Simon Shaheen taqsim are one of a kind; intense. This one of Simon Shaheen’s epic taqasim generously brought to you by Ameer Armaly’s YouTube channel. Make sure you subscribe as he regularly releases very rare and beautiful recordings from the Shaheen family.
I make reference to this YouTube video in my Step-by-Step Taqasim Program as reference material for Maqam Kurd.
One of my students asked for some assistance in analyzing this taqsim, and below is a summary of the melodic movements by maqam/jins.
0.00- 2.53: Maqam Kurd 2:28 he adds some ajam phrasing on Ab within the context of Maqam Kurd
2:54: Maqam Rast on F
3:50: Addition of jins Bayati on C effectively Maqam Nairuz on F
4:39: Continuation of Nairuz focusing melody on jins bayati on C
5.01-5.27: Maqam Saba on C.
5:30 Back to Nairuz with bayati on C.
5.32: Maqam Nishabur. This is sometimes played as a modulation in Maqam Nahawand on C. See Simon Shaheen & Ali Jihad Racy’s album “Taqasim”. Maqam Nishabur is very rare but remnants of it can be heard in Simon Shaheen’s taqasim and some Kurdish music, namely, “Kani Sepi” by the Kamkar Ensemble. The Nishabur melodic fragment is A(tonic/finalis), B, C(strong melodic gravity), D, Eb, F, G, A.
I had encountered this melody in Kurdish music 20 years ago, but never knew the source or name of this melody until I saw reference to it in Walter Feldman’s book, “Music of the Ottoman Court”.
5.51 Maqam Hijazkar on C.
6.14 Nawa Athar on F phrasing within maqam Maqam Hijazkar on C. They share the same notes, but the phrasing that creates melodic gravity on F modulates to what we would call Maqam Nawa Athar. You could also interpret this as further development of HIjazkar.
6.23 Maqam nahawand on F phrasing mixed with Jins Nakriz on F
6.40- 7:35: Nawa Athar/Nikriz on F
7.35 Nairuz on F
8.00 Back to Kurd.
8.35 Bayati on C as part of maqam Nairuz on F.
9.00 ends on Bayati on C.
