The music of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East: the maqam melodic system, odd and additive metres (7/8, 9/8), ornamented melody and improvisation, and instruments such as the oud, bouzouki and darbuka, for Area of Study 3.

What this dot point is asking

The music of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East is one of the four regions of Area of Study 3, covering traditions from countries such as Greece, Turkey, Israel and the Arab world. You need to know the maqam melodic system, the odd and additive metres (such as $7/8$ and $9/8$), the ornamented melody and improvisation, and the instruments (oud, bouzouki, darbuka). The listening paper expects you to recognise this music and explain its rhythmic features.

The maqam and ornamented melody

The melody is the centre of attention and is heavily ornamented: slides, turns, trills and decorations colour every phrase, and improvisation within the maqam is common. The use of microtones gives the melody a distinctive flavour that cannot be reproduced on a standard Western keyboard. As in Indian music, the accompaniment is usually a drone or a simple texture, not Western chord progressions, so the interest lies in melody and rhythm.

Odd and additive metres

These metres are central to the region's dance music. The bar does not divide evenly; instead it is assembled from short and long groups, so the pulse lurches in a characteristic way. Hearing this uneven, off-balance rhythm, where one beat feels longer than the others, is one of the surest signs of music from this region, and explaining the grouping (such as $7/8$ as $2+2+3$) is a common exam task.

The instruments

• Oud - a short-necked, fretless lute with a rounded back, plucked with a plectrum; its fretless neck allows the microtonal slides typical of the style.
• Bouzouki - a long-necked plucked string instrument with a bright, metallic tone, strongly associated with Greek music.
• Darbuka (doumbek) - a goblet-shaped hand drum that plays the rhythmic patterns, capable of sharp, ringing and deep tones.

Other instruments include the qanun (a plucked zither), the ney (an end-blown flute) and various frame drums, but the oud, bouzouki and darbuka are the ones to know.

Examples in context

A Greek dance might use a bouzouki playing a fast, ornamented melody over a darbuka in $9/8$, the bar grouped into uneven units so the dance lurches and turns. An Arabic piece might feature an oud improvising within a maqam, sliding through microtones with rich ornamentation, over a soft drum and drone. In both, the combination of an ornamented, microtonal melody and an odd or additive metre marks the music clearly as from this region.

Try this

Q1. What is a maqam? [2 marks]

• Cue. A melodic system of scales with characteristic notes, phrases and moods (often using microtones) on which performers improvise, similar in role to the Indian raga.

Q2. Name two instruments from this region and describe the sound of one. [2 marks]

• Cue. Any two of the oud (a fretless lute allowing microtonal slides), the bouzouki (a bright, metallic long-necked string instrument), and the darbuka (a goblet-shaped hand drum).

Q3. Explain what an additive (odd) metre is, with an example, and its effect. [5 marks]

• What the marker wants. A metre built by adding unequal groups (for example $7/8$ as $2+2+3$, or $9/8$ as $2+2+2+3$), giving an uneven, lopsided, dance-like feel because the longer group displaces the accent.