New article/Dossier: MAT for the VIAMAP – Maqām Analysis Tools for the Video-Animated Music Analysis Project

English

[French translation below]

NEMO-Online is delighted to propose this new article by Amine Beyhom on notational tools and graphical analyses of melody and rythm.

Musical notation has been reputed as disqualified for the analysis of “Foreign” musics since – at least – the experiments of Charles Seeger with the Melograph. It is nevertheless still used as the main analytic – and teaching – tool for these musics in most researches in musicology, and today in the teaching of these musics in autochthonous conservatories. Seeger’s experiments brought at his time cutting-edge solutions – and alternatives – to score notation but, surprisingly enough, these solutions seem to have not worked out very well in the long run.

Beyhom proposes a voluminous dossier including three parts and relying on the pioneering works of Seeger – and other ethnomusicologists – as well as on the improvements of his method that we have witnessed in the last decades. The first part expounds the past, and on-going debates about the (mis-) use of score notation as applied to “Foreign” musics, while the second part offers a retrospective of Maqām music notation. The third part of the dossier describes different tools of pitch and spectrum analysis which help understand – and listen better to the analyzed music while exposing, in fine, the author’s work and propositions for the implementation of video-animated analyses in the teaching of ethnomusicology as one major basis for this teaching. The dossier is accompanied by a short power point show (PPS) and 41 video-animated analyses (total time = 2 h 13 m).

Amine Beyhom: MAT for the VIAMAP – Maqām Analysis Tools for the Video-Animated Music Analysis Project,” Near Eastern Musicology Online 4 7 |2018-11| p. 145–256.

Français

Nous avons le plaisir à NEMO-Online de publier ce nouvel article par Amine Beyhom sur les outils de notation et d’analyse graphique de la mélodie et du rythme.

La notation musicale est réputée être disqualifiée pour les analyses de musique “étrangères” et ce depuis, au moins, les expériences de Charles Seeger avec le mélographe. Il n’en reste pas moins que la notation classique reste l’outil principal d’analyse de ces musiques dans les recherches musicologiques, et de leur enseignement dans les conservatoires locaux. Les méthodes de Seeger étaient à l’avant-garde de la recherche pour une analyse –  et une notation – alternative des musiques traditionnelles mais, de manière assez surprenante, ne semblent pas avoir pris racine dans l’enseignement de l’ethnomusicologie.

Beyhom propose un dossier volumineux en trois parties, basé sur l’oeuvre pionnière de Seeger – et d’autres ethnomusicologues – ainsi que sur les améliorations de cette méthode apportées au fil des recherches par ses successeurs. La première partie retrace les débats soulevés par l’utilisation (ou non) de la notation musicale classique pour les musique non occidentales – notamment non semi-tonales – tandis que la deuxième partie est consacrée à une courte rétrospective historique de la notation de la musique du maqām. La troisième partie décrit divers outils d’analyse des hauteurs et du spectre d’une mélodie qui sont une aide à l’analyse – et à la compréhension, sinon à une meilleure écoute – de ces musiques. En conclusion l’auteur appelle à implémenter l’enseignement des analyses vidéo-animées de hauteurs dans l’enseignement courant de l’ethnomusicologie, comme outil principal d’analyse des musiques “autres”.

Le dossier est accompagné d’un fichier Power Point contenant quelques exemples d’analyse avec curseur se déplaçant horizontalement sur l’écran, et de 41 analyses vidéo dont le temps total s’élève à 2 heures et 13 minutes.

Amine Beyhom: MAT for the VIAMAP – Maqām Analysis Tools for the Video-Animated Music Analysis Project,” Near Eastern Musicology Online 4 7 |2018-11| p. 145–256.

Ahmed Mukhtar, Iraki virtuoso udist invited for a workshop/demo in Beirut by CERMAA/FOREDOFICO

Ahmed al-Mukhtar, Iraki London based virtuoso ud player and teacher of Arabian music is invited by CERMAA/FOREDOFICO to demonstrate Iraki improvisations in the frame of a Masterclass at the Lebanese Conservatory (CNSML) in Sinn-el-Fil (Beirut-Lebanon), from 15:00 to 17:00 on Thursday the 23rd of April 2015, venue “S”.

Ahmd Mukhtar
Ahmed Mukhtar

Mukhtar will also sign his new CD “Babylonian fingers” on this occasion (booklet available for download at http://foredofico.org/CERMAA/?p=497).

CD cover

Free admission for all who wish to listen or take part in the masterclass; below: the text of the official invitation.

