Iraqi Maqam
CA0027 · Music · Iraq; classical vocal tradition with continuing diaspora performance
Historical / contextual reference
Specific contextual photograph or object image; not a license to reproduce any musical recording.
Credit: Santuurchi
Rights: CC BY-SA 4.0
Iraqi Maqam combines an extensive song repertory with highly developed vocal interpretation. UNESCO describes a lead singer, or qari, interacting with an accompanying ensemble rather than merely singing over an interchangeable backing. Instruments can include the santur, jawzah, dumbak and daff. Classical and colloquial Arabic poetry provide verbal material, and performances have taken place in private gatherings, coffeehouses and theatres. This entry preserves the relationship among musical modes, poetry and the social act of listening. It also distinguishes a specific Iraqi tradition from the broader family of modal practices to which it is related across neighboring regions.
Why preserve it: Curatorial interpretation: A performance can carry literary registers, urban gathering habits and musical history together in one event.
Keep in mind: Do not treat an old source’s description of political conditions as a present-day security assessment. Recording rights remain separate.