![Ajnas-Maraghi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Ajnas-Maraghi.svg)
A jins ( ar, جنس, pl. ar, أجناس, ajnās, label=none) in traditional
Arabic music
Arabic music or Arab music ( ar, الموسيقى العربية, al-mūsīqā al-ʿArabīyyah) is the music of the Arab world with all its diverse music styles and genres. Arabic countries have many rich and varied styles of music and also man ...
theory, is a set of three, four, or five stepwise pitches used to build an
Arabic ''maqam'', or melodic mode. They correspond to the English terms
trichord
In music theory, a trichord () is a group of three different pitch classes found within a larger group. A trichord is a contiguous three-note set from a musical scale or a twelve-tone row.
In musical set theory there are twelve trichords given ...
,
tetrachord
In music theory, a tetrachord ( el, τετράχορδoν; lat, tetrachordum) is a series of four notes separated by three intervals. In traditional music theory, a tetrachord always spanned the interval of a perfect fourth, a 4:3 frequency propo ...
, and
pentachord
A pentachord in music theory may be either of two things. In pitch-class set theory, a pentachord is defined as any five pitch classes, regarded as an unordered collection . In other contexts, a pentachord may be any consecutive five-note section ...
. A ''maqam'' is made up of two or more ''ajnas''.
Etymology
The Arabic word () probably derives from the Greek word grc, γένος, label=none () or else from the related Latin word , either way from the same
Proto-Indo-European
Proto-Indo-European (PIE) is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. Its proposed features have been derived by linguistic reconstruction from documented Indo-European languages. No direct record of Proto-Indo-E ...
root. The basic meaning is that of a kind, family, or race. The same Arabic word is also used to mean
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
in biology, and
gender
Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most cultures u ...
.
Meaning of a jins
Traditional music theory texts tend to describe a jins as a concrete set of pitches (in many cases a set of exactly four pitches, i.e. a tetrachord), and they are often quick to give mathematically precise intervals for the ideal version of each jins. Their authors were probably influenced by the writings of ancient Greek music theorists going back to
Pythagoras
Pythagoras of Samos ( grc, Πυθαγόρας ὁ Σάμιος, Pythagóras ho Sámios, Pythagoras the Samos, Samian, or simply ; in Ionian Greek; ) was an ancient Ionians, Ionian Ancient Greek philosophy, Greek philosopher and the eponymou ...
(see
Tetrachord
In music theory, a tetrachord ( el, τετράχορδoν; lat, tetrachordum) is a series of four notes separated by three intervals. In traditional music theory, a tetrachord always spanned the interval of a perfect fourth, a 4:3 frequency propo ...
and
Genus (music)
In the musical system of ancient Greece, genus (Greek: γένος 'genos'' pl. γένη 'genē'' Latin: ''genus'', pl. ''genera'' "type, kind") is a term used to describe certain classes of intonations of the two movable notes within a tetracho ...
), and their intention had more to do with deriving ideal musical scales from basic mathematical principles rather than simply using mathematical tools to describe scales that are basically products of human culture.
A more modern approach is to accept performance practice as the arbiter of truth, and to use the concept of ajnas to describe that practice as naturally and faithfully as possible. This results in several deviations from the traditional concept of a jins that are useful:
* A jins need not contain exactly 4 pitches, but could contain 3, 5, or even greater numbers of pitches (depending on how membership in the jins is defined).
* The intervals with a jins are not mathematically fixed to one ideal form, because different regional styles and even different individual performers can use
differently tuned intervals as part of their artistic expression.
* A jins is not only a set of pitches, but can include at least two kinds of special, distinguished pitches: the
tonic (the "home" or "resting place" of melodic phrases), and the ''ghammaz'' (an intermediate resting point and also often a point of modulation to other ajnas). Traditionally the tonic is always considered to be the lowest pitch in the jins, but there is no convincing reason for this and sometimes a clearer analysis can be made in terms of ajnas that go below the tonic as well.
* The realm of melodic influence of a jins often extends above or below the proper notes of the jins, especially to the "
leading tone
In music theory, a leading-tone (also called a subsemitone, and a leading-note in the UK) is a note or pitch which resolves or "leads" to a note one semitone higher or lower, being a lower and upper leading-tone, respectively. Typically, ''the' ...
