Some Behaviors of the Uşşâk and the Hüseynî Makams

8/18/2019 Some Behaviors of the Uşşâk and the Hüseynî Makams

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Some Behaviors of the Uşşâk and the Hüseynî MakamsBrian Bartling

The Uşşâk and the Hüseynî makams share many notes and thus sound similar. The “familial

relationshi! "et#een the t#o makams has "een noted $Signell %&''() and it isn*t farfet+hed to assumethat musi+ians tend to e,!loit their similarities to move fluidly "et#een them. -evertheless) there are a

num"er of interesting differen+es "et#een the t#o makams that #ould manifest in an a!!ro!riate seyir.

n the follo#ing) #ill address some of these differen+es "y first dis+ussing the stru+ture of ea+h

makam individually) then #ill analy/e their res!e+tive use in t#o taksims "y Murat 0ydemir.

The most nota"le as!e+t of the Uşşâk makam is the tetra+hord from its karar) 0) to its gü1lü) 2.

The su!ertoni+) B) is lo#ered one koma) #hi+h gives the Uşşâk a +hara+teristi+ sound. ndeed) this

lo#ered3su!ertoni+ !ro!erty is often referred to as an “Uşşâk in other makams) even if it is

fundamentally different. The !enta+hord from the makam*s gü1lü to its u!!er karar) or ti/ durak) is

#hat a #estern theorist #ould refer to as “natural. That is) there are no +hromati+ alterations on any

su"se4uent note. 5s!e+ially salient to this o"servation is the natural su"mediant) #hi+h is referred to as

0+em. The Hüseynî makam) on the other hand) is raised four komas #hen it is as+eding) #hi+h is

referred to as 5vi1. t is then 0+em des+eding. The +onstru+tion of the Hüseynî makam is symmetri+al

"et#een the 032 tetra+hord and the 530* tetra+hord) as the first tetra+hord is a !erfe+t fifth

trans!osition to the se+ond trans!osition #hen as+ending. Being 0+em #hilst "oth as+ending and

des+ending) the Uşşâk makam is not symmetri+al) and the natural su"mediant is often e,!loited in a

seyir. This makes an interesting +ounter!art to another oft3used as!e+t of Uşşâk6 the fifth "elo# the

karar) the 7egâh ) is a usual feature of this makam) and the su"mediant "e+omes 5vi1 in this o+tave.

The s+alar +onstru+tion of these t#o makams is !ortrayed in Figures 1a and 1b .

0s stated !reviously) the gü1lü of the Uşşâk makam is a 2) or the su"dominant of the karar.

The gü1lü is most often stated in either the o+tave of the original makam or the 7egâh) the lo#er

o+tave. These are the most fre4uently o++urring +hoi+es for an asma karar) or a sus!ended +aden+e) in



any given seyir in Uşşâk makam. Using 2 as an asma karar is !erha!s the least tense +hoi+e of notes to

use as a +andential !oint in this makam) #hi+h gives this gü1lü s!e+ial status as a !rime +hoi+e for a

mid3!oint +aden+e. 8n the other hand) the yeden) or leading tone) is !erha!s the most tense +hoi+e that

+om!els many musi+ians to resolve as fast as !ossi"le. These t#o notes are the most often used for

asma karars) even though any note in the makam is !ossi"le to use as a sus!ended +aden+e.

9hile the Uşşâk makam and the Hüseynî makam "oth have a :) or a #hole ste!) as a yeden) the

Hüseynî makam em!loys a !erfe+t fifth) or an 5) as its gü1lü. This is !erha!s the ma;or differen+e

"et#een the t#o makams) and it is definitely the most im!ressiona"le differen+e to the listener.

nterestingly) "oth of these makams disru!t !erfe+t symmetry in their o#n uni4ue #ay6 as stated earlier)

the Uşşâk makam uses 0+em) #hile the Hüseynî makam uses 5vi1) "ut divides the makam on the fifth.

0lso) the Hüseynî makam tends to venture into the lo#er o+tave less often) thus using the 7egâh and

the yeden less often. 0s a result) the asma karars in Hüseynî are usually the gü1lü 5 and the karar.

This !referen+e for the o!en fifth interval) +ou!led #ith the as+ending 5vi1) gives the Hüseynî makam

a mu+h "righter “mood) #hi+h a+ts as a +ounter!art to the darker “mood of the Uşşâk makam. The

Hüseynî is "oth an as+ending and a des+ending makam) though) #hi+h gives it a t#o3sided mood. The

Uşşâk makam) on the other hand) is only as+ending. These t#o makam features are also sho#n in

Figures 1a and 1b .

Figure 1a. The Uşşâk makam.

Figure 1b. The Hüseynî makam.



Some of the makam features that #ere !reviously mentioned a!!ear in the seyir reali/ations in

the t#o taksims "y Murat 0ydemir. The Uşşâk seyir em!loys a num"er of asma karars and muvakkat

kalislar) or tem!orary sto!!ing !oints) #hi+h are most often the yeden) the 2 gü1lü) or the karar itself.

Sur!risingly) this seyir em!loys the 2 gü1lü as its g iriş) or starting note) #hi+h des+ends to the yeden)

and su"se4uently resolves to the karar. The yeden is used as a musvakkat kalislar in measures %) <) and

' in my analysis) and the gü1lü is used as a musvakkat kalislar in measures =) >3?) @) &) %A) %%) and % .

The latter is used more often) and there are t#o o+taves in #hi+h it may "e used. t also a!!ears that

Murat 0ydemir is not e,!loiting the 0+em as often as is normally seen in Uşşâk makam) "ut the 5vi1 in

the lo#er o+tave #as used t#i+e C at the "eginning in measure = and at the end in measure % . Derha!s

the most noti+ea"le use of the 0+em in this seyir +omes in the !enultimate measure) #hi+h Murat

0ydemir ;um!s to from the !revious statement of the karar to reinfor+e the karar C the final +aden+e of

the seyir.

0s stated !reviously) the Hüseynî makam mostly uses the karar and the gü1lü as asma karars or

muvakkat kalislars) #hi+h is definitely the +ase in Murat 0ydemir*s seyir. Dla+es of tem!orary sto!s on

the karar are in measures =%) =<) <AE and !la+es of tem!orary sto!s on the gü1lü are in measures <3 )

%A) %=. This sho#s that there is a strong !referen+e for these t#o at sto!!ing !oints in the seyir) "ut

Murat 0ydemir does take advantage of other notes as sto!!ing !oints. This is most noti+ea"le in the

se4uen+e that is arti+ulated in measures % 3%' in my trans+ri!tion6 this is a se4uen+e) so the

su"dominant and the mediant are used as "rief sto!!ing !oints during 0ydemir*s voyage "a+k to the

karar. 0lso) the yeden makes a "rief a!!earan+e as a muvakkat kalislar in measure =>. The seyir does

not go "elo# the karar) #hi+h is e,!e+ted in this makam) and the su"mediant infle+tion is e,!lored in

some interesting #ays in this inter!retation. The 0+em is seen in measures >3? as a re!eated

des+ending figure) and the 5vi1 a!!ears in measure == as !art of an as+ending s+alar !assage.



Bibliography

Signell) Farl. G ha!ter >6 Tonal enters and Their Se4uen+e.G Makam: Modal Practice inTurkish Art Music . Usul 5ditions) %&''.

Some Behaviors of the Uşşâk and the Hüseynî Makams

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