The Weekly Maqam
Encyclopedia
In Mizrahi and Sephardic Middle East
ern Jewish prayer services, each Shabbat
the congregation conducts services using a different maqam. A maqam
(مقام), which in Arabic literally means 'place', is a standard melody type and set of related tunes. The melodies used in a given maqam aims effectively to express the emotional state of the reader throughout the set liturgy (without changing the text). This article primarily describes the musical practices of Syrian Jews
, though the musical traditions of other Arab and Oriental Jewish
communities are also based on the maqam system. The Muslim
s share the same practice of conducting services using the maqam, but differ substantially in many ways.
depends on the theme, story, or main message of the Sabbath Weekly Torah
parashah
. The cantor, or hazzan
, of the congregation leads the worshippers with the melodies of the particular maqam, which is preset and standardized on an official list.
Widely different lists of maqam are found in different communities, e.g. the Aleppo list does not always agree with the Damascus and Beirut lists, and the Egyptian and Yerushalmi (Jerusalem Sephardic) lists are different again. Even within the Aleppo tradition there is not total agreement among the written sources, though the underlying pattern of the lists is usually the same. Other determinants of the maqam include whether or not there is a holiday approaching in the upcoming week: when this is the case, or there are two Torah portions for the week, the hazzan has some discretion which maqam to use. As a general rule, the same maqam will never be used two weeks in a row. Also, the list tries to rotate the maqamot in such a fashion that the ten maqams are spread out almost equally in time as to avoid the redundancy of hearing the same maqam within a short period of time.
Most of the prayers in the Shabbat morning service are rendered in a prose recitative, the exact tune of which varies with the maqam of the week. However, certain important passages, such as Nishmat and Kaddish
, are sung to the tunes of specific Pizmonim
, which are chosen according to a rota so as to fit the maqam of the week.
The cantillation
of the Torah does not follow the maqam of the week, but is almost invariably performed in maqam Sigah. Similarly the Friday night service is usually in maqam Nawa or Nahawand.
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
ern Jewish prayer services, each Shabbat
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
the congregation conducts services using a different maqam. A maqam
Arabic maqam
Arabic maqām is the system of melodic modes used in traditional Arabic music, which is mainly melodic. The word maqam in Arabic means place, location or rank. The Arabic maqam is a melody type...
(مقام), which in Arabic literally means 'place', is a standard melody type and set of related tunes. The melodies used in a given maqam aims effectively to express the emotional state of the reader throughout the set liturgy (without changing the text). This article primarily describes the musical practices of Syrian Jews
Syrian Jews
Syrian Jews are Jews who inhabit the region of the modern state of Syria, and their descendants born outside Syria. Syrian Jews derive their origin from two groups: from the Jews who inhabited the region of today's Syria from ancient times Syrian Jews are Jews who inhabit the region of the modern...
, though the musical traditions of other Arab and Oriental Jewish
Mizrahi Jews
Mizrahi Jews or Mizrahiyim, , also referred to as Adot HaMizrach are Jews descended from the Jewish communities of the Middle East, North Africa and the Caucasus...
communities are also based on the maqam system. The Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s share the same practice of conducting services using the maqam, but differ substantially in many ways.
Application of the maqam system
The maqam that is used each ShabbatShabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
depends on the theme, story, or main message of the Sabbath Weekly Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
parashah
Parsha
This article is about the divisions of the Torah into weekly readings. For this week's Torah portion, see Torah portionThe weekly Torah portion |Sidra]]) is a section of the Torah read in Jewish services...
. The cantor, or hazzan
Hazzan
A hazzan or chazzan is a Jewish cantor, a musician trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer.There are many rules relating to how a cantor should lead services, but the idea of a cantor as a paid professional does not exist in classical rabbinic sources...
, of the congregation leads the worshippers with the melodies of the particular maqam, which is preset and standardized on an official list.
Widely different lists of maqam are found in different communities, e.g. the Aleppo list does not always agree with the Damascus and Beirut lists, and the Egyptian and Yerushalmi (Jerusalem Sephardic) lists are different again. Even within the Aleppo tradition there is not total agreement among the written sources, though the underlying pattern of the lists is usually the same. Other determinants of the maqam include whether or not there is a holiday approaching in the upcoming week: when this is the case, or there are two Torah portions for the week, the hazzan has some discretion which maqam to use. As a general rule, the same maqam will never be used two weeks in a row. Also, the list tries to rotate the maqamot in such a fashion that the ten maqams are spread out almost equally in time as to avoid the redundancy of hearing the same maqam within a short period of time.
