Michigan Arab Orchestra Takht Ensemble: Tahmila Suznak
This week, I am sharing a live performance of "Tahmila Suznak" by the Michigan Arab Orchestra Takht Ensemble. The ensemble performs classical and contemporary Arab music. Its members are Michael Ibrahum playing the nay (Arab reed flute), Nady Benyamine playing the violin, Nashwan Fadhel playing the oud (Arab lute), Victor Ghannam playing the qanun (Arab zither), Jonathan Hammonds playing the bass, Gurushuran Yash Singh Sandhu and Daniel Khouri playing percussion, and Usama Baalbaki and Asaad Sultan on voice.
As I was listening to this piece, several musical elements caught my attention. I immediately noticed the ensemble sound created by the unique combination of instruments and the lively rhythm patterns. As I continued listening, I noticed that a major feature of the piece was the use of solo improvisations throughout the piece interspersed with call and response between the soloist and the ensemble and sections of full ensemble playing. Understanding the context of the music is important to understanding how and why this piece may be organized and structured in this manner, particularly regarding the use of improvisation. Wade (2013) defines improvisation as being a "compositional process in which a musician exercises relatively great flexibility with given material during a performance. The 'given material' might be a tune, a chord progression, or a rhythm" (Wade, 2013, p. 135). At approximately 0:46, we hear the entrance of the first improvised solo. Several contextual elements influence this solo. First, the music is characterized by the focus on one "maqam" or melodic mode over the course of the piece. (Wade, 2013). This informs the melodies in the improvisations. The music is also greatly influenced by audience reaction. Audience feedback and interaction between performer and audience is an influential part of the context that impacts the structure of the piece. While overall progressions are worked out in advance, the number of repetitions of sections and lengths of solos are determined by audience response and energy (Wade, 2013). At around 1:37, we hear a burst of applause for the oud solo which leads into a section of interaction between the oud soloist and the rest of the ensemble. This intra-ensemble interaction also informs the structure of the music. In this section, what the ensemble plays is directly led by the soloist. This determines what they play and how long this section goes for. These examples show a few ways that the context of the music informs the structure of the piece.
References:
Wade, B.C (2013). Thinking Musically. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
As I was listening to this piece, several musical elements caught my attention. I immediately noticed the ensemble sound created by the unique combination of instruments and the lively rhythm patterns. As I continued listening, I noticed that a major feature of the piece was the use of solo improvisations throughout the piece interspersed with call and response between the soloist and the ensemble and sections of full ensemble playing. Understanding the context of the music is important to understanding how and why this piece may be organized and structured in this manner, particularly regarding the use of improvisation. Wade (2013) defines improvisation as being a "compositional process in which a musician exercises relatively great flexibility with given material during a performance. The 'given material' might be a tune, a chord progression, or a rhythm" (Wade, 2013, p. 135). At approximately 0:46, we hear the entrance of the first improvised solo. Several contextual elements influence this solo. First, the music is characterized by the focus on one "maqam" or melodic mode over the course of the piece. (Wade, 2013). This informs the melodies in the improvisations. The music is also greatly influenced by audience reaction. Audience feedback and interaction between performer and audience is an influential part of the context that impacts the structure of the piece. While overall progressions are worked out in advance, the number of repetitions of sections and lengths of solos are determined by audience response and energy (Wade, 2013). At around 1:37, we hear a burst of applause for the oud solo which leads into a section of interaction between the oud soloist and the rest of the ensemble. This intra-ensemble interaction also informs the structure of the music. In this section, what the ensemble plays is directly led by the soloist. This determines what they play and how long this section goes for. These examples show a few ways that the context of the music informs the structure of the piece.
References:
Wade, B.C (2013). Thinking Musically. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
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