Tahmilah
A tahmilah is a type of instrumental piece in Arabic music. Often played by a takht ensemble, the tahmilah features the alternation between solo instruments and the full ensemble.
The Tahmila (plural Tahamil) pronunciation
A dance form performed by the takht, which generally follows a simple 2/4 or 4/4 rhythm in moderate tempo.
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The tahmila is a 2 part form: the first form is similar to the doulab. It consists of short motives which expose the maqam. The second part incorporates short improvisational solos which alternate with precomposed ensemble refrains in a call and response fashion. Generally the call is an improvised section which is played by the soloist and consists of 2 measures. It is followed by a response of equal length that is played by the ensemble.
With this structure the soloist plays an improvised variation in each call after the takht responds with the same musical phrase played after the first call. These variations could go through modulations related to the given maqam of the Tahmila, or modulations to related maqamat using the different degrees of the original maqam as new tonalities.
The tahmila ends with a repetition of the first opening part.