 دعوة عامّة

ورشة عمل ومحاضرة حول العود مع المؤلف الموسيقي وعازف العود أحمد مختار

يدعو المعهد الوطني العالي للموسيقى بالتعاون مع مركز الأبحاث حول الموسيقى العربية وقريباتها إلى ورشة عمل ومحاضرة حول العود والمقام العراقي والارتجال للمؤلف وعازف العود أحمد مختار يوم الخميس الواقع في 23 من شهر نيسان 2015 في القاعة “س” في سن الفيل في تمام الساعة 3:00

يتخلّل المحاضرة إطلاق للأسطوانة الجديدة للمؤلف أصابع بابلية

لمحة عن المؤلّف

في مطلع 2015 اختير الفنان العراقي احمد مختار لمشروع إصدار اسطوانة مع 12 موسيقي من العالم تحت عنوان “موسيقى العالم من اجل اطفال الحروب” برعاية الامم المتحدة لمكانته الموسيقية ولتوظيفه الموسيقى في خدمة الإنسانية. كما ومُنح جائزة الحمراء للفنون الشرقية برعاية الملكة البريطانية عام 2009 وكُرّم عام 2005 من قبل المنظمة الطبية الدولية لمساعدة المتضررين من الحروب والإرهاب واختير في عام 1999 مع 16 موسيقي لإصدار اسطوانة بعنوان “المادة 14” وهي مادة لأول قانون حقوق الانسان في الامم المتحدة

لمعلومات حول الأسطوانة، الرجاء قراءة الدفتر المرافق للقرص المدمج على العنوان التالي

http://foredofico.org/CERMAA/?p=497

لمزيد من المعلومات حول المؤلف الرجاء مشاهدة الروابط التالية

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJE3zJ4whQs&feature=youtu.be

www.amukhtar.com
http://www.taqasim.net/school/index.html
https://www.facebook.com/ahmed.mukhtaroud

 

 

Richard Dumbrill invited by CERMAA/FOREDOFICO at CNSM

Richard Dumbrill is an English archaeomusicologist. He will speak about ancient Middle-Eastern musical systems at the Lebanese Conservatory in Sinn-el-Fil (Beirut-Lebanon), from 16:30 to 18:00 on Thursday the 23rd of April 2015, venue “S”. Dumbrill’s paper to be translated by Rosy Azar Beyhom during the event.

Richard Dumbrill will show that the earliest form of music theory sprouted in the Ancient Middle East some 4000 years ago, long before Pythagoras. Unlike with Greek music theory, where there is no contemporary textual evidence, (the earliest copies dating from the Western Dark Ages, around 1000 AD) Mesopotamian evidence rests with cuneiform clay tablets. The oldest dates from 2300 BC and the most recent from the first millennium BC. These texts are unequivocally about music theory and explain the formation of systems the nature of which being the source of the later maqam system. It is also very likely, that they used more than one musical system and this would be comparable to their metrology which also used a variety of systems.

Free admission; below: the text of the official invitation.

دعوة عامّة

“بداية التنظير الموسيقي في الشرق الأوسط القديم”

محاضرة للبروفيسور ريشارد دمبريل

في الثلاثاء 21 نيسان 2015 في القاعة “س” سن الفيل الساعة 4:30

 

يدعو المعهد الوطني العالي للموسيقى بالتعاون مع مركز الأبحاث حول الموسيقى العربية وقريباتها إلى محاضرة للبروفيسور ريشارد دمبريل حول أقدم ما وجده الإنسان حول التنظير الموسيقي في الشرق الأوسط القديم

يتناول المُحاضر حقبة تعود إلى 4.000 عام أي إلى ما قبل فيتاغورس، ترتكز على النقوش المسمارية من بلاد ما بين النهرين. تتميّز هذه النصوص المنقوشة بالتفسيرات حول الأنظمة الموسيقية وتكوينها وتطورّها (من المرجح) إلى ما يُعرف حاليًا بالمقام

يعود أقدم نقش مسماري إلى 2.300 ق.م. والأحدث إلى الألفية الأولى ق.م

أظهرت الدراسات حتى الآن أنّ الأقدمين كانوا يستعملون عدّة أنطمة موسيقية وذلك يتطابق مع تعدّد أنظمة القياس التي وُجدت في تلك الحقبة

 Figures from RD Beirut presentation 2015_Page_4 Figures from RD Beirut presentation 2015_Page_5 Figures from RD Beirut presentation 2015_Page_1 Figures from RD Beirut presentation 2015_Page_2 Figures from RD Beirut presentation 2015_Page_3

Le livre d’Amine Beyhom Théories de l’échelle et pratiques mélodiques chez les Arabes ‎–‎ Tome 1 est en accès libre sur internet

Français

Le livre d’Amine Beyhom Théories de l’échelle et pratiques mélodiques chez les Arabes ‎–‎ Tome 1 est en accès libre sur internet. La version proposée (V. 1.01) a été revue et corrigée.Vous pouvez télécharger librement la version en basse résolution (impression possible à 150 ppp) à l’adresse : http://foredofico.org/CERMAA/?p=482.

Bonne lecture…

 

English

Amine Beyhom’s book Théories de l’échelle et pratiques mélodiques chez les Arabes – Tome 1 is now freely available on the Web. This version (V. 1.01) has been emendated and updated. Free download in low res for printing at 150 dpi at: http://foredofico.org/CERMAA/?p=482.

Astrakan: New album, and Live album in Beirut

Cover

After their workshop in Beirut, Astrakan‘s leading team, Simone Alvez (voice) and Yann Gourvil (guitars, Ꜥūd, sāz etc.) went on and published their first album ; soon after, Yann decided to finish the mix of the Beirut session which is now available for downloading. Yann featured also an interesting percussion instrument for the published album.

