The Maqam

Beit Avi Chai presents "The Maqam": A journey to the roots of classic Mizrahi music as found in Biblical cantillation, prayer, and sacred Jewish song.

Six concerts with explanations about the maqam, the basic structure of classical Mizrahi music

Series organizers: Piris Eliyahu and Yair Harel.

Musical direction and introductory remarks: Piris Eliyahu

In Mizrahi classical and folk music and in the religious musical traditions of eastern Jewry, the musical scales are related to nature, time, emotions, mood, and the life cycle. In this special, original series, we will discover the maqams in Biblical cantillation, in the singing of Psalms, in piyyutim, and in original melodies.

Each session will include an introductory lecture with demonstrations, followed by a one-hour concert.

Research, production, and performance: Piris Eliyahu, tar / Mark Eliyahu, kamancha and saz / Rabbi David Menahem, vocals / Yair Harel, percussion and vocals

Part 1: Maqam Rast-Father of the Maqams
Thursday, January 20, 9 PM
Rast in Farsi means "straight," "right," "just." In Jewish tradition the rast, which expresses festivity and optimism, is found in the Shabbat afternoon prayers.

Part 2: Maqam Shur or Bayat-Mother of the Maqams
Thursday, February 3, 9 PM
The most complex and highly developed of all the maqams. The word shur means "passion" in Farsi and "looking" in Hebrew. In Arab music this maqam is known as bayat. It is heard on Saturday night in the Havdalah ceremony and in piyyutim, as well as in some High Holiday prayers and in the liturgy of Kurdish Jewry.

Part 3: Maqam Homayun or Hijaz-Yearning
Thursday, February 17, 9 PM
Homayun is the Farsi word for "royal." This maqam is considered sad and expresses a sense of longing and yearning. It is common in Middle Eastern Jewish traditions and is used for the reading of the book of Lamentations and the Shabbat Mussaf prayer. It is also found in the Biblical cantillation of the Jews of Morocco and in the music of eastern European Jewry, where it is known as the "Ahava Rabba mode."

Part 4: Maqam Segah-Nobility and Splendor
Thursday, March 3, 9 PM
Segah in Farsi means "third position" or "third system." This maqam, which is based on the third degree of the main mode (rast), is very widespread among the Jews of the Middle East and is used for the reading of the Torah in all Middle Eastern Jewish ethnic groups. It also appears in the High Holiday prayers, in Pirkei Avot, in the weekday prayers, and more.

Part 5: Maqam Nava-Beauty and Majesty
Thursday, March 17, 9 PM
Nava means "melody" in Farsi and "beautiful" in Hebrew. There are grounds for suggesting that this maqam was very common in ancient Jewish music. In the Middle Eastern Jewish tradition this mode is used for Friday night prayers and for the reading of Psalms, the Song of Songs, and the Zohar.

Part 6: Maqam Mahur or Ajam-The Bright Light
Thursday, March 31, 9 PM
The month of Mahur is the Persian equivalent of Tammuz, a summer month when the harvesters would gather at night after a day of work and sing songs of freedom and friendship. This maqam corresponds to the Western major scale and expresses joy, brightness, and light. It is found in the reading of the Haftarah and morning High Holiday service among Iraqi Jews.

Admission: NIS 40; students: NIS 20; NIS 180 for the series
The series will take place once every two weeks at P7.
Space limited

This is a Hebrew-language only event.