Introduction and Abstract

"Specters of Maqam" is a doctoral research project investigates the structural and semiotic aspects of the Middle Eastern melodic language and its transpositions across contemporary and experimental forms of musical expression. Leaning on recent approaches in ethnomusicology, where Maqam is studied as a transnational phenomenon (moving beyond the nationalist theories of the 19th and 20th centuries), the research builds upon the internalization of the extended tonality in traditional Maqam (commonly mislabeled as microtonality) in alignment with the material agency of the trumpet and its natural harmonic properties. The musical works featured in the project are, each in their own way, marked by traces of Middle Eastern melodic elements, whether audibly apparent or fragmented beyond recognition. Throughout this repertory (consisting of large-scale concertos as well as short solo pieces, études, and improvisations), the performance practice is confronted with non-musical materials and theoretical frameworks, generating a space for emergent meaning-making. This inquiry is taken further through extensive collaborations with composers, free improvisers, traditional music performers, and DJs, constructing a network of loosely connected case studies within a single discursive space.

The project’s tangible outcomes include a significant addition to the trumpet repertoire, a deeper understanding of non-tempered tuning and ornamental gestures, and the development of practical notational solutions for future composers and performers. Still, more than a set of purely technical contributions, the project positions itself as a critical intervention, aiming to expand the discourse on artistic agency in relation to (neo)colonialism, cultural trauma, and the lingering echoes of erased histories (“specters”), while reflecting on the roles and responsibilities of contemporary music in face of the precarious global realities of the mid-2020s.