Suzinak Makami: Where Rast Meets the Augmented Second

Suzinak takes the familiar warmth of Rast in its lower register and pairs it with the taut, dramatic tension of Hicaz above. The result is a makam that begins in one emotional world and arrives in another -- Rast's stable, neutral character giving way to the augmented second's pull -- making it one of the most expressive and widely composed makams in the Ottoman classical tradition.

Established Ozkan classifies Suzinak as one of the most frequently used makams in the Turkish music system. It exists in two varieties -- basit (simple) Suzinak and zirguleli Suzinak -- and both rest on the rast perde as their karar.

Cesni construction

Established Basit Suzinak is built from two cesni joined at neva, the guclu:

• Rast besli (rast to neva): T-K-S-T = 9+8+5+9 commas (31 total) -- the same pentachord that defines Rast makami, with its characteristic neutral third (segah) at 17 commas. This lower register is where Suzinak and Rast share their identity -- the only difference between the two makams lies above neva.

• Hicaz dortlu (neva to gerdaniye): S-A-S = 5+12+5 commas (22 total) -- the tetrachord that defines Hicaz makami, here serving as the upper register. Its augmented second (12 commas, approximately 272 cents) between hisar and evic introduces the dramatic interval that distinguishes Suzinak from Rast.

Established The full construction -- Rast besli plus Hicaz dortlu -- sums to 53 commas (one octave), as Holdrian comma arithmetic requires.

Scale in Holdrian commas

Established The ascending scale, in commas above the karar (rast):

Established The ascending intervals in commas are: 9-8-5-9-5-12-5. The first four intervals (9-8-5-9) form the Rast besli; the last three (5-12-5) form the Hicaz dortlu. The 12-comma augmented second between hisar and evic is the widest step in the scale -- the moment where Rast's neutral stability gives way to Hicaz's expressive tension.

Established Because the lower pentachord is pure Rast, the neutral intervals (the 8-comma buyuk mucennep and 5-comma kucuk mucennep) make Suzinak unplayable in 12-TET. The upper Hicaz dortlu alone maps reasonably to a keyboard, but the Rast besli beneath it does not.

Functional pitches

Established Suzinak designates three functional pitches:

• Karar (resting tone): Rast (G) -- where the makam concludes, always with Rast cesni coloring in the final descent.
• Guclu (dominant/strong tone): Neva (D) -- the junction between the lower Rast besli and upper Hicaz dortlu. Half-cadences at neva characteristically take on Hicaz cesni coloring.
• Yeden (leading tone): Irak (F# below the karar) -- theoretically the leading tone, though Ozkan notes that virtually no Suzinak composition actually uses the yeden in its cadential motion.

Seyir: the melodic path

Established Suzinak's seyir is classified as inici-cikici (descending-ascending): the melody begins in the vicinity of the guclu rather than at the karar, explores both directions, and eventually settles on the karar. This contrasts with Rast, whose seyir is purely ascending (cikici).

Practice In performance, a Suzinak seyir commonly unfolds as:

1. Begin around neva (the guclu), establishing both the Rast besli below and the Hicaz dortlu above.
2. Move freely between the two cesni regions, letting the contrast between Rast's neutral warmth and Hicaz's augmented tension emerge naturally.
3. Arrive at the guclu (neva) for a half-cadence with Hicaz cesni coloring.
4. Explore the asma kadars (see below), and if the composition calls for it, move into the extended upper register.
5. Return through the Rast besli and cadence on the karar (rast), typically without using the yeden (irak).

Attested Some Suzinak compositions conclude not through the Suzinak dizi itself but through acemli Rast -- replacing hisar and evic with huseyni and acem in the upper register, effectively modulating into Rast for the final cadence.

