One of the greatest music scholars of the Middle and Near East: Who is Abd al-Qadir Maraghi?
Abd al-Qadir Maraghi is considered one of the greatest music scholars of the Eastern world in Western sources as well as in classical Islamic sources. In his time, the science of music was in great development.
( ? -1435) Azerbaijani Turkish music composer. He was born approximately in the middle of the 14th century in the city of Meraga, Azerbaijan. He is known as "Hodja" because of his musical knowledge and as Merâgî because he was born in the city of Meraga. In some sources, his name is also referred to as Ibn Gaybî, he got his first musical taste from his father, Gıyaseddin Gaybî, who taught him music so that he could read the Qur'an beautifully. Abdulkadir Meragi, who shined at a young age with his musical talent, left Meraga after his father's death and came to Tabriz. Azerbaijan was under the rule of Jalayirs at that time. Sultan Hüseyin bin Sheikh Uveys (1374-1382), one of the rulers of Celayir, who was very interested in music, invited him to the palace in Tabriz, and when he liked his voice, he gave him various gifts. Abdülkadir Meragi's life has always passed in palaces from now on.
Abd al-Qadir al-Maraghi b. Ghaybi (born middle of 14th – died 1435 AD), was a Persian musician and artist. According to the Encyclopedia of Islam, he "was the greatest of the Persian writers on music". According to Kubilay Kolukırık, Al-Maraghi is regarded as a "very important musician whose name is frequently mentioned in the development process of Turkic music history". His works seem to have also played an important role in most related music of the Middle East.
When Timur took Azerbaijan in 1386, Sultan Ahmed fled to Baghdad, and Abdulkadir Meragi went with him. When Timur also took Baghdad in 1393, the composer did not follow the sultan this time. Timur sent all the distinguished scholars and artists in Baghdad to Samarkand. Abdülkadir Meragi entered Timur's close circle and became his chief reader.
Abd al-Qadir Maraghi (Abdulkadir Meragi), who did not want to join the Indian expedition in 1398, asked Timur to send him to Samarkand. Timur sent him to Samarkand with an insignia written in a highly laudatory language. After Timur's death in 1405, he lived in the palace of Sultan Halil (1405-1409), who succeeded him, and then in the palace of Timur's fourth son, Sultan Şahruhun (1409-1447). It is estimated that he came to Bursa, the then Ottoman capital, to present his work Makasıdu'l-Elhan, which he wrote for Sultan Murad II, in 1421; but due to the political turmoil during the reign of Murad II, he may only have stayed in the Ottoman palace for a short time.
Abdülkadir Meragi (Abd al-Qadir Maraghi) is considered one of the greatest music scholars of the Eastern world in Western sources as well as in classical Islamic sources. In his time, the science of music was in great development. The theoretical works of Abdülkadir Meragi are one of the most important products of this development in the science of music. He is considered the first composer of Turkish music. It is of great value in the performance of music, as it has a beautiful voice, a skillful reader, and a good oud player. He showed mastery in instruments other than the oud, developed some instruments, and even invented new instruments. In the pieces he composed, he used all maqams and procedures known in his time. It is understood from his works that he knows Persian, Arabic, and Turkish. In many sources, he is praised as a poet, painter, and calligrapher, in addition to his composition and theory.
The most important of his theoretical works that have survived to the present day is Camül-Elhan. The composer first gifted this work, which he wrote in Persian in 1405, to one of his sons, Nureddin Abdurrahman.
In all these books, Abdülkadir Meragi evaluated the theoretical works of the scholars before him, interpreted the music of his age, and dealt with many music problems. His work is one of the most important sources that enable the musical studies made at that time to reach our age. His voice is the raw material of music; He studied the problems related to the physics of sound, such as the transformation of the sound into a melody, its sounding, pitch, and pitch, with a great scholar's meticulousness. One of the most important technical problems he focuses on concerns the division of an octave, particularly its "quartet range" (do-fa) within the octave. What Abdulkadir Meragi wrote on this subject is an interpretation of the conclusions of the scholars before him; Like Avicenna, Farabi does not mention the 24-interval system of Turkish music, which is the basis for today's notation, but gives information on the Greek music system. The originality of his work is that he not only interprets the works of other scholars but also gives extensive information about the various qualities of the music listened to at his age. He made extensive explanations on the maqams, procedures, musical forms, and musical instruments used in his time; These statements are of great value for the history of Turkish music.
The most discussed aspect today is the effect it left on Ottoman-Turkish music. Abdülkadir Meragi is considered one of the first sources of Turkish music. His name was always respected by Ottoman composers, and his works were regarded as exemplary masters; This is one of the reasons why many works are wanted to be attributed to him.
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Oriental Studies on Alpha-numeric Representations of Music
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