NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Arab classical music

Arab music is the music of Arabic-speaking people or countries, especially those centered around the Arabian Peninsula, though Peter van der Merwe (1989, p.9) cautions that, "the common style that developed is usually called 'Islamic' or 'Arab', though in fact it transcends religious, ethnic, geographical, and linguistic boundaries" and calls it the Near East (from Morrocco to India) style. The world of Arab music has long been dominated by Cairo, a cultural center, though musical innovation and regional styles abound from Morocco to Saudi Arabia. Classical Arab music is extremely popular across the population, especially a small number of superstars known throughout the Arab world. Regional styles of popular music include Algerian raï, Moroccan gnawa, Kuwaiti sawt and Egyptian al-jil. Algerian music is virtually synonymous with raï among foreigners; the musical genre has achieved great popularity in France, Spain and other parts of Europe. ... Bahrain is a small island in the Persian Gulf, and is part of the pan-Gulf khaleeji folk traditions. ... The region around the Nile is one of the oldest continually-inhabited areas in the world. ... Iraq is known primarily for an instrument called the oud (similar to a lute) and a rebab (similar to a fiddle); its stars include Ahmed Mukhtar and the Assyrian Munir Bashir. ... Islamic music is Muslim religious music, as sung or played in public services or private devotions. ... The music of Jordan can be distinguished from that of its neighboring countries like Syria and Saudi Arabia by its strong Bedouin influence. ... Kuwaits musical traditions were well-recorded until the Gulf War, when Iraq invaded the country and destroyed the archive. ... Beirut, the largest city in Lebanon, has long been a thriving metropolis, known, especially in a period immediately following World War 2, for its European-style art and intellectualism. ... Libya is a North African country. ... Morocco is a North African country inhabited mostly by Arabs along with Berbers and other minorities. ... Oman is an Arab country located on the Arabian Peninsula. ... In the areas now controlled by Israel and Palestinian National Authority, multiple ethnic groups, races and religions have long held on to a diverse culture. ... Qatar is an Arab country located in the Middle East. ... Both Western and traditional music are very popular in Saudi Arabia. ... Syrias capital and largest city, Damascus, has long been one of the Arab worlds centers for cultural and artistic innovation, especially in the field of classical Arab music. ... Tunisia is a North African country with a predominately Arab population. ... The United Arab Emirates are a part of the Persian Gulf khaleeji tradition, and is also known for Bedouin folk music. ... Yemen is a country on the Arabian Peninsula, and its music is primarily known abroad for the Yemenite Jews who became musical stars in Israel during the 20th century. ... This article needs cleanup. ... Arab (disambiguation). ... The term the Middle East sometimes applies to the peninsula alone, but usually refers to the Arabian Peninsula plus the Levant, Mesopotamia, and Iran. ... View of the modern citys skyline. ... The Kingdom of Morocco is a country in northwest Africa. ... The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a country on the Arabian Peninsula. ... Popular music, sometimes abbreviated pop music, is music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are broadly popular. ... The People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, or Algeria, is a nation in north Africa, and the second largest country on the African continent. ... The Kingdom of Morocco is a country in northwest Africa. ... Gnawa are musician healers from Morocco. ... This article is about the country of Kuwait. ... The Arab Republic of Egypt, commonly known as Egypt, (in Arabic: مصر, romanized Mişr or Maşr, in Egyptian dialect) is a republic mostly located in northeastern Africa. ...

Habib Hassan Touma (1996, p.xix-xx) lists "five components" which "characterize the music of the Arabs:

A tone system (or musical tuning system) with specific interval structures, invented by al-Farabi in the tenth century (p.170).
Rhythmic-temporal structures that produce a rich variety of rhythmic patterns, awzan, used to accompany the metered vocal and instrumental genres and give them form.
Musical instruments that are found throughout the Arabian world and that represent a standardized tone system, are played with standardized performance techniques, and exhibit similar details in construction and design.
Specific social contexts for the making of music, whereby musical genres can be classified as urban (music of the city inhabitants), rural (music of the country inhabitants), or Bedouin (music of the desert inhabitants)....
A musical mentality that is responsible for the aesthetic homogeneity of the tonal-spatial and rhythmic-temporal structures in Arabian music, whether composed or improvised, instrumental or vocal, secular or sacred. The Arab's musical mentality is defined by:
1. The maqām phenomenon....
2. The predominance of vocal music...
3. The prediliction for small instrumental ensembles...
4. The mosaiclike stringing together of musical form elements, that is, the arrangement in a sequence of small and smallest melodic elements, and their repetition, combination, and permutation within the framework of the tonal-spatial model.
5. The absence of polyphony, polyrhythm, and motivic development. Arabian music is, however, very familiar with the ostinato, as well as with a more instinctive heterophonic way of making music.
6. The alternation between a free rhythmic-temporal and fixed tonal-spatial organization on the one hand and a fixed rhythmic-temporal and free tonal-spatial structure on the other. This alternation...results in exciting contrasts."

