STUDYGUIDE: Europe and Middle East

Middle Eastern Music

Adhan - Islamic call to prayer (5x a day)
Muezzin - Person who recites the call to prayer
Nay - end blown flute, 1 finger hole
Ud - Plucked frettless lute
Violin - bowed chordophone
Qanun - plucked zither
Kawala - end-blown flute, 6 finger holes
Mizmar - double reed
Darabuka - goblet drum
Duff - large flat hand drum (riqq with no metal cymbals)

Riqq - like a tambourine
Maqam - modes, heptatonic (7tones) 24 notes divide the octave,must end with the same one you began with, improve and fixed
Rast - most commonly used Maqam
Quarter tone - .25 steps not .5 steps. 24 notes in “octave”
Tetrachord - a scale of four notes, outer notes are a perfect 4th
Disjunct/conjunct - disconnection from two tetrachords/connects two tetrachords where the ending note is the beginning of the new tetrachord
Heterophony - simultaneous variation of a melody

Madh (ensemble) -

• Kamala (primary)

• Violin (replaced spiked flute)

• Ud

• Darbuka

• Riqq

• Duff

Sufi - devotional music that is central to sufi spiritual movement with meditative rhythms, harmonic blends of instruments, and syncopation
Zikr - repetition of God’s names and attributes as a way to remember God.
Iqa’at - rhythmic modes or patterns of strong, intermediate, and weak beats
Dumm - represents sound (low)
Takk - represents sound (high)
Maqsum - Fundamental rhythmic cycle with 4/4 time signature (1-8)
Wahda - a family of rhythms that are characterized by a single bass accent, or “doum” on the first beat
Zaffa - wedding procession including music dance and instruments to celebrate
Stick dancing - folk dance “Raqs Assaya”, lively and energetic dance with one or two sticks made of bamboo
Haram - violates islamic sharia law
Halal - lawful or permissible in sharia law

Takht (ensemble) - traditional ensemble or orchestra

• Oud: Arab lute

• Qanun: Arab zither

• Kamanjah: stringed instrument that sounds familiar to a violin

• Ney: arab reed flute

• Riqq: arab tambourine

• Darbakeh: percussion instrument

• Table: arab goblet drum

• Bass: stringed instrument

Taqasim - a melodic music improvisation that usually precedes the performance of a traditional Arabic, kurdish, Greek, Middle Eastern, Iranian, Azerbaijani, or Turkish musical composition
Shababi- “youth music”, highly produced sound of pan-arab stars

Sha’abi - a style of music and dance that originated in Egypt in the 1920’s and 1940’s.
Rai - blends traditional and western influences, known to be rebellious and transgressive

Spanish Music

Flamenco: singing, guitar and dance
Palmas: interlocking hand clapping
Palo seco: singing
Cante chico: simpler genre
Cante jondo: complex genre
Txalaparta: simple xylophone imitating horse trot sound
Sardana: dance music genre
Castells: Human towers
Descriptive-Narrative Function: tells how tall the tower is getting based on musical ques

Irish Dance Music

Irish dance - very culturally significant in Irish Music
Jig - lively, upbeat and fast paced piece of music in different time signatures
Reel - social folk dance and tune
Hornpipe - type of tune and style of country dance
Uilleann pipes - national bagpipe of Ireland
Tin whistle - staple of irish music associated with Celtic music
Bodran - Irish drum