Boston-based musician and educator Tev Stevig will teach six classes in a series titled “The Art of Makam” at the Montague Common Hall beginning Wednesday, Oct. 9, and running until Dec. 11. Stevig will teach participants about the makam system of modal music used in the Balkans, Middle East and Mediterranean countries.
CONTRIBUTED
Weathervane Community Arts (WCA), in partnership with the Montague Common Hall, will host an inaugural six-class series called “The Art of Makam,” where participants will learn the modal music system of makam, taught by Boston-based musician and educator Tev Stevig.
According to the WCA website, the program will explore this system of music that, “not only forms the basis of Turkish classical and folk music, but is also foundational in Balkan, Middle Eastern, Greek, and other Mediterranean music.”
Stevig has performed makam music for over 20 years. This system of music differs from western-music styles that many people are more familiar with.
“For western music, we tend to think of music as having three parts: rhythm, melody and harmony,” Stevig said.
Makam creates a “heterophonic” sound, where there is musical texture created between the voices and instruments playing the same melody at the same time without harmony.
Makam music also explores the expression of the human voice, as Stevig explains, which means the music both vocally and instrumentally only explores the two octaves of the human voice compared to western music that utilizes all 8 octaves that humans can hear.
Although this style of music is prevalent in several regions outside of the west, makam music is also present in popular western media, like in the soundtrack for the film “Lawrence of Arabia.”
Stevig said this opportunity to teach makam to new audiences was presented to him by WCA Director Jesse Olsen Bay.
“Jesse came to me and said, ‘I really want this class to happen,’ and this is exactly what I want to have happen,” Stevig said.
Outside of this series hosted by WCA, Stevig has been trying to expand modal music education and appreciation to wider, New England audiences. He’s spearheading an organization called Labryinth New England which uses workshops, concerts and other outreach methods to showcase and educate about makam and other kinds modal music.
On his website, Stevig says in every project he does, he aims to present authenticity, interconnection between traditions, and create new music to forward traditions and audience connection through cultural context of modal music.
Stevig explained that in this series at the Montague Common Hall, he plans to teach participants about the basics of makam music, then build from there as he gets to know where the class stands musically.
“First order of business is just understanding how to listen to the music, what the structure of the music is and how to listen together, listen to the forms, understanding the performance practice and how to improvise using makam,” Stevig explained. “Over the course the six sessions, we’re gonna start off there and then apply what we’ve learned to the study of several basic makams,” Stevig adds.
Stevig said that anyone is eligible to participate, regardless of familiarity with makam or modal music. Some musical background is helpful, but not required. Vocalists and instrumentalists are welcome to join.
“This class is all about expanding our horizons. I don’t think anybody in this class will have grown up listening to this music, or they aren’t experts,” Bay said, adding that this will all be done in a group atmosphere. He said that Stevig will be providing instructional materials to participants ahead of time.
The Art of Makam series will begin on Wednesday, Oct. 9 and run through Wednesday, Dec. 12 with a performance that evening.
Participation for all six Wednesday night sessions from 7 to 9 p.m. costs between $120 to $180 on a sliding donation scale. Drop-in session cost is $30. Scholarships are available, and more information is available at https://www.weathervane-arts.org/makam.
Erin-Leigh Hoffman can be reached at ehoffman@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.
