The three principle branches of musical culture in this region, which include the Turkish, Persian, and Arabian musical cultures, stretch from Morocco to Central Asia.
Although the majority religion of this area is Islam (Sunni and Shia), it should be noted that other religions have been present for centuries: Christianity, Judaism, and Alevi, to name the most numerous.
Generally, Middle Eastern musics use what can be described as the Arabic-Turkish scales, or maqam. They are used in the improvisatory and compositional techniques of art music in the Middle East. Here is a basic demonstration of the scales and how they are constructed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8k72AgG-yI&t=243s&list=PLJk9VXX7_rck-Bfd9HK4JX2_fVF3Wodxc&index=2
A performance in any maqam may modulate to another maqam. In Arabic and Turkish music, each maqam has certain others to which a musician would typically move. Thus, if you perform in Nahawand, you are likely to move to Rast, Hijaz, and Ajam, but not typically to others.
The Qur' an is recited in a melodious style known as qira'ut, meaning "recitation."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4jkDfoWU4M&t=108s&list=PLJk9VXX7_rck-Bfd9HK4JX2_fVF3Wodxc&index=9
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEUmrpBXOuc&list=PLWcE3bV3PyuP-WnyusYMlIPqg7qVZSOIm&index=2
Islamic definitions of music have varied over the centuries, with much controversy raging to this day over what is and is not acceptable. Vocal versus instrumental performance is one criterion, as is whether or not dancing is involved. One of the most widely acceptable musics in the Arab world is Nasheed, a purely vocal music only accompanied by frame drums known as tar or daf. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VO93RPUklk&t=0s&list=PLJk9VXX7_rck-Bfd9HK4JX2_fVF3Wodxc&index=3
"Almost from the start, however, as the scholars were codifying the law, some people were asking, “Is this all the revelation comes to in the end— a set of rules? Because I’m not feeling it. Is there nothing more to Islam?” Instructions from God on high were all very well, but some people longed to experience God as a palpable living presence right now, right down here." (Ansary: 106-107),
This quest for a personal relationship with God (Allah) led to a movement in Islam known as Sufism. According to Wikipedia,
Sufism, or Taṣawwuf[1] (Arabic: التَّصَوُّف), variously defined as "Islamic mysticism",[2] "the inward dimension of Islam"[3][4] or "the phenomenon of mysticism within Islam",[5][6] is mysticism in Islam, "characterized ... [by particular] values, ritual practices, doctrines and institutions"[7] which began very early in Islamic history[5] and represents "the main manifestation and the most important and central crystallization of" mystical practice in Islam.[8][9] Practitioners of Sufism have been referred to as "Sufis" (from صُوفِيّ ṣūfiyy / ṣūfī).[5]
Historically, Sufis have often belonged to different ṭuruq or "orders" – congregations formed around a grand master referred to as a wali who traces a direct chain of successive teachers back to the Islamic prophet, Muhammad.[10] These orders meet for spiritual sessions (majalis) in meeting places known as zawiyas, khanqahs or tekke.[11] They strive for ihsan (perfection of worship), as detailed in a hadith: "Ihsan is to worship Allah as if you see Him; if you can't see Him, surely He sees you."[12] Sufis regard Muhammad as al-Insān al-Kāmil, the primary perfect man who exemplifies the morality of God,[13] and see him as their leader and prime spiritual guide.
All Sufi orders trace most of their original precepts from Muhammad through his cousin and son-in-law Ali, with the notable exception of the Naqshbandi order, who trace their original precepts to Muhammad through his companion and father-in-law, Abu Bakr.
The following videos are of Zhikr ceremonies of the Turkish Mevlevi order, founded by "Jalaluddin Muhammad Balkhi Rumi, a 13th-century Persian poet, Sufi mystic, and Islamic theologian.[1] The Mevlevis are also known as the 'whirling dervishes' due to their famous practice of whirling as a form of dhikr (remembrance of God). Dervish is a common term for an initiate of the Sufi path; whirling is part of the formal sema ceremony and the participants are properly known as semazens.[2]"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_umJcGodNb0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qdi-it43j30
Instrumental music has an ambiguous status in orthodox Muslim philosophy, as it is said to lead people into sensual and immoral behavior. As a result, instrumental musicians are often hereditary lines, often of low status, and frequently from low-status minority groups, like Jews, Christian, ethnic or linguistic minorities. Nevertheless, in modern societies more people have taken up instruments, as some social norms have relaxed. The opposite is also true in countries where fundamentalist (Salafist) ideologies dominate, such as Saudi Arabia.
