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Maqam Sikah Presentation

Maqam Al-Sikah

Our discussion is leading us to one Maqam that is considered one of the oldest maqam in the Eastern Music.  It is known as “Al-sikah”, and this name is composed of two words, Si, meaning three, and Kah, meaning sound, or translated to “the third sound”, which is the third sound note.  This Mode is known through out the Orient, from China to Indo-China, where it’s called “Schamack”, to Morocco and Mauritania, then Senegal.  The “Sikah” Scale begins on Mi Semi-flat (30%) followed by Fa natural, then a natural Sol (Sample ).  This is followed by a Rast Tetrachord on Sol (Sample ), followed by a “Sikah” Trichord on Mi2 (E2) (Sample ).  And this is a piece from The Tunisian (Noubat Al-Sikah ) 

(Oud )  We continue our discussion of Maqam “Al-Sikah”, and repeat the composition of “Sikah”, which is a “Sikah” Trichord on Me Semi-flat, followed by a Rast Tetrachord on Sol followed by another Sikah Trichord.  That is how it’s used in Morocco, the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf states.  And here is an example of “Sikah” from the Kuwaiti musical heritage, by the singer (Shadi AlKhaleej ). 
 

Watch & Listen to the Scale
 

Maqam Al-Huzam

One of the most prominent branches of “Sikah” is “Al-Huzam”. It differs from Sikah by its second Tetrachord, which is Hijaz on Sol (Sample ) instead of Rast on Sol.  And here is an improvisation on the Oud as an example of Al-Huzam (Taqseem Oud ).  A second example is a Muwashah of the Egyptian musical heritage (Ya naheef Al qawam ). The Sikah can be transposed to Ti Semi-flat and is then called “Sikah Iraq”, and here is more Oud Improvisation as an example (Oud ). 

Watch & Listen to the Scale
 

Taqseem Huzam- Qanoon
Taqseem Huzam- Oud
Taqseem Huzam- Buzuq

    Maqam Iraq

Another variety of “Sikah” is “Iraq”, and it is different from “Sikah Iraq” by having its second Tetrachord a Bayati on Re instead of Hijaz (Sample ).  And here is an example of Iraq from Aleppo, Syria, by Dr. Salih Al-Mehdi (Song ). 

   Maqam Al-Bustanikar

The third variety of Sikah is called “Al-Bustanikar”: a Persian word meaning “the loved one”, and is distinguished from the previous one by having its second Tetrachord a Saba on Re instead of Bayati or Hijaz, and here is what it sounds like (Scale ). Of its examples is a song by the late Khumei Esternaan, sung by Aliya (Inta Yalli Baiid Aleya ). 

   Maqam Zangulah
         (Oud  ) Here, we deal with a new Maqam (Sample ).  This Maqam is called “Zangulah” which is of a Persian origin and means head bell.  This maqam is obtained from Hijaz kar with a difference in the Second Tetrachord which is a Jhar-Kah on Fa (F) (Sample ).  The Zangulah Maqam becomes as follows (Scale ).  This maqam has special features with a tetrachord of Saba on La (A) (Sample ) which contains ¾ step between the first and second notes , ¾ step between the second and third notes  and ½ step between the third and fourth notes.  And with this arrangement we have two varieties of Zangulah, the first with Jhar-Kah (Scale ), and the second with Saba on La (Scale ).  And here is an Example of Zangulah, an Improvisation on the Qanoon by the Egyptian Musician Fahmy Awadh (Qanoon ) Our second example for Zangulah Maqam is a song by the Tunisian singer Uleiah, Ya habibibi (Oh my Love )
 

Watch & Listen to the Scale