The Music of Medieval Iran : An Introduction to Middle-Eastern Music Theory

This is an introductory overview of the most general aspects of Medieval Iranian music; it also serves as an insight into Middle-Eastern, Near-Eastern, and most historical Greek musical traditions as a whole, so even though the concepts here are described using a Medieval Iranian lens and terminology, they also apply broadly to much of the Arab world, the Turks, Greeks, etc, both their medieval music as well as much of the current music.

Sources:
The Modal System of pre-Dastgāh music, Arya Kabiri

The Modal System of Arabian and Persian Music, 1250 - 1500: An interpretation of Contemporary Texts, Owen Wright

Music Theory in the Safavid Era: The Taqsim-al-Nagāmat, Owen Wright

Theory and Practice in the Music of the Islamic World: Essays in Honour of Owen Wright, multiple authors

00:00 Intro
04:06 The Road to the Middle-Ages
08:50 The Octave Division
15:35 The Maqām
24:00 The Dāng - Tetrachordal Conscience
30:17 The Notation System
40:40 Conclusion