" or pitch immediately below the tonic, which is commonly used in melodies and lies a particular interval below the tonic for each jins.
* In addition to all that, each jins has certain melodic fragments that are more expected or traditional in the idiom of Arabic music, and substantially deviating from them results in melodies that are rarer or more experimental. In other words, each jins comes with its own "vocabulary" of phrases that musicians draw from to build idiomatic melodies.
Standard tonics and transposition
A jins is defined and recognized by its
intervals
Interval may refer to:
Mathematics and physics
* Interval (mathematics), a range of numbers
** Partially ordered set#Intervals, its generalization from numbers to arbitrary partially ordered sets
* A statistical level of measurement
* Interval e ...
, so it can be
transposed
In linear algebra, the transpose of a matrix is an operator which flips a matrix over its diagonal;
that is, it switches the row and column indices of the matrix by producing another matrix, often denoted by (among other notations).
The tr ...
to a different absolute pitch and still be considered the same jins. Unlike Western
major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
and
minor scale
In music theory, the minor scale is three scale patterns – the natural minor scale (or Aeolian mode), the harmonic minor scale, and the melodic minor scale (ascending or descending) – rather than just two as with the major scale, which also ...
s, however, ajnas are not (in practice) transposed to more than a handful of appropriate tonic pitches. The reason for this is partly tradition and partly because of the ergonomics and mechanical capabilities of different instruments. For example, players of stringed instruments such as the
oud
, image=File:oud2.jpg
, image_capt=Syrian oud made by Abdo Nahat in 1921
, background=
, classification=
* String instruments
*Necked bowl lutes
, hornbostel_sachs=321.321-6
, hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded with a plectrum
, ...
or
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
generally prefer the tonic and ''ghammaz'' of a jins to be on open strings. An even more obvious example is the "Arabized"
accordion
Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...
, which may be equipped with only a limited set of quarter-tone notes, such as E half-flat, A half-flat, and B half-flat — this greatly restricts the keys in which the non-semitonal ajnas can be played.
The ajnas below are presented on their "standard" tonics, which are the traditional versions first taught to music students. In some cases the jins actually shares its name with the name of the pitch in the historic 24-tone
Arab tone system The modern Arab tone system, or system of musical tuning, is based upon the theoretical division of the octave into twenty-four equal divisions or 24-tone equal temperament (24-TET), the distance between each successive note being a quarter tone ( ...
, for example "Rast" is both the name of a jins and the name of the note C, which is its standard tonic (jins Rast also frequently starts on F or G, but those are considered alternative tonics).
Most common ajnas
A
mnemonic
A mnemonic ( ) device, or memory device, is any learning technique that aids information retention or retrieval (remembering) in the human memory for better understanding.
Mnemonics make use of elaborative encoding, retrieval cues, and imag ...
device used by some music students to remember the names of the eight most common ajnas (or corresponding maqamat) is the Arabic phrase () which means "made with your magic" and has eight Arabic letters, one for each jins. In this order they are (), (), (), (, , , (), and ().
ʿAjam
![Jins Ajam](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Jins_Ajam.svg)
Jins ʿAjam is a pentachord spanning a
perfect fifth
In music theory, a perfect fifth is the Interval (music), musical interval corresponding to a pair of pitch (music), pitches with a frequency ratio of 3:2, or very nearly so.
In classical music from Western culture, a fifth is the interval fro ...
and is similar to the bottom part of a
major scale
The major scale (or Ionian mode) is one of the most commonly used musical scales, especially in Western music. It is one of the diatonic scales. Like many musical scales, it is made up of seven notes: the eighth duplicates the first at double i ...
.
Bayati
![Jins Bayati](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Jins_Bayati.svg)
Jins Bayati is a tetrachord spanning a
perfect fourth
A fourth is a musical interval encompassing four staff positions in the music notation of Western culture, and a perfect fourth () is the fourth spanning five semitones (half steps, or half tones). For example, the ascending interval from C to ...
. There are two
neutral second
In music theory, a neutral interval is an interval that is neither a major nor minor, but instead in between. For example, in equal temperament, a major third is 400 cents, a minor third is 300 cents, and a neutral third is 350 cents. A neutral ...
s above the tonic, so this jins is not playable in
12 equal temperament
Twelve-tone equal temperament (12-TET) is the musical system that divides the octave into 12 parts, all of which are equally tempered (equally spaced) on a logarithmic scale, with a ratio equal to the 12th root of 2 ( ≈ 1.05946). That result ...