Most of the prayers in the Shabbat morning service are rendered in a prose recitative, the exact tune of which varies with the maqam of the week. However, certain important passages, such as Nishmat and Kaddish
Kaddish
Kaddish is a prayer found in the Jewish prayer service. The central theme of the Kaddish is the magnification and sanctification of God's name. In the liturgy different versions of the Kaddish are used functionally as separators between sections of the service...
, are sung to the tunes of specific Pizmonim
Pizmonim
Pizmonim are traditional Jewish songs and melodies with the intentions of praising God as well as learning certain aspects of traditional religious teachings. They are sung throughout religious rituals and festivities such as prayers, circumcisions, bar mitzvahs, weddings and other ceremonies...
, which are chosen according to a rota so as to fit the maqam of the week.
The cantillation
Cantillation
Cantillation is the ritual chanting of readings from the Hebrew Bible in synagogue services. The chants are written and notated in accordance with the special signs or marks printed in the Masoretic text of the Hebrew Bible to complement the letters and vowel points...
of the Torah does not follow the maqam of the week, but is almost invariably performed in maqam Sigah. Similarly the Friday night service is usually in maqam Nawa or Nahawand.
Thematic Patterns
There are a few patterns that determine which maqam will be used on a given week. There are some very obvious patterns and some not so obvious ones (which are disputed as a result).Maqam Rast
- Maqam RastRast (maqam)Rast is the name of a maqam in Arabic and related systems of music.Rast is a Persian word meaning "right" or "direct"...
is used to mark the beginning of something new, such as the beginning of reading a new book of Torah (ras, in Arabic, means "head," cognate with the Hebrew "rosh"). For the first parashas of each book of the Humash, Bereshit, Shemot, VayiqraLeviticusThe Book of Leviticus is the third book of the Hebrew Bible, and the third of five books of the Torah ....
, BemidbarBook of NumbersThe Book of Numbers is the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible, and the fourth of five books of the Jewish Torah/Pentateuch....
, and (theoretically, but see under Hijaz) DevarimDeuteronomyThe Book of Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible, and of the Jewish Torah/Pentateuch...
, this maqam is applied. Another application of Rast is for the Afternoon Services of the Sabbath when Jews read the new parasha of the upcoming week; thus beginning a new week.
Maqam Mahour
- Maqam Mahour, which is related to Maqam Rast, is applied when someone is angry and there is a feeling of emotional instability. The only two parashiot to have this maqam applied is ToledotToledotToledot, Toldot, or Tol'doth is the sixth weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. It constitutes Genesis...
and BalakBalak (parsha)Balak is the 40th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the seventh in the book of Numbers...
when the main characters, Esau and Balak respectively, are angered. This maqam is used in other instances according to the manuscripts of Hakham Moshe Ashear and Cantor Gabriel A. Shrem.
Maqam Ajam
- Maqam AjamAjam (maqam)‘Ajam is the name of a maqam in Arabic, Turkish, and related systems of music. Ajam in this usage means "Persian."...
, named after the Arabic word for "IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian", is used to mark happy occasions such as holidays, weddings, and other joyous occasions. This maqam is used on Beshallach (Shabbat Shirah), VayetzeVayetzeVayetze, Vayeitzei, or Vayetzei is the seventh weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. It constitutes Genesis . Jews in the Diaspora read it the seventh Sabbath after Simchat Torah, generally in November or December.The parshah tells of Jacob’s travels to, life in, and...
and ShoftimShoftimShoftim, Shof'tim, or Shofetim , Hebrew for “judges,” may mean:*The plural of Shofet, judge*Sefer Shoftim , the Hebrew name for the Book of Judges...
due to the happy occasions mentioned in those parashas. Ajam is also used on the second days of the Shalosh Regalim holidays. Ajam resembles a Western major scale, and is sometimes looked down upon as facile and obvious, in much the same way that the Ionian or major mode was described as modus lascivus and not favoured in medieval church music.
Maqam Nahwand
- Maqam NahwandNahavandNahavand is a city in and capital of Nahavand County, Hamadan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 72,218, in 19,419 families. It is located south of Hamadan, east of Malayer and northwest of Borujerd...
, named after a city in Iranian Kurdistan, is applied when there is disharmony between parties and fights, in general. A related maqam is Rahawi Nawa (see below), but this has sunk in popularity and therefore most cantors almost always replace Rahawi Nawa with Maqam Nahwand, due to the surplus and variety of more Western-oriented songs in Nahwand, which closely resembles the western minor scale. Until the 20th century, this maqam was never used for the purpose of prayers by either Jews or Muslims. (Similarly in the Middle Ages the minor or Aeolian mode, though acknowledged to exist, was never used in Gregorian chantGregorian chantGregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic liturgical music within Western Christianity that accompanied the celebration of Mass and other ritual services...
