Bayati (maqam)

Bayātī (Arabic بياتي), AKA Bayat and Uşşâk (Ushaq), is the name of a maqam (musical mode) in Arabic, Turkish, and related systems of music. Some Islamic people are known by the name Bayati. It is also used as a 'name of home'. The word 'Boyati' is known as a group of musical people in the Bangla language. Bayati is similar to a natural minor scale, with the primary exception of a half-flat second degree. The dominant of the scale is on the fourth degree.

The maqam is immensely popular in the Arab world, particularly in the Levant. In secular settings, it is favored in dabke and pop music.

Bayati is also used very often in religious liturgies of the Middle East. It is the favored maqam of use for the adhan in Medina, Saudi Arabia. Syrian Jews have an abundance of pizmonim in this maqam, and usually apply it to all Bar Mitzvahs and to Saturday Night services. According to the Assyrian Church, this mode is called Qadmoyo (first).

Related maqamat are Husseini and Bayati Shuri.

The central tones of a maqam are created from two different intervals. The eleven central tones of the maqam used in the phase sequence example above may be reduced to three which make up the "nucleus" of the maqam:

...
Wikipedia