Music Salon Explores Eight Arab Maqams Through Theory and Performance

The Music Affairs Center, affiliated with the Ministry of Culture, held a seminar titled "The Arab Maqam: Its Intervals, Ajnas and Branches" on 24 September 2026 as part of its "Music Salon" programme.

The seminar introduced audiences to Arab musical heritage through a combination of theoretical analysis and live performance. It explored the Arab maqam as a fundamental component of Arab and Eastern music, explaining its concept, structure, musical intervals, ajnas, branches, technical characteristics and tonal relationships.

The discussion also examined the presence and use of maqams in Arab compositions and songs. Live musical examples accompanied the explanations, allowing the audience to connect the theoretical concepts with the way each maqam sounds in performance.

The seminar covered eight prominent Arab maqams: Rast, Nahawand, Ajam, Kurd, Bayati, Hijaz, Saba and Sikah. The presentation explained the principal musical characteristics of each maqam, the features distinguishing its structure and its main branches.

The Music Affairs Center's ensemble performed eight live musical segments corresponding to the eight maqams discussed. This gave attendees an opportunity to identify their characteristics through listening and practical demonstration alongside the theoretical explanation.

Amir Ayad, an oud player at the Music Affairs Center, presented the seminar with the centre's musical ensemble. Abeer Al Nimer moderated the discussion.

Khalid Al Salem, Director of the Music Affairs Center, said the seminar reflected the centre's efforts to broaden musical knowledge and bring audiences closer to the fundamental elements of Arab music.

Al Salem explained that the maqam is one of the most important components of Arab music and that understanding it should not be limited to specialists. He said learning about maqams opens a wider path towards understanding the nature of Arab melodies and the characteristics that distinguish them.

He added that the "Music Salon" provides a platform combining knowledge, listening and practical demonstration. Through this approach, the programme seeks to increase public awareness of Arab musical heritage and make its concepts more accessible to audiences.

Ayad said every maqam represents more than a sequence of musical notes. He described each one as a musical identity that gives a melody its particular character and determines the range of emotions and expressions it can convey.

He explained that the organisers wanted the discussion to move beyond theory. Each part of the seminar was therefore accompanied by musical examples that enabled the audience to hear the characteristics being discussed and recognise the differences between maqams through the music itself.

The seminar also considered variations in the structure and treatment of maqams across different regional musical schools. Participants discussed the place of the maqam in contemporary music and its continuing role within the current Arab musical landscape.

The discussion further addressed the questions raised by globalisation, modern cultural developments and other contemporary shifts affecting Arab music and its surrounding environment. By combining explanation, listening and live application, the seminar presented the maqam as both a technical musical structure and a defining element of Arab musical expression.

The seminar's practical approach complemented the centre's wider educational work on Eastern maqams. Ayad has also presented educational material explaining their aesthetics, foundations and construction, along with the differences between them in musical character and emotional effect.

These educational presentations use live oud examples to clarify the distinctions between maqams and connect them with the history of Arab singing and their use within musical heritage. This method is intended to make specialist musical knowledge easier for the public and students to understand through both explanation and direct listening.

The centre has said that its educational activities form part of a plan to document and disseminate musical knowledge, strengthen the cultural presence of music in society and contribute to preserving Arab heritage. It also seeks to introduce this heritage to new generations in a contemporary and accessible form.

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