.)
Maqam Bayat
- Maqam BayatBayatThe surname Bayat or Baiyat is derived from clans in Iran and Afghanistan.-Clans:Bayat is the name of an originally Turkic clan in Iran which traces its origin to the 12th century...
is a somber sounding maqam and doesn't necessarily imply a given theme. As a general rule, this maqam is applied to all Bar Mitzvahs and to Saturday Night services, due to the abundance of related pizmonimPizmonimPizmonim are traditional Jewish songs and melodies with the intentions of praising God as well as learning certain aspects of traditional religious teachings. They are sung throughout religious rituals and festivities such as prayers, circumcisions, bar mitzvahs, weddings and other ceremonies...
in those maqams. Some say that Bayat symbolizes an oath between two parties (as is the case with Bar Mitzvah- an oath between man and God).
Maqam Hoseni
- Maqam Hoseni, which is closely related to Maqam Bayat in sound, is used to express the beauty of something. For example, when the Ten Commandments are given, in Parashas Yitro and Va'ethanan, this maqam is applied to show its beauty. The same is the case to show the erection of the TabernacleTabernacleThe Tabernacle , according to the Hebrew Torah/Old Testament, was the portable dwelling place for the divine presence from the time of the Exodus from Egypt through the conquering of the land of Canaan. Built to specifications revealed by God to Moses at Mount Sinai, it accompanied the Israelites...
, in parashas TerumahTerumahTerumah is a Hebrew word, originally meaning lifted apart, but meaning donation in modern Hebrew. It can refer to:*Heave offerings - a type of sacrifice in the Hebrew Bible...
, Vayaqhel, and SheminiSheminiShemini, Sh’mini, or Shmini is the 26th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the third in the book of Leviticus...
. This maqam is used on the Shabbat preceding ShavuotShavuotThe festival of is a Jewish holiday that occurs on the sixth day of the Hebrew month of Sivan ....
, when the Torah is given to Israel (though not on Shavuot itself).
Maqam Rahawi Nawa
- Maqam Rahawi Nawa is applied at the end of most books. Among many things, it symbolizes the end of something. This maqam is applied every Friday night during the Kabbalat Shabbat services. At the present, this maqam is rarely used for Shabbat morning services, as it is usually replaced by maqam Nahwand. Strictly speaking, Rahawi and Nawa are two separate maqamat: Rahawi is used in the Passover Haggadah (SederPassover SederThe Passover Seder is a Jewish ritual feast that marks the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover. It is conducted on the evenings of the 14th day of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar, and on the 15th by traditionally observant Jews living outside Israel. This corresponds to late March or April in...
), while Nawa is used for reciting the Mishnah (hence its use for Friday night, as this service contains a long excerpt from the Mishnah known as Bammeh madliqin.).
Maqam Sabah
- Maqam SabahSabah (disambiguation)Sabah may refer to one of the following.* Sabah, a state in Malaysia** Sabah Wildlife Department, located within the state of Sabah* Sabah , Lebanese singer/actress...
, literally in Arabic, sadness and utopia, and literally in Hebrew, army, is used to mark 'berit' or covenant. A covenant, or circumcision is performed on all Jewish male babies and therefore when there is a birth of a baby boy in the parasha (Lech Lecha or TazriaTazriaTazria, Thazria, Thazri’a, Sazria, or Ki Tazria’ is the 27th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the fourth in the book of Leviticus...
), this maqam is applied. Not only would 'berit milah' require this maqam, but also any reference to the word 'berit' or a strong reference to the number eight, which symbolizes covenant. Since the idea of 'berit' relates to the observance of mitzvot, wherever there is a parasha where there is a multitude of mitzvot, this maqam is applied (MishpatimMishpatimMishpatim is the eighteenth weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the sixth in the book of Exodus...
, Qedoshim, or BeharBeharBehar, BeHar, Be-har, or B’har is the 32nd weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the ninth in the book of Leviticus...
). Other uses of Sabah include any parasha that mentions the army (MaseiMaseiMasei, Mas’ei, or Masse is the 43rd weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the 10th and last in the book of Numbers...
, Ki Tetse), since the word 'Saba' in Hebrew means "army". Kligman notes that the Jewish association of Sabah with the aforementioned themes differs drastically from the rest of the Arab world, who associate Sabah with sadness.
Maqam Sigah
- Maqam SigahSigahSigah is the name of a maqam in Arabic, Turkish, and related systems of music.Sigah is named because the maqam starts on the third degree in relation to the "basic" Turko-Arabic scale found in Rast...