 

FOREDOFICO, CERMAA and ICONEA with the “Friends of the National Museum” foundation to produce a documentary film on the Making of Hurrian Song H.6.

Lyre-reconstructed-by-R.-Dumbrill
A lyre reconstructed by Richard Dumbrill for the Hurrian song H.6. project in Lebanon

In October 2012, ICONEA Director Richard Dumbrill visited Lebanon, initially to attend a conference in Beirut on Rituals in the Ancient Levant. The conference was cancelled following a bombing in the metropolis. Dumbrill seeked help from CERMAA/FOREDOFICO to produce a documentary film on the subject he had intended to give at the National Museum. The documentary, funded by the Friends of the National Museum and CERMAA/FOREDOFICO is about the research work Dumbrill has undertaken for the past 25 years on the translation of the oldest known musical text, written in the Hurrian language, dating from about 1400 years BC, and found at Ugarit in North East Syria in the 1950s. The documentary was shot by Paul Mattar, Founding member of FOREDOFICO, in a renowned archaeological site, and at the headquarters of CERMAA, in the suburbs of Beirut.

Rosy Azar Beyhom and Amine Beyhom, CERMAA founding members contributed to the Orientalisation of Dumbrill’s original rendition of the Hurrian material. The song was recorded at the CALA recording studios, a subdivision of FOREDOFICO specialised in archival recordings. Saad SAAB, President of FOREDOFICO made improvisastions on the Ꜥūd on the theme of the original music. The singing of the melody, and the acting on site was entrusted to a young and promising Lebanese singer, Lara Jokhadar Al-Aro. There, Lara played the role of a young woman afflicted with the curse of being childless, and sang her sorrow to the moon goddess NIKKAL so that she may bear child.

 

Lara Jokhadar al-Aro

 

 

The original score for the Hurrian H.6. song has been published in Richard Dumbrill’s article for NEMO N°1 :

  • Dumbrill, Richard : “Modus Vivendi,” Near Eastern Musicology Online 1 1 |2012-11| p. 89–116.

The first issue of NEMO-Online Vol. 1 No. 1 is now available / Sortie de NEMO-Online Vol. 1 No. 1

English

NEMO-Online Vol. 1 No. 1 is available

CERMAA is delighted to inform you that the first issue, of Vol. 1 No. 1 (November 2012) is now available. It includes contributions of François Picard (France), Erik Marchand (France), Jacob Olley (Great Britain), Rosy Azar Beyhom (Lebanon), Markos Skoulios (Greece), Richard Dumbrill (Great Britain) et Amine Beyhom (Lebanon ; France).
The editorial and the summary page are available online. The hard copy (Price = 40 €) is distributed by Geuthner, France and downloadable from December 2013.

Français

Sortie de NEMO-Online Vol. 1 No. 1

Le CERMAA a l’immense plaisir d’annoncer la sortie du Volume 1, Numéro 1 de NEMO (Novembre 2012) avec des contributions de François Picard (France), Erik Marchand (France), Jacob Olley (Grande-Bretagne), Rosy Azar Beyhom (Liban), Markos Skoulios (Grèce), Richard Dumbrill (Grande-Bretagne) et Amine Beyhom (Liban ; France).

L’Éditorial et le Sommaire sont accessibles en ligne. La version imprimée (Prix = 40 €) est distribuée par Geuthner ; la version numérique (payante) sera mise en ligne à partir de décembre 2013.

(shortlink=http://foredofico.org/CERMAA/?p=394)

 

 

CERMAA and ICONEA at USEK

Amine Beyhom of CERMAA and Richard Dumbrill of ICONEA presented papers on July 12-14 2012 Conference at the University of the Holy Spirit (USEK) at Kaslik Lebanon.

Amine Beyhom spoke about the need for accurate definition in specific terms.

Richard Dumbrill spoke of possible Near-Eastern origins of both maqam and Pythagorean systems in Bronze Age archeomusicology.

Atelier de musique bretonne organisé par FOREDOFICO/CERMAA au CNSML

Un atelier de musiques bretonnes a été organisé au CNSML (Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique au Liban) à l’initiative du CERMAA et de FOREDOFICO, en collaboration avec la direction du conservatoire. Le musicien Yann Gourvil et la chanteuse Simone Alvez, invités par le CERMAA et FOREDOFICO, ont dirigé l’atelier le jeudi 26 avril dans la salle d’audition du conservatoire à Sinn El-Fil (Beyrouth – Liban), de midi à 15:00 heures. L’atelier a été accompagné et suivi d’un concert dont un chant en création par les deux musiciens.

Une interview de Radio-Liban a été recueillie auprès des musiciens et des organisateurs.

Ceci est le premier parmi ce que nous espérons devenir une série d’ateliers sur les musiques du Monde (et les autres) au Liban.

Des extraits musicaux, des photos et des videos seront bientôt proposés sur le site du CERMAA (update : voir http://foredofico.org/CERMAA/?p=346), ainsi que sur le site d’Astrakan (la formation des deux musiciens) à http://www.gwez.net/astrakan/.