A VIAMAP exploration of the Tunisian ṭubūʿ

Amine Beyhom (1) , Hamdi Makhlouf (2)

1 CERMAA - Centre de Recherche sur les Musiques Arabes et Apparentées
2 ISM Tunis - Institut Supérieur de Musique de Tunis

In 2018 NEMO-Online published the first author's article "MAT for the VIAMAP-Maqām Analysis Tools for the Video-Animated Music Analysis Project"-with detailed explanations about more performing tools for the analysis of, mainly, solo maqām music, be it instrumental or vocal. It was followed by two articles in the same review, the 2019 "The Lost Art of Maqām" and the 2021 "Further Analyses from the VIAMAP" which explored further the maqām repertoire including performances from the maqām mainstream as well as from Syriac (Orthodox), Turkish musicians, and Cante Jondo (Flamenco) performances. This article deals with Tunisian solo performances from the 1932 Congrès du Caire recordings, mainly improvisations of Muḥammad Ghānim on rabāb and °Khmayyis° Tarnān onʿūd °ʿarbī°, in a very limited attempt at analysing a repertoire at a given period of time, here at the beginning of the 1930s. The results confirm previous research: each performance – and each analysis – is unique and, while few characteristics may apply to some – or most – of the performances, the rule remains the existence of substantial differences between different regions, performers and instruments. Furthermore, the results of the analyses of the Tunisian istikhbārāt confirm once again, if still needed today, the frequent disparities between theories and practices of music.

Domaines: Musique, musicologie et arts de la scène

Amine Beyhom, Hamdi Makhlouf. A VIAMAP exploration of the Tunisian ṭubūʿ. Tunisian Center of Musicological Publication, 2021. ⟨hal-03680903⟩