Uzzal Makamı: The Hicaz Family's Warm Interior

Uzzal shares its karar and its lower register with Hicaz — both rest on dügâh and open with the augmented second that defines the Hicaz family. But where Hicaz fills its upper register with the calm, neutral intervals of Rast, Uzzal answers the drama of the Hicaz beşli with the intimate, inward-turning sound of an Uşşak dörtlü. The result is a makam that begins with the same electrifying leap but resolves into something warmer and more contemplative above the güçlü.

Çeşni construction

Established Uzzal is built from two çeşni joined at hüseynî, the güçlü:

• Hicaz beşli (dügâh to hüseynî): S-A-S-T = 5+12+5+9 commas (31 total) — the Hicaz tetrachord extended by a whole tone (tanînî, 9 commas) to form a pentachord. This is the critical structural difference from plain Hicaz: where Hicaz uses a dörtlü (22 commas, ending at nevâ), Uzzal stretches the lower unit to a beşli (31 commas, reaching hüseynî), pushing the güçlü up by one degree.

• Uşşak dörtlü (hüseynî to muhayyer): S-K-T = 5+8+9 commas (22 total) — the same tetrachord that opens Uşşak makamı, here appearing in the upper register. Its neutral second (the 8-comma büyük mücennep between the sixth and seventh degrees) gives the upper register its characteristic warmth — the same quality that makes Uşşak one of the most emotionally accessible makams.

Established The full construction — Hicaz beşli plus Uşşak dörtlü — sums to 53 commas (one octave), as Holdrian comma arithmetic requires.

Scale in Holdrian commas

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

Established The ascending intervals in commas are: 5-12-5-9-5-8-9. The first four intervals (5-12-5-9) form the Hicaz beşli; the remaining three (5-8-9) form the Uşşak dörtlü. The augmented second (12 commas) between the second and third degrees remains the widest step — the same Hicaz leap that opens every member of the family.

Attested The sixth degree sits at 36 commas above the karar — between the named perdeler acem and eviç, with no settled perde name at this exact position. Turkish theory sources commonly refer to it as eviç, using the nearest standard perde name; in practice, as in Hüseyni and Uşşak, performers inflect this neutral pitch according to melodic context.

Functional pitches

Established Uzzal designates three functional pitches:

• Karar (resting tone): Dügâh (A) — where phrases and the piece conclude, with Hicaz beşli coloration.
• Güçlü (dominant/strong tone): Hüseynî (E) — the fifth degree, at the junction between the lower beşli and upper dörtlü. Half-cadences on hüseynî characteristically take on Uşşak çeşni coloring. This distinguishes Uzzal from plain Hicaz, whose güçlü is nevâ, one degree lower.
• Yeden (leading tone): Rast (G below the karar) — pulling upward toward dügâh in cadential motion.

Seyir: the melodic path

Established Uzzal's seyir is classified as inici-çıkıcı (descending-ascending), the same directional category as Hicaz. The melody characteristically begins around the güçlü (hüseynî), explores both directions, and descends through the Hicaz beşli to rest on dügâh.

Practice A typical Uzzal seyir unfolds as:

1. Begin in the vicinity of the güçlü (hüseynî) or slightly above, establishing the upper Uşşak dörtlü region.
2. Explore upward toward muhayyer, with half-cadences on the güçlü taking Uşşak-flavored coloring — the neutral second above hüseynî is the signature sound of this register.
3. Descend through the Hicaz beşli, exposing the augmented second between dik kürdî and nim hicaz, and cadence on the karar (dügâh).
4. In extended development (particularly in taksim), return upward through both çeşni regions, with the contrast between the dramatic Hicaz lower portion and the warm Uşşak upper portion providing the central tension.

Attested In descending passages through the upper register, some performers lower the sixth degree toward acem (F natural), softening the Uşşak dörtlü further. This parallels the Acemli variant found in Hüseyni.

Attested Uzzal also supports upward expansion (genişleme) above muhayyer with Bûselik-flavored intervals, extending the melodic range into the high register for taksim and extended vocal passages.

Inside the Hicaz family

Established Uzzal belongs to a family of four makams that share dügâh as their karar and use Hicaz çeşni for their final cadences. They differ in how much of the lower register the Hicaz çeşni occupies and what fills the upper register:

Established The family divides into two structural pairs. The first pair — Hicaz and Hümâyûn — use the Hicaz dörtlü in the lower register, keeping the güçlü at nevâ (the fourth degree). They differ only in the upper beşli: Rast (neutral intervals) versus Bûselik (whole tones and a bakiye). The second pair — Uzzal and Zirgüleli Hicaz — extend the lower Hicaz çeşni to a beşli, pushing the güçlü up to hüseynî (the fifth degree). They differ in the upper dörtlü: Uzzal uses Uşşak (neutral warmth) while Zirgüleli Hicaz uses a second Hicaz dörtlü (doubling the augmented second).

Practice Among these four, Uzzal occupies a distinctive emotional ground. Plain Hicaz is dramatic and outward-facing; Zirgüleli Hicaz doubles down on that drama with a second augmented second in the upper register. Uzzal tempers the lower augmented second with Uşşak's neutral, meditative quality above the güçlü — a contrast that gives it a character sometimes described as reflective or inward-turning.

Common modulations

Practice Uzzal modulates naturally within the Hicaz family, and performers often pass through several family members in a single taksim:

• Hicaz: By treating nevâ rather than hüseynî as the güçlü and introducing Rast-flavored intervals above it — the lower Hicaz çeşni is shared, so the transition is seamless.
• Hümâyûn: By lowering the sixth degree to acem and using Bûselik intervals above nevâ — the lower dörtlü is again identical.
• Zirgüleli Hicaz: By replacing the Uşşak dörtlü above hüseynî with a Hicaz dörtlü — introducing a second augmented second in the upper register.
• Uşşak: By cadencing on hüseynî with Uşşak coloring and lingering in the upper register — the Uşşak dörtlü above hüseynî already suggests this path.

Uzzal in the repertoire

Attested Uzzal has a well-attested place in the Ottoman court repertoire. The notation archives at neyzen.com catalogue peşrev (instrumental preludes) attributed to composers from across the classical Ottoman period, alongside vocal works (şarkı) by İsmail Dede Efendi (1778-1846) and Hacı Ârif Bey (1831-1885), and instrumental pieces by the modern composer Cinuçen Tanrıkorur (1938-2000).

Practice The contrast between the dramatic Hicaz lower register and the warm Uşşak upper register gives performers a wide expressive range, making Uzzal well suited to extended taksim development. For students, learning Uzzal after studying Hicaz and Uşşak reinforces how çeşni assembly creates makam identity — the same building blocks recombined produce a genuinely different modal character.