Vocal Composed Forms are the bread and butter of Arabic Music, since that is overwhelmigly a vocal tradition.
The Muwashah (plural Muwashahat) is a complex vocal form based on classical Arabic poems from Andalusia (hence muwashahat are sometimes qualified as Andalusian even though their composed melodies are invariably from Syria through Egypt, and only date back from the last century or two.)
Muwashahat often use odd and complex rhythmic cycles (see iqa‘at) starting from 5/4, to 7/4, 7/8, 10/8, 11/8, 13/8, 17/8 and so on. Muwashahat melodies are intricate, often syncopated and leverage these iqa‘at.
The traditional was to perform a muwashah is by a mutrib (principal vocalist) and an ensemble that includes backing vocalists. The mutrib can take a composed section and repeat it multiple times, each time with a different improvisation or maqam modulation (this practice is called tafrid). These solo improvisations alternate back and forth with the backing vocalists singing the composed melody.
The Qadd (plural qudud) is a light and simple traditional song that flourished in Aleppo, Syria. Qudud are usually performed at the end of a wasla, after heavier pieces like adwar, qasa'id or muwashahat. Qudud lyrics are in the colloquial Aleppan (or sometimes Egyptian) dialects and are very accessible, down to earth and easy to memorize.
The Dawr (plural Adwar) is an Egyptian composed vocal form that flourished around the turn of the 19th century and continued until the 1930s. The dawr is complex to compose and perform, and demanding to sing, and was the center of the wasla for a long time. The dawr lyrics are always in colloquial Egyptian.
The dawr usually sarts with a dulab, then different vocal sections, followed by the "Ahat" (a section where the singer and the backing vocalists exchange melodies with the lyrics "Ah" in a call and response fashion).
The Taqtuqa (plural Taqatiq) is the standard 3-4 minute Arabic song with multiple verses and a repeating chorus. Taqatiq usually use simple iqa‘at like Iqa‘ Maqsum and have accessible lyrics and a melody that's simple to memorize and sing along to.
The Ughniya (plural aghani) is a long song developed toward the middle of the 20th century. The ughniya can last up to hour in a live setting and has a long introduction (see The Muqaddima) as well as multiple sections with full maqam modulations. The ughniya is usually performed with a large orchestra and features megastar singers like Umm Kulthum, Abdel Halim Hafez and Warda.
The Qasida (plural Qasa'id) is a metered poem in classical Arabic, and the composed form using that poem as its lyrics. The qasida is usually performed by a solo vocalist accompanied by an ensemble, and tends to be long and elaborate in order to feature the vocalist.
The Monologue is a composed song based loosely on the aria in Opera music. It was a popular form around the middle of the 20th century. The monologue is performed by one singer with an accompanying ensemble, and does not have any repeating sections, which means it keeps introducing new phrases and melodies from start to finish.
The Duet is a composed piece with two singers, often a man and a woman, taking turns or singing together. It was popular mostly in early 20th century musical plays and movies. As such, the duet’s lyrics tend to be romantic, dramatic and theatrical.
The Wasla (plural waslat) is a form that contains other forms that are performed consecutively as one unit, usually in the same maqam. A short wasla can take 5-10 minutes, while a longer wasla can aproach an hour. The pieces within the wasla are ordered such that it starts slow and establishes the maqam (often with instrumental pieces) then features the complex and demanding vocal piece. The wasla finally ends with simple and short pieces, creating an overall arc that peaks at the middle.
Explore other groups of forms: