Maqam Memory

The heritage of Arabic music, explained in English

Rima Haddad2 episodes1 min of audio216 playsEpisodic

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S1 · E2Aug 1, 20260:44143 plays Preview

The singer whose records were in every house

Rima tells the story of a singer whose monthly radio concerts stopped traffic across the Arab world, with a Cairo musician explaining how her ensemble worked and why the songs ran an hour.

S1 · E1Mar 9, 20260:4373 plays Members

What a maqam is, and why it feels like a mood

Rima introduces the maqam system from the beginning, playing three maqams on the oud so you can hear how each one carries a different mood, and explaining the quarter tone.

About the show

Maqam Memory is a fortnightly show about the heritage of Arabic music, told in English for a generation that grew up hearing it at weddings and in grandparents' kitchens without ever being told what it was. Rima Haddad, an oud player and music teacher from Beirut, takes one subject per episode: a maqam and how it feels, a singer whose records every household owned, the tarab tradition and why audiences shout back, the instruments and who still makes them. She plays short examples on the oud, brings in archival recordings and talks to musicians from Cairo, Baghdad, Aleppo and the Gulf about what they learned from their teachers. It is for the diaspora, for curious listeners from anywhere, and for anyone who wants to understand why a single sustained note can make a room go silent. Episodes run 40 to 45 minutes and arrive every other Saturday, with a listening list in the notes.

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