SEMIOTICS OF MUSICAL SYMBOLISM IN THE ARAB TRADITION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/facs-2025-6-18Keywords:
Arabic music, symbolism, semantics, maqam, iqāʿ, heterophony, improvisation.Abstract
The aim of the work is based on the study of the semiotic potential of the Arabic musical tradition through a compre- hensive analysis of its modal-intonational and metrorhythmic organisation, monophonic-heterophonic texture, improvisa- tional nature, and symbolic interconnection with poetic, ritual, and sociocultural practices. The article aims to reveal how musical sign systems shape the emotional and figurative semantics and cultural identity of Arabic music. The research methodology involves the use of an interdisciplinary semiotic approach that combines musicological, cultural and ethno- musicological analysis. The modal structures (maqams), metrorhythmic patterns (iqāʿ), texture, improvisation and per- formance practices of Arabic music are studied. The analysis is based on a comparison of classical and contemporary sources and concepts of musical signs and symbols, which allows us to consider a musical work as a carrier of cultural and aesthetic meaning. The scientific novelty emphasises the systematisation of knowledge about the symbolic potential of maqams and iqāʿ rhythms as cultural and emotional codes. It is shown that the monophonicity of Arabic music is realised through heterophonic texture and variability of performance, while improvisation and ornamentation enhance the semantic and aesthetic impact of musical expression. The close connection between musical codes and poetic text, ritual practices, and sociocultural contexts is proven. The conclusions demonstrate that modal-intonational and metro- rhythmic organisation, heterophonic texture, improvisation, ornamentation, and emphasis on poetic text form the multi- layered semiotic space of Arabic music. This ensures the dynamism, symbolic richness and cultural uniqueness of the tra- dition, reflecting a specific aesthetic philosophy based on individualisation, deep poetic meaning and the phenomenon of tarab – the experience of intense emotional and aesthetic pleasure while listening to music.
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