Much Arab music is characterized by an emphasis on melody and rhythm rather than harmony. Thus much Arabic music is homophonic in nature. Some genres of Arab music are polyphonic—as the instrument Qanoun is based upon the idea of playing two-note chords—but quintessentially, Arabic music is melodic. The modern Arab tone system, or system of musical tuning, is based upon the theoretical division of the octave into twenty_four equal divisions or 24_tone equal temperament, the distance between each successive note being a quarter tone (50 cents). ... This page is about musical systems of tuning, for the musical process of tuning see tuning. ... Al Farabi (870-950) was born of a Turkish family and educated by a Christian physician in Baghdad, and was himself later considered a teacher on par with Aristotle. ... In Arab music a wazn (plural, awzān) is a rhythmic pattern or cycle, literally translated as measure (also called darb, mizan, and usul). ... Look up Melody in Wiktionary, the free dictionary In music, a melody is a series of linear events or a succession, not a simultaneity as in a chord. ... Rhythm (Greek ρυθμός = tempo) is the variation of the duration of sounds over time. ... This article is about musical harmony. ... Homophony is music in which the top line has a dominant melody, and all the voices accompany it with chords in the same rhythm. ... In music, the word texture is often used in a rather vague way in reference to the overall sound of a piece of music. ... The qanún is a musical string instrument used in Middle-Eastern music. ... In music and music theory a chord (from the middle English cord, short for accord) is three or more notes sounding simultaneously, or near simultaneously over a period of time. ...

It would be incorrect though to call it modal, for the Arabic system is more complex than that of the Greek modes. The basis of the Arabic music is the maqam, which looks like the mode, but is not quite the same. The maqam has a "tonal" note which the piece must end with (unless modulation occurs). This article is about modes as used in music. ... Greece, formally called the Hellenic Republic ( Greek: Ελληνική Δημοκρατία), is a country in the southeast of Europe on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula. ... In music, a maqam [sic] (plural maqamat) is a technique of improvisation that defines the pitches, patterns, and development of a piece of music. ... Tonality is the character of music written with hierarchical relationships of pitches, rhythms, and chords to a center or tonic. ...

The maqam consists of at least two jins or sentences. A jins is either a trichord, a tetrachord, or a pentachord. The trichord is three notes, the tetrachord four, and the pentachord five. The maqam usually covers only one octave (two jins), but sometimes it covers more than one octave. Similar to the melodic minor scale and Indian ragas, some maqams have different jins and thus notes while descending or ascending. Because of the continuous innovation of jins and because most music scolars don't agree on the existing number anyways, it's hard to give an accurate number of the jins. The main difference between the western chromatic scale and the Arabic scale is the existence of quarter tones. However, while in theory the quarter tone scale or all twenty four tones exist, according to Yūsuf Shawqī (1969) in practice there are many fewer tones (Touma 1996, p.170). In music, especially in musical set theory, a trichord is a collection of three pitch classes, often one of the four ordered trichords in a tone row or set form. ... In musical theory, a tetrachord is a series of four diatonic tones encompassing the interval of a perfect fourth. ... For the numerical computation software, see GNU Octave. ... The chromatic scale is a musical scale that contains all twelve pitches of the Western tempered scale. ... A quarter tone is an interval half as wide (aurally, or logarithmically) as a semitone, which is half a whole tone. ...

The Arab orchestra is known as the takhet, which includes, (or included at different time periods) instruments such as the 'oud, qanún, rabab, santur, tambourine. The santur (سَنتور) is a hammered dulcimer of Persia. ... Spanish antique tambourine The tambourine is musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a single drumhead mounted on a ring with small metal jingles. ...

Arab classical music is known for its famed virtuoso singers, who are known for singing long, melancholy tunes that can last over an hour. Its traditions come from pre-Islam days, when female singing slaves entertained the wealthy, and inspired warriors on the battlefield with their rajaz poetry; the also performed at weddings and later, for the hajj. Male performers were limited to mukhanathin, or transvestite slaves, who were scorned by most Muslims. Early Islam largely looked down upon music, and considered it sinful and vile. As of 2003, this religious ban on music is still in place in parts of the Arab world, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Music in most of the Arab countries is entirely secular in nature. Classical music is music considered classical, as sophisticated and refined, in a regional tradition. ... Islam ( Arabic al-islām الإسلام, listen?) the submission to God is a monotheistic faith and the worlds second-largest religion. ... The word slave has at least two meanings: People who are owned by others, and live to serve them without pay. ... This article is about the marriage ceremony. ... The Hajj or Haj is the Pilgrimage to Mecca (or, Makkah) and is the fifth of the Five Pillars of Islam. Every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so is obliged to make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime. ... For a discussion of the history and current usage of the term transvestite, see transvestism. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, and also: The International Year of Freshwater The European Disability Year Events January events January 1 Luíz Inácio Lula Da Silva becomes the 37th President of Brazil. ... The Arab Republic of Egypt, commonly known as Egypt, (in Arabic: مصر, romanized Mişr or Maşr, in Egyptian dialect) is a republic mostly located in northeastern Africa. ... The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a country on the Arabian Peninsula. ...

