I am very pleased to anounce that as I promised, the Modern Hungarian Maqam CD is released. The CDs can be ordered from this web site or from the www.sandorszabo.com site. We are working on the a web shop in this site and the CD can be ordered directly and can be payed by PayPal. It can be ordered. The price of the CD is 12 Euro or 15 US Dollar + shipping ( 5 Euro or 6 US Dollar)

The CD includes 13 pieces. In 4 compositions BalázsMajor can be heard on percussion instruments ( udu). Some pieces from this site also included in a revised bersion and also some more new maqams has been recorded. On the album a chinese zither the guzheng can also be heard.

The high resolution recordings made by the finest high-end recording equipments without any dynamic or EQ processing, capturing the possible smallest and finest detailes. Hopefully the Hi-Fi and High-end fans will like this exceptionally hig fidelity sound quality.

The album includes the following maqams:

1. Aisha                                               9:25
2. Kaltes                                              5:33
3. Ataisz                                               4:33
4. Agaba                                              4:13
5. Etil                                                    4:17
6. Gobi                                                 3:33
7. Kaspi                                               3:34
8. Kolami                                             4:14
9. Mari                                                  3:14
10. Nippur                                            4:19
11. Ordosz                                           6:56
12. Sohuni                                           2:44
13. Uruk                                               2:02       Total: 59:11

I would like to thank László Hutton's wonderful photo-graphic art design. A special thanks to Balázs Major's wondrous, inspirating percussion playing, and thanks to everybody who helped this project in any way.

Modern Hungarian Maqam

It is theorized that our Hungarian ancestors had a refined instrumental music culture in the Hun Empire that has now been forgotten. That music culture was part of the oldest surrounding music cultures. That music form was the Maqam, which still exists as a living music tradition from the Far-East to West Africa.  This ancient Hungarian classical instrumental music existed for many centuries, but the storm of history swept it away, along with other things in our history.
We can find traces of the ancient Hun Maqam in the oldest layer of authentic Hungarian folk music; as well as in the different Eastern musics.
Today, however, many new possibilities and sources are at our disposal for research. The manner in which I recalled the old maqams is very similar to that of an archaeologist finding fragments of a pot. The archaeologist is able to assemble the fragments and recreate the pot, based upon his prior knowledge and experiece of ancient pots. In the present day, we cannot know the actual sound of the ancient music.  Yet by an inner intuitive introspection supported by extended research, I could recall that music and access its source in a manner similar to regressive hypnosis. To acquire this knowledge, I studied all kinds of Eastern musics in the last three decades, including the different maqams. By comparision, I found many similarities in the Hungarian folk music. Béla Bartók also researched Arabic music, because he had the suspicion that all the Oriental folk musics originate from the same Source. Many years later, slowly, and bit by bit, I began to hear the old maqams in my mind. I started recalling and playing them in an intuitive way, and studied them very carefully and heartily. I received much inspiration and evidence from the book called Arvisura, which can be considered as the collection of chronicals of our most ancient history.
The music I have created or rather recalled, similar to our Hungarian language, is very Oriental, special; no maqams compare to it.  These musics create a broad and open universe. Listening to them many times I always felt as if the Hungarian Maqams must sound very close to this. Because I have recalled and performed this music in our modern age, I have titled this album Modern Hungarian Maqams. With this album, I would like to salute the ancient shamans who maintained and transmited their culture from generation to generation.
Further information and details can be found at www.hunmaqam.hu .

                                                                Sandor Szabo