Small ensemble in Arabic music
For uses of Takht in contexts other than music, see
Takht .
Takht (alternatively spelled Takhat ) is the representative musical ensemble , the orchestra , of Middle Eastern music . In Egypt , Syria , Lebanon , Palestine , and Jordan , the ensemble consists of the oud , the qanun , the kamanjah (or now alternatively violin ), the ney , the riq , and the darabukkah .[1]
The melody instruments may play heterophonically in octaves or perform solos . Instrumental forms include bashraf , sama'i , tahmilah , and dulab . The ensemble may be joined by a male or female vocalist and a group of four to six singers who provide the refrain sections. Vocal genres performed include dawr , muwashshah , layali , ma'luf , qasidah , and mawwal .
While the takht typically comprises between two and five musicians, a similar, but larger ensemble (numbering eight or more) is called a firqa in Arabic.[2]
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