, even approximately.
Hijaz
![Jins Hijaz](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Jins_Hijaz.svg)
Jins Hijaz is a tetrachord spanning a perfect fourth. It has a distinctive large step (an
augmented second
In classical music from Western culture, an augmented second is an interval that, in equal temperament, is sonically equivalent to a minor third, spanning three semitones, and is created by widening a major second by a chromatic semitone.Benwar ...
) between the second and third pitches. Though a version of jins Hijaz exists in equal temperament, many sources claim this is an inferior rendering and give it the disparaging name "Piano Hijaz". In particular, the D-E♭ and F♯-G intervals are usually larger than equal-tempered
semitone
A semitone, also called a half step or a half tone, is the smallest musical interval commonly used in Western tonal music, and it is considered the most dissonant when sounded harmonically.
It is defined as the interval between two adjacent no ...
s, making the E♭-F♯ augmented second significantly smaller than a minor third.
Kurd
![Jins Kurd](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Jins_Kurd.svg)
Jins Kurd is a tetrachord spanning a perfect fourth. It resembles the bottom half of the
Phrygian mode
The Phrygian mode (pronounced ) can refer to three different musical modes: the ancient Greek ''tonos'' or ''harmonia,'' sometimes called Phrygian, formed on a particular set of octave species or scales; the Medieval Phrygian mode, and the modern ...
in Western music.
Nahawand
![Jins Nahawand](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Jins_Nahawand.svg)
Jins Nahawand is a tetrachord spanning a perfect fourth. It resembles the bottom half of a
minor scale
In music theory, the minor scale is three scale patterns – the natural minor scale (or Aeolian mode), the harmonic minor scale, and the melodic minor scale (ascending or descending) – rather than just two as with the major scale, which also ...
.
Saba
![Jins Saba](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Jins_Saba.svg)
Jins Saba is usually defined as a tetrachord spanning an interval significantly less than a perfect fourth. It is similar to Bayati with a flattened fourth pitch. Unlike many other ajnas, there is broad agreement about the emotional character of jins Saba: its mood is one of intense distress or yearning.
Sikah
![Jins Sikah](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Jins_Sikah.svg)
Jins Sikah is a trichord spanning a
neutral third
A neutral third is a musical interval wider than a minor third but narrower than a major third , named by Jan Pieter Land in 1880. Land makes reference to the neutral third attributed to Zalzal (8th c.), described by Al-Farabi (10th c.) as c ...
. Sikah is unique in that its tonic is a "quarter-tone" pitch (this distinction between "quarter-tone" vs "semitonal" pitches is not merely an artifact of equal-temperament hegemony; one practical difference between them is that a "quarter-tone" pitch will never be found on an open string of a stringed instrument such as the
oud
, image=File:oud2.jpg
, image_capt=Syrian oud made by Abdo Nahat in 1921
, background=
, classification=
* String instruments
*Necked bowl lutes
, hornbostel_sachs=321.321-6
, hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded with a plectrum
, ...
or
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
). This jins can also start on A half-flat or B half-flat, but it will never start on a semitonal or open-string note such as C, D, F, G, A...
Rast
![Jins Rast](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Jins_Rast.svg)
Jins Rast is a pentachord spanning a perfect fifth. The third pitch is a neutral third above the tonic, and its specific tuning varies among different regional traditions. In much of the Arab world its tuning is somewhere generally near an actual quarter-tone (350 cents) - with local variations - while in the corresponding
Turkish scales also called "rast" it is much closer to a major third (e.g. 380 cents).
See also
*
Arabic maqam
Arabic maqam ( ar, مقام, maqām, literally "rank"; ') is the system of melodic modes used in traditional Arabic music, which is mainly melodic. The word ''maqam'' in Arabic means place, location or position. The Arabic ''maqam'' is a melo ...
*
Jins/ajnas in Arabic music
References
{{reflist, refs=
[{{cite book , last1=Farraj , first1=Johnny , last2=Abu Shumays , first2=Sami , year=2019 , title=Inside Arabic Music , publisher=Oxford University Press , isbn=978-0190658359]
External links
''Jins'' pagefrom Maqamworld site
which defines ''jins''
Arabic music theory
Melody types