, or Sikah, from the PersianPersian languagePersian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
for "third place", is applied when there are special readings in the parasha. It is also applied on holidays. This maqam is linked to the holiday of PurimPurimPurim is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire from destruction in the wake of a plot by Haman, a story recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther .Purim is celebrated annually according to the Hebrew calendar on the 14th...
due to the abundance of pizmonimPizmonimPizmonim are traditional Jewish songs and melodies with the intentions of praising God as well as learning certain aspects of traditional religious teachings. They are sung throughout religious rituals and festivities such as prayers, circumcisions, bar mitzvahs, weddings and other ceremonies...
related to the holiday in this maqam (no doubt because the maqam is of Persian origin, and the events of the book of Esther take place in Persia). This maqam is also of importance because it is the maqam that is used for the cantillationCantillationCantillation is the ritual chanting of readings from the Hebrew Bible in synagogue services. The chants are written and notated in accordance with the special signs or marks printed in the Masoretic text of the Hebrew Bible to complement the letters and vowel points...
of the Torah. For Parashas Bo, Beha'alotecha, and Eqeb, parashas that are the "third" in their respective books, maqam Sigah, which means "third [place]," is used.
Maqam Hijaz
- Maqam HijazPhrygian dominant scaleIn music, the altered Phrygian scale or Freygish scale , featuring an unusual key signature and a distinctive augmented second interval, is the fifth mode of the harmonic minor scale, the fifth being the dominant...
, which is named after a Hijaz region in Arabia, is used to mark solemn occasions. When there is a death in the parasha (Sarah and Abraham in Chayei SarahChayei SarahChayei Sarah, Chaye Sarah, or Hayye Sarah is the fifth weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. It constitutes Genesis Jews read it on the fifth Sabbath after Simchat Torah, generally in November....
, Jacob and Joseph in VayechiVayechiVayechi, Vayehi, or Vayhi is the twelfth weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the last in the Book of Genesis...
, or Nadab and Abihu in Acharei Mot), or a tragic episode (Golden Calf in Ki Tissa, Sin of the Spies in Shelach Lecha and the Temple's Destruction in the week of DevarimDevarimDevarim is a Hebrew word, which is the second word of the book of Deuteronomy, the fifth book of the Torah . It means "Words".When used as a noun, Devarim might refer to:...
), then this maqam is applied. At funerals, this maqam is usually applied. As it corresponds to the Ashkenazi ahavah rabbah steiger, synagogues in Israel sometimes use it when there are Ashkenazi guests.
See also
- Sephardic Pizmonim Project
- PizmonimPizmonimPizmonim are traditional Jewish songs and melodies with the intentions of praising God as well as learning certain aspects of traditional religious teachings. They are sung throughout religious rituals and festivities such as prayers, circumcisions, bar mitzvahs, weddings and other ceremonies...
- BaqashotBaqashotThe Baqashot are a collection of supplications, songs, and prayers that have been sung by the Sephardic Aleppian Jewish community and other congregations for centuries each week on Shabbat morning from midnight until dawn. Usually they are recited during the weeks of winter, when the nights are...
- Syrian CantorsSyrian CantorsThe Syrian Cantor or hazzan leads the traditional prayer rituals in the synagogues of the Syrian Jews. He conducts the services using ten maqamat or musical modes. A cantor must be fully cognizant of these maqamat and their applications to the prayers...
- ShabbatShabbatShabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
- Sephardic JudaismSephardic JudaismSephardic law and customs means the practice of Judaism as observed by the Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews, so far as it is peculiar to themselves and not shared with other Jewish groups such as the Ashkenazim...
- Syrian JewsSyrian JewsSyrian Jews are Jews who inhabit the region of the modern state of Syria, and their descendants born outside Syria. Syrian Jews derive their origin from two groups: from the Jews who inhabited the region of today's Syria from ancient times Syrian Jews are Jews who inhabit the region of the modern...
- Arabic maqamArabic maqamArabic maqām is the system of melodic modes used in traditional Arabic music, which is mainly melodic. The word maqam in Arabic means place, location or rank. The Arabic maqam is a melody type...
- Weekly Torah portion
- Ades SynagogueAdes SynagogueThe Ades Synagogue, , also known as the Great Synagogue Ades of the Glorious Aleppo Community, located in Jerusalem's Nachlaot neighborhood, was established by Syrian immigrants in 1901...
- Jewish prayer modesJewish prayer modesJewish liturgical music is characterized by a set of musical modes. There are a number of ways to define a musical mode - many scholars think about a mode as a collection of pitches or a scale, while others define a mode as a collection of musical motives or phrases....