Samai
The Samai (pl. Sama’iyyat)The Samai is a composed genre comprised of four sections (khana, plural khanat), each followed by the refrain (taslim). Samai means “listen” in Arabic. The samai composition demonstrates the 10/8 rhythmic mode (called samai thaqil) followed throughout the taslim and the first 3 khanat. The 4th khana, which precedes the last statement of the refrain, is typically composed in a 3/4 or 6/4 rhythm, called samai darij. Some contemporary composers display a 5/8, 7/8 or 9/8 rhythm in the 4th khana. The first three khanat of the Samai consist of 4 to 6 measures. The last (4th) khana varies from 6 to 24 measures. Generally the first khana in the Samai displays the selected maqam in a stepwise motion. It is usually played in the lower tetrachord (jins) of the maqam. The second khana shows a modulation to a related maqam. In the third khana the melodic range expands and reaches the higher tetrachord of the maqam. A vocal piece of Ottoman Turkish music composed in 6/8 meter, or usul semai, or yürük semai. This form and meter (usul in Turkish) is often confused with the completely different Saz Semaisi, an instrumental form consisting of three to four sections, in 10/8 meter, or usul aksak semai (broken semai in Turkish). Semai is one of the most important forms in Ottoman Turkish Sufi music. |
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