In the 20th century, Egypt was the first in a series of Arab countries to see a sudden emergence of nationalism, as it became independent after 2000 years of foreign rule. Turkish music was replaced by national music, and Cairo became a center for musical innovation, hosting a 1932 conference of musicians from across the Arab world. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... Nationalism is an ideology that creates and sustains a nation as a concept of a common identity for groups of humans. ... 1932 is a leap year starting on a Friday. ...

Soon, the Arab world was inundated with new instruments from the west, including the electric guitar, cello, double bass and oboe, and adding influences from jazz and other foreign musical styles. The singers remained the stars, however, especially after the development of recording industry in the 1920s. These singing celebrities include Ahmed Shawki, Abd el-Halim Hafez, Ahmed Ramy, Farid el-Atrache, Asmahan, Sayed Darweesh, Mohammed Abd el-Wahaab, Warda Al-Jazairia, and possibly the biggest star of modern Arab classical music, Umm Kalthum. An electric guitar is a type of guitar with a solid or semi-solid body that utilizes electromagnetic pickup (music)s to convert the vibration of the steel-cored strings into electrical current. ... A cropped image to show the relative size of a cello to a human (Uncropped Version) The cello (also violoncello or cello) is a stringed instrument and a member of the violin family. ... Side and front views of a modern double bass with a French bow. ... Modern Oboe The Oboe is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. ... Jazz is a musical art form characterized by blue notes, syncopation, swing, call and response, polyrhythms, and improvisation. ... Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century Decades: 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s - 1920s - 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s Years: 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 Referred to as the Roaring 20s. ... Ahmed Shawki was one of the most well known Egyptian poets. ... Warda Al-Jazairia (وردة الجزائرية), commonly referred to as just Warda (ﺓﻭﺭﺩ), is a female singer from Algeria. ... Umm Kulthum (أم كلثوم, Oum Kalsoum) (c. ...

Contents

1 Genres

1.1 Secular art music
1.2 Sacred music

2 History

2.1 Early years
2.2 The sixteenth century
2.3 Female slaves
2.4 Male instrumentalists
2.5 The Twentieth century

Genres

Secular art music

Secular genres include maqam al-iraqi, andalusi nubah, muwashshah, Fjiri songs, qasidah, layali, mawwal, taqsim, bashraf, sama'i, tashmilah, dulab, and sawt. (Touma 1996, p.55-108)

Sacred music

Arab religious music include Christian and Muslim music. However, Muslim music, including sung Koran reading, is structurally equivalent to Arabic secular music, while Christian Arab music is influenced by Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Angilican, Coptic, and Maronite church music. (ibid, p.152) Islamic music is Muslim religious music, as sung or played in public services or private devotions. ...

History

Early years

By the 11th century, Moorish Spain was a centre for the manufacture of instruments. These spread gradually through France, influencing French troubadours and reaching the rest of Europe. The English words lute, rebec, guitar, organ and naker are derived from Arabic Oud, rabab, qitara, urghun and nagqara'. al-Ghazali (1059 - 1111) wrote a treatise on music in Persia, including the words "Ecstasy means the state that comes from listening to music". The oud was popular between the tenth and sixteenth centuries then fell into disuse, but re-emerged in the nineteenth century. The Persians invented the Ghazal (love song).

The sixteenth century

Bartol Gyurgieuvits (1506 - 1566) spent 14 years as a slave in the Turkish empire. After escaping, he published "De Turvarum ritu et caermoniis" in Amsterdam in 1544. It is one of the first European books to describe music in Islamic society. In India the Islamic Mughal emperors ruled both Muslims and Hindus. The greatest of these, Akhbar (1542 - 1605) had a team of at least 50 musicians. 36 of these are known to us by name. Akhbar was not a strict Muslim, and even started a new faith called Din-i-Ilahi a mixture of Islam, Hinduism, Christianity and Jainism. The origins of the "belly dance" are very obscure as depictions and descriptions are rare. It may have originated in Persia or Turkey, possibly developed with the harems. Essential elements of belly dancing are the zills (finger cymbals). Examples have been found from 200 BC, suggesting a possible pre-Islamic origin.

