pathways as well; the verse could be said to be in "Maqam Hijaz" because of the prominent Nahawand 4.

[song page with full recording]

01

scale degrees 6 & 7 different than Hijaz

02

03

Warda sings down octave to Hijaz; chorus sings up to Hijazkar

04

05

06

descending from flat 6

07

08

09

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

not an arabic jins here--western influence!

17

reaches flat 6 above Nah.; raised 4 ornament typical

18

19

20

is it worth parsing out this Hijaz? maybe not.

21

suspended 5 (like Husseini)

22

23

descent from flat 6

24

25

26

27


(Maqam Hijazkar-Kurd)

Hijazkar-Kurd is an older maqam, fallen mostly into disuse by mid-20th century Egyptian composers. As you can see from this beautiful Syrian muwashshah, the maqam starts in Hijazkar on the octave, but concludes on Kurd at the base of the scale. It reflects an older tendency in maqam pathways, in which the octave and root ajnas are not the same in a particular maqam (see the discussion on alternate Bayati Shuri Pathways).

Tif Ya Durri

[song page with full recording]

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

starts with emphasis on 5 (Kurd); like Husseini: resolves to 4

09

Hence Maqam "Hijazkar-Kurd"--starts Hijazkar 8, resolves Kurd 1

10

11

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