women

Iraqi classical music always is sung poetry. Characteristic is the use of the lower end of a melodic range and the implentment of silence as a style element. Singers not only have to be excellent in composition, but also in history and the innovation of songs.

The common instrument is the oud. Classical Iraqi music is identifiable by the genre and by the performance. Maqam refers to specific melodic modes. When a musician performs maqam, the performer improvises based on strict rules.

There exist about fifty different maqams of which sone have sub-styles, and is closely related to Syrian music. The music is rather slow in most cases. Maqama texts often consist of classical Arabic or Persian poetry. Some performers translate the traditional sources into the dialect of Baghdad, others prefer to use the original language.