A “Maqam” (meaning in Arabic: a place, location, rank) is a system of melodic modes prevalent in classical Arab music. Written as a scale, the maqam determines the melodic mode of a composition.
Unlike a scale in the Western music tradition, harmony in the maqam does not exist because of the use of quartertones, or microtones in Arab music. The quartertone, or microtone, is a note that exists between notes agreed upon in the Western music lexicon. The result of these quartertones is heterophony.
Heterophony can be described as a road map that shows a suggested route to a destination. The route is the blueprint, while each driver can take a slightly different route to reach the same destination. In a classical Arab music ensemble, this creates an orderly cacophony, where each member of the ensemble is playing their individual interpretations of the same melodic mode, i.e., embellishing the same blueprint. Sometimes there may be dissonance, but it is always resolved as the musicians find their way back to the main melodic mode.
Maqam Lami:
Maqam Lami is a melodic mode in classical Arab music that originated in Iraq. While the details of its inception are unknown, there are multiple theories on its creation. Some argue that Mohammed Gubbenchi, an Iraqi singer from the early 1900s invented it. While scholars, such as Haji Hashem Al Rajab, found references to Maqam Lami in texts from antiquity, and believe that this maqam derives its name from the “Lam” tribe in ancient Iraq.
The maqam consists of the following progression: E F G A Bb C D E, though there are differences in where it resolves (ends). One interpretation, common mostly among older Iraqi artists has the maqam ending on a quartertone. Others end it on the natural note, a more recent interpretation to give it a resolution that is more accommodating to western scales.
Example of Iraqi song in Maqam Lami Watch Video
Egyptian composer Mohammad Abdel Wahab famously used the Maqam Lami in his song “Yalli zarā‘tu lburtūān.”
