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īqāʿāt
Islamic music
Also known as: īqāʿ
- Singular:
- īqāʿ
- Related Topics:
- rhythmic mode
īqāʿāt , in Islamic music, rhythmic modes—i.e., patterns of strong, intermediate, and weak beats, separated by pauses of various lengths. A well-developed system of such modes was described by medieval theorists. Although six or eight basic modes are included in most treatises, many more have actually been used. The complete pattern, or period, repeated throughout the piece, is composed of smaller sections analogous to the feet of poetic metres. The various modes are said to be linked with the universe, and each has a character appropriate to music of a different mood. Regularity of the rhythmic pattern is not obvious ...(100 of 211 words)