Quarter Tone - Music of The Middle East

Music of The Middle East

See also: Persian traditional music, Arabic music, and Arab tone system

While the use of quarter tones in modern Western music is a more recent and experimental phenomenon, these and other microtonal intervals have been an important part of the music of Iran (Persia), the Arab world, Armenia, Turkey, Assyria, Kurdistan, and neighboring lands and areas for many centuries.

Many Arabic maqamat contain intervals of three-quarter tone size; a short list of these follows.

  1. Shoor (Bayati) play
    شور (بیاتی)
    D E F G A B♭ C D
  2. Hussayni
  3. Siga play
    سيكاه
    E F G A B C D E
  4. Rast play
    راست
    C D E F G A B C
    with a B♭ replacing the B in the descending scale
  5. ‘Ajam
  • Sabba play
    صبا
    D E F G♭ A B♭ C D

The persian philosopher and scientist Al-Farabi described a number of intervals in his work in music, including a number of quarter tones.

Assyrian/Syriac Church Music Scale:

  • 1 - Qadmoyo (Bayati)
  • 2 - Trayono (Hussayni)
  • 3 - Tlithoyo (Segah)
  • 4 - Rbi‘oyo (Rast)
  • 5 - Hmishoyo
  • 6 - Shtithoyo (‘Ajam)
  • 7 - Shbi‘oyo
  • 8 - Tminoyo

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