Mosul maqam project preserves heritage music with modern twist

MOSUL – A new initiative in Mosul aims to preserve the city’s traditional “maqam” music, documenting and archiving 500 heritage works while blending local melodies with jazz and clarinet. The project concluded with a final performance attended by a large crowd and an orchestra of talented musicians.

Maqam, a system of melodic modes in Middle Eastern music, goes beyond scales to include rules for composing and improvising melodies. Each maqam carries a unique mood and character, playing a significant cultural role, particularly in classical and religious music across the region.

Briar Bajalan, director of the Maqam Mosul project, told 964media: “We held a musical evening to mark the project’s conclusion, featuring Mosul ‘maqam’ performances. Our team discovered both audio and written documents on traditional songs, collecting 500 pieces so far from Mosul-based archivists. These will be stored in a database, documenting the creators to preserve their rights.”

The project uncovered a century-old audio record, cassette tapes, vinyl records, and books, all of which will be restored and returned to their owners. More than 50 men and women were trained in maqam reading through 22 weekly workshops, with participants including maqam readers, Quran reciters, and religious chanters. Women were supported with provisions such as transportation and childcare.

The project brought together musicians from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds to form an orchestra, which recorded a traditional music album with occasional jazz elements under the direction of American-Iraqi jazz trumpeter Amir El-Saffar.

“We performed traditional Mosul and Baghdad songs from the 20th century,” said El-Saffar. “I introduced light jazz elements to the maqam without altering it too much, ensuring the audience still enjoyed the traditional sound. We also incorporated instruments like the clarinet and trumpet.”

Orhan Al-Bayati, a ney player, noted that the performance included the Panjgah maqam, a mode less commonly used recently, which was reintroduced in a distinct Mosul style with some experimental jazz elements.

Ramez Al-Rawi, a workshop instructor, explained that the maqam workshop selected 50 of the most talented applicants out of 100, who trained on eight main maqam modes and eight secondary ones.