Arab Music

I

Introduction

Arab Music, music of the Arab nations of the Middle East and North Africa. The tradition of Arab music has been cultivated throughout Arab regions for thousands of years. Although Arab music has undergone many changes over the centuries, it has retained certain distinctive traits.

II

History and Influences

The Arab music tradition developed in the courts of dynasties in the Islamic empire from the 7th century to the 13th century. It flourished during the Umayyad dynasty in the 7th century and 8th century in Syria. Great performers were drawn to Baghdād, now the capital of Iraq, under such rulers as Harun ar-Rashid, who was a patron of the musical arts during the late 700s. The cities of the Islamic empire (see Islam), from Spain across North Africa and throughout the Middle East, boasted many fine musicians. These early musicians were often composers and poets as well as performers.

Although the major writings on Arab music appeared after the spread of Islam in the beginning of the 7th century, the music tradition had already begun. Before the spread of Islam, Arab music incorporated music traditions of the Sassanid dynasty (224-651) in Persia and the early Byzantine empire (4th century to 6th century) and of sung poetry from the Arabian Peninsula. Arabic-speaking scholars also studied the treatises of ancient Greek philosophers on music. Music theorists of the 10th century and 11th century, such as al-Farabi and Avicenna, produced their own theories of music based on what they had learned from the Greeks and on the music of their own times. Greek works translated by the Arab scholars were later studied by European scientists and philosophers.

III

Melody and Rhythm

Arab music is created using unharmonized melodic and rhythmic systems (see Harmony). Arabic melodies draw from a vast array of models, or melodic modes, known as maqamat. Arabic books on music include as many as 52 melodic modes, of which at least 12 are commonly used. These modes feature more tones than are present in the Western musical system (see Music, Western), including notably smaller intervals that are sometimes called microtones, or half-flats and half-sharps. Arab melodies frequently use the augmented second interval, an interval larger than those of most Western melodies. The sound of Arab music is richly melodic and offers opportunity for subtle nuance and creative variation. In the Melody in Arab Music illustration, the first line of music represents the beginning of a lesson or simple performance. The second line shows the notes the musician used in the form of a scale. A notated scale similar to this one would be used by Arab teachers to help students learn how to compose and perform music.

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The rhythmic structure of Arab music is similarly complex. Rhythmic patterns have up to 48 beats and typically include several downbeats (called dums) as well as upbeats (called taks) and silences, or rests. To grasp a rhythmic mode, the listener must hear a relatively long pattern. Moreover, the performers do not simply play the pattern; they elaborate upon and ornament it. Often the pattern is recognizable by the arrangement of downbeats. The Rhythm in Arab Music illustration demonstrates a simple performance of the rhythmic mode called sama^ci thaqil, followed by the basic pattern.

Command of these systems of melody and rhythm is fundamental to the composition and performance of Arab music. Students also learn pieces of music, both songs and instrumental works, but rarely perform them exactly as they were originally composed or presented. In Arab tradition, good musicians offer something new in each performance by varying and improvising on known pieces or models in a fashion similar to that of jazz musicians (see Improvisation). The inventions of musicians can be lengthy, extending ten-minute compositions into hour-long performances that bear only a skeletal resemblance to the models.

The inventions of the musician traditionally depend upon the response of the audience. Listeners are expected to react during the performance, either verbally or with applause. Quiet is interpreted as disinterest or dislike. The audience members, in this tradition, are active participants in determining the length of the performance and in shaping the piece of music by encouraging musicians to either repeat a section of the piece or to move to the next section.

IV

Sung Poetry and Recitation

Historically, words and music were closely linked in Arab music, and singing remains a central feature. Although distinct from music, the Qur'an (Koran), the holy book of Muslims, is typically recited aloud, and this public recitation often draws upon the melodic modes of Arab music. The modes may help deliver the meaning or sense of the holy words without obscuring the words themselves. Religious supplications and songs draw more on the musical system but emphasize the text in a manner similar to Qur'anic recitation.

Oratory is a valued art in Arab societies. Traditionally, recitations of poetry form part of ceremonies, celebrations, and other performances. Sophisticated poetry and colloquial verse are frequently sung, with the expectation that the singer's rendition will enhance the mood and meaning of the poetry but not obscure its puns or other wordplay. The singing of a qasida, a long narrative poem describing nature, political events, or religious devotion, exemplifies pre-Islamic classical tradition. In this tradition, singers selected a dozen or more poignant lines from much longer poems and created melodies for them. Their performances featured lengthy variations or improvisations on lines at the behest of listeners who felt themselves drawn into the mood of the poetry and music. This tradition continues in a multitude of genres of song, including highly colloquial folk songs performed in small villages, that operate similarly—that is, they combine clever ideas and wordplay with creative musical rendition.

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