Bayati (maqam)

Bayātī (Arabic بياتي), also known as Bayat and Uşşâk (Ushaq), is the name of a maqam (musical mode) in Arabic, Turkish, and related systems of music. Bayati is similar to a natural minor scale, with the primary exception of a half-flat second 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 of the East, this mode is called Qadmoyo (first).

Related maqamat are Husseini and Bayati Shuri.^[1]