All That Hijaz

Introduction 

Camille Saint-Saëns was one of many composers of the 19th century— particularly in France—who took musical inspiration from foreign cultures. He also spent considerable time abroad, especially in Algeria (then under French control), where he was introduced to Arabic musical traditions that would inform the score of Samson et Dalila, an opera set in the ancient Middle East. 

This activity uses the famous “Danse Bacchanale” from Samson et Dalila as a gateway for students to explore global music traditions and deepen their understanding of how cultures organize sound and melody. Focusing on the maqam hijaz, students will learn about melody and improvisation within the context of Arabic musical traditions, connect those practices to Saint-Saëns’s opera, and experience the qualities of the maqam through an ensemble activity.

Steps

STEP 1. EXPLORE

In Arabic music, maqamat (plural of maqam), like scales in Western music, serve as musical road maps, telling performers which notes to play or sing in a given piece. They also provide information on musical colors or mood. Some maqamat sound joyful, others peaceful, and still others mysterious or sad. Arabic music has many different maqamat, and each one has its own unique sound that helps musicians express emotions and tells stories through music. 

For secondary students, use the “Maqam and Mode” handout included with this guide to introduce maqamat and situate the maqam hijaz—a maqam of the hijaz family—in both Arabic and Western music traditions. Next, play the provided video clip of Abdul-Wahab Kayyali modeling what the maqam hijaz sounds like on the oud (pronounced ood), a Middle Eastern fretless instrument similar to the European lute and modern guitar. 

For younger students, share that a maqam is a scale used in Arabic music traditions. Next, play the provided video clip. It may be helpful to share additional maps and images here to help students understand where Arabic music originated compared to other types of music with which they are more familiar. You can find some of these materials in the “Additional Resources” section of the HD Live in Schools Educator Hub (metopera.org/educator-hub). 

Use the following questions—and consider consulting the Musical Toolbox, Mood Meter, and Opera Orchestra resources also available in the Educator Hub—to help guide student listening:

• What colors do you imagine when you hear this music?
• What emotions or feelings does this music evoke for you?
• Does the music sound choppy, smooth, light, dark, heavy, or something else?
• What instruments from the Opera Orchestra sound or look like the oud?
• If this music were part of a story, what might be happening?
• Does this music remind you of anything you’ve heard before?

You may also extend the activity with drawing or movement:

• Do the notes sound smooth, sharp, twisty, or flowing? Draw the shape of the melody.
• Create a movement that matches the mood of the melody

STEP 2. PLAY

For teachers using Orff instruments in the classroom, replace the Fs with F♯s and Bs with B♭s on your instruments. This setup allows for a group of pitches that mirror the maqam hijaz. On traditional Orff instruments that do not have an E♭, have students also remove the E. You should end up with the following set of pitches: D–(E♭)–F♯–G–A–B♭–C–D. Guide students through both the Phrygian mode and maqam hijaz. You can use the “Maqam and Mode” handout included with this guide, if necessary. 

In an ensemble setting, assign some voices/instruments to the drone and allow others to improvise with maqam hijaz. All students should have a chance to improvise on their own on their Orff instrument, recorder, instrument, or voice.

A NOTE TO INSTRUCTORS: This is a great place to pause the lesson. Steps 3 and 4 can be completed during a different session, as long as students (or you!) hold onto their handouts.

STEP 3. CONNECT

Once students are familiar with the maqam hijaz, play the melody from the Act III “Danse Bacchanale” (Track 9 or MOoD clip 26). Using the “Melody and Arrangement” handout included with this guide, teach students the melody of the “Danse Bacchanale,” breaking the ABAB structure into segments. Optional English text is included below:

Gathering together,
Dancing all around.
Voices raise in singing,
Make a joyful sound!

Hear the drums and laughter,
Let our voices fly!
Celebrate together,
Music fills the sky!

Teach the arrangement by layering one part at a time. Once students learn
the melody and accompaniment, intersperse singing or playing the melody
with three subsequent improvisations of eight measures each, resulting in
the following ritornello form: 

• “Bacchanale” melody (eight measures)
• Three improvisations (eight measures x3)
• “Bacchanale” melody (eight measures)
• Three improvisations (eight measures x3)
• “Bacchanale” melody (eight measures) 

Continue the pattern as needed.

For additional options, consider vamping the drone in between improvisations as needed, using the timpani part extracted from Saint-Saëns’s score as a cue to begin the melody, or using contrabass bars in lieu of timpani.

STEP 4. REFLECT

Remind students that, for the “Danse Bacchanale” from Samson et Dalila, composer Camille Saint-Saëns drew inspiration from Middle Eastern musical traditions through his use of melodic patterns resembling the Arabic maqam hijaz. Written during a period when many Western composers were fascinated by distant cultures (a practice we call “exoticism”), the piece uses augmented intervals, ornamented melodies, and colorful orchestration to evoke an imagined Middle Eastern atmosphere for European audiences. Convene an open discussion with students on this topic, using the following questions to guide their thinking:

• Do you think music can accurately represent a culture if the composer has never experienced it firsthand? Why or why not?
• What is the difference between being inspired by another culture and stereotyping it? Where should we draw the line?
• How can music shape people’s ideas about places and cultures they have never seen or experienced?
• What responsibilities do artists have when representing cultures outside their own?
• How can we tell whether a piece of music respectfully honors another culture or simply imitates it?
• What does the word “authentic” mean in music?
• How might people from the represented culture feel when hearing music written about them by outsiders?
• What are some benefits of cultures sharing musical ideas with one another?
• What problems might arise when one culture inaccurately represents another?
• How is learning directly from musicians within a culture different from imagining that culture from far away?
• Why is it important to learn about the history and culture behind music and not just its sound?

Scaffold

• Write your own text for the “Danse Bacchanale” melody.
• Listen to “El Helwa Di,” a well-known Egyptian song composed in 1912 by Sayed Darwish with lyrics by Badi’ Khayri. Darwish was one of the most influential figures in modern Arabic music. Born into a workingclass family in Alexandria, Egypt, Darwish worked as a laborer before becoming a celebrated composer. His music often reflected the lives of ordinary people and supported Egyptian nationalism during the early 20th century. (youtube.com/watch?v=h9rTzP2lLq0)
  
  • High school choir directors may be interested in Edward Torikian’s SATB a cappella arrangement of “El Helwa Di” published by Earthsongs Choral Music.