Modulation in maqam music: A historical survey
Modulation in maqam music: A historical survey

Summary/Abstract: Modulation and Maqam music have many aspects to share, to the extent that the art of maqam is hardly dissociated from modulation. Throughout the history of maqam music, the modulation skills that a musician exhibits, were a remarkable trait of his musicianship, his mastering of the art, and his mindfulness of the mood of his audience. This article presents a historical survey that tracks the changes in the concept of modulation throughout the history of the maqam. Despite the scarcity of the sources, some treatises like “The Book of the Tree” offer invaluable information about theory of modulation. More recent approaches during the twentieth century are divided into prescriptive theories, usually based on the authors speculations, and more scientific approaches that attempt to codify a rational basis for modulations.

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