Female slaves

Slavery was widespread in early Islam. Just as in the Roman empire, they were often brought from Africa. The Koran specifically allows them to earn money. Black slaves from Zanzibar were noted in the eleventh century for the quality of their song and dance. The "Epistle on Singing Girls", written in Baghdad in the ninth century satirises the excessive money that can be made by singers. The author mentioned an Abyssinian girl who fetches 120,000 dinars at an auction - far more than an ordinary slave. A festival in the eighth century mentions fifty singing slave-girls with lutes who acted as backing musicians for a singer called Jamilia. In 1893, "Little Egypt", a belly-dancer from Syria, appeared at the Chicago world's fair and caused a sensation.

Male instrumentalists

Male instrumentalists were condemned in a treatise in the ninth century. They were associated with vices such as chess, love poetry, wine drinking and homosexuality. Many Persian treatises on music were burned by zealots. Following the invasion of Egypt, Napoleon commissioned reports on the state of Ottoman culture. Villoteau's account reveals that there were guilds of male instrumentalists, who played to male audiences and "learned females" who sang and played for women. The instruments included the oud, the zither and the ney (flute). By 1800 several instruments that were first encountered in Turkish military bands had been adopted into European classical orchestras: the piccolo, the cymbal and the kettle-drum. The Santur or hammer-dulcimer was cultivated within Persian classical schools of music that can be traced back to the middle of the nineteenth century. There was no written notation for the santur until the 1970s. Everything was learned face-to-face (to chest-to-chest as the Persian language has it). The santur (سَنتور) is a hammered dulcimer of Persia. ... Persian (فارسی), also known as Farsi (local name), Parsi (older local name, but still used by some speakers), Tajik (a Central Asian dialect) or Dari (an Afghan dialect), is a language spoken in Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. ...

The Twentieth century

The first Conference of Arab Music was held in Cairo in 1932. Umm Kalthum (1904 - 1975) was by far the most popular singer of the Arab world. There are many spellings of her name, including "Oom Kalsoum". More recent popular artists are Khaled and Natacha Atlas. Radio Tarifa play a mixture of electric guitars and antique instruments. Their music consists of historical styles from Moorish Spain and the Maghreb countries of Northern Africa. Traditionally Arab music has no chords but over the past 40 years they have been used more frequently. Islam has an obligation called Tajwid or Tajweed - to recite every letter correctly. Records broadcast in Islamic countries often have to pass a test of clarity. Compared to the rest of the world, the diction of singers is of very high quality. Umm Kulthum (أم كلثوم, Oum Kalsoum) (c. ... Natacha Atlas (born March 20, 1964) is a singer born in Belgium. ...

Cat Stevens was a folk singer-songwriter until he converted to Islam in 1978. John Zorn is a jazz musician who became a Muslim and has used elements of Arab music in his work. Richard Thompson converted to Islam in the 1980s but this not noticeably affected his songs. Cat Stevenss birth name was Stephen Demetre Georgiou. ... John Zorn (born September 2, 1953 in New York City) is a American composer and clarinet/saxophone player. ... Richard Thompson (born April 3, 1949) is a musician, most known as a guitar-player and songwriter. ...

Turkish music, in the sense described here, is not really music of Turkey, but rather a musical style that was occasionally used by the European composers of the Classical music era. ... Ethiopian music is strongly influenced by Muslim forms as well as folk musics from the Horn of Africa, especially Somalia. ... The modern Turkish state was proclaimed in 1923, and was immediately followed by a campaign to create a pan-Turkish cultural identity. ... The region around the Nile is one of the oldest continually-inhabited areas in the world. ... Both Western and traditional music are very popular in Saudi Arabia. ... Algerian music is virtually synonymous with raï among foreigners; the musical genre has achieved great popularity in France, Spain and other parts of Europe. ... Morocco is a North African country inhabited mostly by Arabs along with Berbers and other minorities. ... By far the most dynamic and popular music of Pakistan is qawwali, which has been internationally popularized by stars like Nusrat Ali Khan. ... Since the 1980s, Afghanistan has been involved in near constant violence. ...

External links

Resource page (http://leb.net/rma/)
Arabic musical instruments (http://www.coe.ufl.edu/webtech/Timemachine/music/Arabic/answer.htm)
The maqam (http://www.maqamworld.com/maqamat.html)
Maqam (http://oudclub.com/arabic-maqam/maqamat2-1.htm)
Maqamat (http://leb.net/rma/Articles/maqamat.html)

Source

Habib Hassan Touma (1996). The Music fo the Arabs, trans. Laurie Schwartz. Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press. ISBN 0931340888.
van der Merwe, Peter (1989). Origins of the Popular Style: The Antecedents of Twentieth-Century Popular Music. Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 0193161214.

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