Mr. Maalouf plays a trumpet with four valves instead of three, which helps him articulate the quarter tones essential to a range of non-Western music.

Every member of this prolific musical family presides over something, if it is only one of the quarter tones that form the scale.

Whether the quarter tones were used habitually, or were glided like appoggiaturas, or passing tones, has been vigorously maintained on both sides by different writers.