ABSTRACT
Maqām مقام (plural: مقامات maqāmāt) refers to the modal system of traditional Arab music—that is, both the specific tones associated with a given mode as well as the accepted routes through this collection of tones. Certain modulations of tone are permitted in specific modes, and transitions from one mode to another are also codified. The word maqām literally means “standing place” and in practice refers to both the modal system and the individual modes. Maqām is not to be confused with maqāma مقامة (a genre of Arabic rhymed prose) even though both words employ the same plural.