Asma karar: suspension cadences

Established Suzinak is exceptionally rich in asma kadars (suspension cadences) -- temporary resting points on pitches other than the karar or guclu, each colored by a different cesni:

• Neva -- the primary half-cadence, colored by Hicaz cesni.
• Cargah -- colored by Nikriz cesni, creating a brief darkening.
• Segah -- colored by Huzzam cesni. Ozkan notes that this cadence requires pressing hisar slightly sharp (dikce) to produce the correct Huzzam inflection.
• Dugah -- produces a Karcigar dizi, a natural modulation given that Karcigar shares the same Rast-family lower register.
• Hisar and evic -- serve as cesni-free resting points (melodic pauses without invoking a specific cesni identity).

Practice This abundance of asma kadars gives performers substantial room for improvisation. A taksim in Suzinak can visit Nikriz, Huzzam, and Karcigar territories without formally modulating out of the makam -- each suspension cadence is a doorway into a different color.

Basit and zirguleli varieties

Established The term "Suzinak" in practice covers two distinct makams that share the same karar (rast) and seyir character (inici-cikici):

Basit (simple) Suzinak is the construction described above: Rast besli + Hicaz dortlu. Its lower pentachord uses the standard Rast perdeler (rast, dugah, segah, cargah, neva).

Zirguleli Suzinak is a sed (transposition) of Zirguleli Hicaz to the rast perde. Where basit Suzinak uses a Rast besli below, zirguleli Suzinak replaces the second degree with zirgule -- lowering dugah by 4 commas (from 9 to 5 commas above rast) and introducing a Hicaz besli in the lower register. Its scale: rast (0), zirgule (5), segah (17), cargah (22), neva (31), hisar (36), evic (48), gerdaniye (53).

Practice Ozkan notes that in common usage the "zirguleli" qualifier is rarely spoken -- both varieties are simply called "Suzinak," and performers distinguish them by context rather than explicit naming.

Extension and modulation

Established Suzinak extends upward (tiz taraftan genisler) by adding a Buselik besli on gerdaniye above the Hicaz dortlu on neva. This extension creates a Humayun dizi on neva, enriching the upper register with a minor-flavored pentachord.

Established The kinship between Suzinak and Rast is the makam's most important modulation pathway. Because the two share an identical lower pentachord, the transition requires only a change in the upper register: replacing hisar and evic with huseyni and acem converts the passage from Suzinak to acemli Rast. Ozkan observes that some compositions exploit this freely, passing through Rast territory before returning to Suzinak for the final cadence -- or vice versa.

Attested At the guclu, ascending and descending motion can also produce an average Hicaz dizi on neva -- using tiz segah ascending and sunbule descending -- or Uzzal coloring when muhayyer serves as an upper neighbor with sunbule.

Notable compositions

Established The Suzinak repertoire spans the full range of Ottoman classical forms. Among the most notable:

• Hamamizade Ismail Dede Efendi -- yuruk semai beginning "Cana firak-i askin ile suzinakinem," a celebrated wordplay where suzinakinem means both "I am in a state of burning lament" and names the makam itself.
• Dellalzade Ismail Efendi -- beste in devr-i kebir usul.
• Neyzen Aziz Dede -- saz semai.
• Santuri Edhem Efendi -- pesrev in devr-i kebir usul.
• Eyyubi Zekai Dede -- ayin-i serif (Mevlevi whirling ceremony).

Practice guidance

Practice Suzinak is best approached after solid grounding in both Rast and Hicaz, since understanding each cesni independently is essential before hearing them combined. The primary challenge is the transition point at neva: the ear must learn to shift from Rast's neutral stability to Hicaz's augmented pull without losing the thread of the seyir.

Practice Drone work on rast, with attention to the Rast besli's neutral third (segah at 17 commas), provides the same foundation as Rast practice. The upper register demands separate work: the Hicaz dortlu's augmented second (12 commas between hisar and evic) must be internalized as its own interval, not approximated from 12-TET. Practicing the transition across neva -- ascending from Rast cesni into Hicaz cesni and descending back -- is the most productive exercise for developing the makam's characteristic sound.