Makam Isfahan
Isfahan is a compound makam named for the great Persian city. It combines Uşşak and Buselik elements to create a contemplative, gently melancholic character — less dramatic than the Hicaz-family makams, more introspective.
Structure
Attested Isfahan combines:
- Lower region: Uşşak-derived intervals, with the characteristic neutral second
- Upper region: Buselik tetrachord
- Karar: Dügâh
- Güçlü: Neva or Hüseyni
- Seyir: İnici-çıkıcı (descending-ascending)
Attested The neutral second of the Uşşak element gives Isfahan a warm, slightly ambiguous quality that the Buselik upper region resolves into clearer minor territory. The inici-çıkıcı seyir — beginning with a descent before opening into ascending phrases — reinforces the contemplative character.
Character
Practice Isfahan occupies a quiet corner of the emotional spectrum. Where Hicaz is dramatic and Rast is bright, Isfahan is reflective — its neutral intervals and gentle melodic arc create a meditative quality suited to slow, unhurried performance.
Attested The makam has a respectable repertoire in both instrumental and vocal forms. Its contemplative character attracted composers working with mystical poetry and texts of spiritual reflection.
The name
Attested The name Isfahan (Persian: Esfahân) reflects the historical naming convention of connecting makams to cities and regions of the Islamic world — Hicaz (the Arabian peninsula), Irak (Iraq/Mesopotamia), and Isfahan (central Iran) all gave their names to modes in the Ottoman system. These geographical names may reflect real historical associations with regional musical practices, but the exact connections are largely unrecoverable.
Where to go from here
The Uşşak component: Uşşak. A related makam: Hüseyni. Classification: Simple, Transposed, and Compound Makams. Melodic path: Seyir.
Sources
- İsmail Hakkı Özkan, Türk Musikisi Nazariyatı ve Usulleri (Ötüken, 2006)Textbook / peer-reviewed
- Karl Signell, Makam: Modal Practice in Turkish Art Music (Asian Music Publications, 1977)Textbook / peer-reviewed
External Resources
Between Frets is not affiliated with or sponsored by any of the resources listed below. Links are provided for educational purposes only.
- Exploring Makam MusicEstablished
YouTube series analyzing Ottoman/Turkish classical music with individual makam explorations.
Provides structural context for Isfahan within the broader makam system, showing how its component cesni create a distinctive modal identity.
- Klasik Turk MusikisiEstablished
196-song classical Turkish music playlist spanning the Ottoman classical repertoire.
Isfahan compositions in the classical repertoire demonstrate this makam's characteristic emotional quality, different from its Persian dastgah namesake.
- DivanMakamEstablished
Interactive encyclopedia for classical Turkish music with searchable score and recording archives.
Search for Isfahan compositions to understand how Turkish composers have treated this makam, which shares its name with a Persian dastgah.
- Sephardic Pizmonim ProjectEstablished
Digital archive documenting makam/maqam usage in Sephardic Jewish liturgical music, with maqamat mapped to specific prayer occasions.
Isfahan makam appears in the Sephardic liturgical calendar, demonstrating its living use beyond the concert hall in communities that preserve Ottoman musical tradition.
Related Articles
- Turkish MakamUşşak Makamı: Structure, Seyir, and the Theory/Practice GapA guide to Uşşak, the second foundational Turkish makam — its neutral second degree, functional pitches, seyir, and the documented gap between AEU theory and measured performance.
- Turkish MakamHüseyni Makamı: Structure, Seyir, and Why Makam Is Not ScaleA guide to Hüseyni, the makam that shares its scale with Muhayyer yet sounds entirely different — demonstrating why seyir, not scale, defines a makam.
- Turkish MakamSimple, Transposed, and Compound MakamsHow Turkish makam theory classifies its hundreds of makams into three structural categories — basit, şed, and bileşik — and why the distinction matters for learning the system.