Some instruments are spread fairly widely across the region, whereas others are associated with specific cultures/countries. The following video of music from Syria features some common instruments.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGK4xkuI1rA
One common format is known as taqsim, a free improvisational format, often prefacing a fixed composition set in a given maqam and rhythm. The performer or performers will start in a given maqam and then modulate to related maqams. The following video is a taqsim starting in the maqam Hijaz, going in and out of other maqams.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnTmBmUhpho
Popular music in the Arab world mixes together many influence, Middle Eastern classical music, Western classical music and instruments, Western popular musics. Many popular singers were women, which had an ambiguous status in traditional societty. One of greatest popular singers in Arabic was Um Kulthum. According to a description from YouTube,
Umm Kulthum (Egyptian Arabic: أم كلثوم ʾUmm Kulsūm) , born Fātimah ʾIbrāhīm as-Sayyid al-Biltāǧī on an uncertain date (December 31, 1898, or May 4, 1904[1]) and who died February 3, 1975, was an internationally famous Egyptian singer, songwriter, and film actress active from the 1920s to the 1970s. She was given the honorific title Kawkab al-Sharq كوكب الشرق ("Planet of the East") in Arabic. Known for her extraordinary vocal ability and style, Umm Kulthum was one of the greatest and most influential Arab singers of the 20th century and is arguably the single most prominent Arab woman in Contemporary history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQZ-L0rL5L8&t=129s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbWAyxPyyJw
In North Africa, and area colonized by France there was significant cultural interchange, with a large immigrant population working in France. A upbeat popular dance style evolved known as rai. It uses synthesizers and complex studio techniques. Here is a famous example by Cheb Khaled, made popular from the movie "The Fifth Element." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIW8Ioi-Kew
According to the Wikipedia article on the music of Turkey,
The music of Turkey includes mainly Turkic elements as well as partial influences ranging from Central Asian folk music, Arabic music, Greek music, Ottoman music, Persian music and Balkan music, as well as references to more modern European and American popular music. Turkey is a country on the northeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, and is a crossroad of cultures from across Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, the Caucasus and South and Central Asia
The roots of traditional music in Turkey span across centuries to a time when the Seljuk Turks migrated to Anatolia and Persia in the 11th century and contains elements of both Turkic and pre-Turkic influences. Much of its modern popular music can trace its roots to the emergence in the early 1930s drive for Westernization.[1]
With the assimilation of immigrants from various regions the diversity of musical genres and musical instrumentation also expanded. Turkey has also seen documented folk music and recorded popular music produced in the ethnic styles of Greek, Armenian, Albanian, Polish, Azeri and Jewish communities, among others.[2] Many Turkish cities and towns have vibrant local music scenes which, in turn, support a number of regional musical styles. Despite this however, western-style pop music lost popularity to arabesque in the late 1970s and 1980s, with even its greatest proponents, Ajda Pekkan and Sezen Aksu, falling in status. It became popular again by the beginning of the 1990s, as a result of an opening economy and society. With the support of Aksu, the resurging popularity of pop music gave rise to several international Turkish pop stars such as Tarkan and Sertab Erener. The late 1990s also saw an emergence of underground music producing alternative Turkish rock, electronica, hip-hop, rap and dance music in opposition to the mainstream corporate pop and arabesque genres, which many believe have become too commercial.[3]It is
One of the most notable musical instruments that symbolizes Turkish identity is the long-necked lute known as the bağlama or saz. The most commonly used string folk instrument in Turkey, the bağlama has seven strings divided into courses of two, two and three. It is used either for either purely instrumental performance or as accompaniment for singing. A couple of examples are offered here.
The first is by the blind singer/songwriter (asik) Asik Veysel (1894–1973) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8jGWVqFIgg
The next is by
Oh boy staring from the rock, (Kayadan bakan oğlan)
Oh boy whose shirt is linen, (Gömleği keten oğlan)
Do not come at night, come in the daylight (Gece gelme, gündüz gel)
Oh boy who is scared of roosters! (Horozdan korkan oğlan)
Oh sugar boy! (Aman şeker oğlan)
I am on fire, my unwed boy! Angry with his mother, the boy sleeps on the roof.. (Anasına darılmış, damda yatan oğlan)
Oh my sugar boy who Sleeps in the chimneys (Bacada yatan oğlan)
Do not come at night, come in daylight Oh boy who is scared of roosters! (Horozdan korkan oğlan)
Oh my sugar boy Who has lots of charms (Edası güzel oğlan)
Do not come at nights Come in daylight
Double reeds and drums: symbols of power and prestige.
Some of the most iconic instruments in Turkey and many Central Asian cultures are combinations of loud double-reed instruments and drums. These often accompanied armies to supple marching music, and to terrify enemies. This is similar to the Celtic use of bagpipes and drums. Basically, it's an announcement that very bad things are about to happen to you. In Turkish culture, this function was served by the double-reed zurna and the double-headed drum known as davul. In village society, it is considered to be an essential part of any wedding.
In this video, note how the davul player uses both a heavy mallet and a thin rattan stick to play. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDu-AZLgpNI
During the Ottoman Empire period, and elite military force known as Jannissaries performed marching music called mehter. Here is a famous piece, Ceddin Deden, which praises the ancestors, and urges courage in facing enemies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eaxzv6obf8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZvX-OZDHaE
This piece and the surna that plays it are so iconic that it is even used in Turkish heavy-metal by rock musician