Oriental music
The term oriental music is used to describe the music of the Middle East and related regions such as North Africa , the Levant and the Persian Gulf states . Oriental music is not limited to the music of the Arabic-speaking countries, Israel , Iran or Turkey . Oriental music also shows features that are comparable to Greek and Indian music ; Their influence extends over Central Asia , the Caucasus , from Southeast Europe to the chalga of Bulgarian folk music.
The Arabic scale differs considerably from the Western one . In Western music - that is, in western Europe - there are 7 “white” and 5 “black” keys on the piano. This octave (C to C) is divided into 12 intervals (semitone steps). The classical music of Arabia can be played with 17, 19 or 24 intervals in the octave.
String instruments as well as the human voice are able to reproduce these tones “between” the intervals of the piano octave well. These “quarter tones” are alien to the occidental sense of music.
One counts to oriental music
- Afghan music
- Albanian music
- Arabesque (genre)
- Arabic music
- Armenian music
- Azerbaijani music
- Assyrian music / Aramaic music
- Egyptian music
- Ethiopian music
- Berber music
- Bosnian music
- Greek music (partially)
- Iraqi music
- Indian music
- Jordanian music
- Kurdish music
- Lebanese music
- Luric music
- Persian music
- Palestinian music
- Raï (North Africa)
- Syrian music
- Turkish music
- Central Asian music