From Qira’at to Score: Adapting The Principles of Mad and Waqaf Law as New Notation System

Abstract

The research and creation depart from the experimentation of sound duration concepts in the science of Tajwid, particularly the rules of mad (elongation) and waqaf (pause), as the foundation for developing a new notation system in the work titled Makhraj. Through the approach of intersemiotic translation, the principles of mad and waqaf laws are categorized and transformed into musical instructions that emphasize the subjectivity and flexibility of duration, the equality between pauses and the flow of sound, as well as the interpretative space for performers. In addition to a notation system that focuses on duration, this work also uses graphic notation as information on timbre and sound dynamics, as well as the principle of indeterminacy, to construct an experimental composition. Within the framework of applied ethnomusicology, this creation not only serves as an artistic practice but also as a methodological offering to expand the ways of reading and creating musical works through contextually adapted Islamic intellectual knowledge. The creation process was carried out through practice-led research involving consultations with Islamic law researchers and tajwid practitioners, as well as ensemble rehearsals with four players using the newly developed notation system. The composition is structured into six interrelated sections that progressively expand the duration values derived from mad and waqaf categories, culminating in a section that synthesizes fixed and flexible durations within a single performative frame. The results indicate that this system effectively expands the vocabulary of experimental music composition while also opening up musical participation for non-academic circles, particularly those familiar with tajwid recitation but unfamiliar with conventional Western notation