Saz semai explained

The saz semai (also spelled in Turkish as saz sema'i, saz sema-i, saz sema i, saz semaī, saz semâ'î, sazsemai, saz semaisi, or sazsemaisi and in the Arab world as samâi) is an instrumental form in Ottoman classical music. It was typically the closing movement of a fasıl (i.e. suite). The saz semai is metered and typically uses the usul (rhythmic structure) called aksak semai.

A saz semai is typically in 4 movements, called hane (lit. "house"), each movement followed by a teslim (refrain).The teslim and the first three hane are usually in rhythm structure 10/8, unlike the fourth hane which will be in 6/4.

Common Saz Semaisi

Some Saz Semaisi are very well-known and played in the all makam music area (From Greece to Iraq, and from Iraq to Morocco).

Here a few of them :

Saz Semai's Composers

Bibliography

External links

See also