Arab Music: A Survey of Its History and Its Modern Practice

This book offers a comprehensive survey of the history and the development of Arab music and musical theory from its pre-Islamic roots until 1970, as well as a discussion of the major genres and forms practiced today, such as the Egyptian gil, the Algerian rai and Palestinian hip hop; it also touches upon musical instruments and folk

Arab Music: A survey of its history and modern practice is primarily meant for the general Western reader with some basic knowledge of music and music notation. It aims at correcting the still prevalent romantic image of Arab music, spread in the 19th century, as exotic and typified by long, plaintive and erotic sounding melodic lines and inciting rhythms. It offers the reader a comprehensive survey of the history and the development of Arab music and musical theory from its pre-Islamic roots until 1970, as well as a discussion of the major genres and forms practiced today, such as the Egyptian gil, the Algerian rai and Palestinian hip hop. Other topics touched upon are musical instruments and folk music. The analysis of each genre is accompanied by a complete musical notation of an exemplary composition or improvisation, including lyrics and translation.

Sources of illustrations Foreword Recorded Music Transliteration of the Arabic letters Introduction Part I: Historical background Introduction The legacy of past centuries Egypt and Mesopotamia From the third century BCE to the seventh century CE Arab music before the arrival of the Islam The Bedouins Mecca and Medina Musical instruments The early Islamic period and the Umayyad Caliphate (600 - 750) The mukannat Damascus The Golden Age of the Abbasids (eighth and ninth centuries) Music at the court of Harun ar-Rasid The emergence of Andalusia The beginning of the Andalusian music tradition: Ziryab Music theory The tenth to the thirteenth century Music theory in the Mashriq Developments since the tenth century in the Maghreb From circa 1250 to 1600 Musical life Music Theory Rhythm Forms of compositions The organization of the modes and cosmology Musical instruments From the late fifteenth to the mid-nineteenth century From 1850 to the end of the twentieth century The period of the Arab renaissance, the nahda The twentieth century The lyric theatre The music film and Muhammad 'Abdu-l-Wahhab The radio and Umm Kulthum The tura? or musical heritage The seventies, a change of generations Part 2: The Modern Time Introduction The tone system Temperament The jins The maqam Meter and rhythm The classical urban music The tradition of Iraq: al-maqam al-'iraqi The classical tradition of Syria and Egypt, the wa?la Classical traditions in North Africa: the nawba Popular music Firqa songs The Egyptian sa'bi The Egyptian gil The Algerian rai The Moroccan sa'bi (chaabi) The Arab hiphop Folk Music The Middle East The Maghreb Bibliography Discography List of recorded music Websites Index, Sources of illustrations Foreword Recorded Music Transliteration of the Arabic letters Introduction Part I: Historical background Introduction ;
The legacy of past centuries ;
Egypt and Mesopotamia From the third century BCE to the seventh century CE Arab music before the arrival of the Islam ;
The Bedouins Mecca and Medina Musical instruments The early Islamic period and the Umayyad Caliphate (600 - 750) ;
The muḳannaṯ Damascus The Golden Age of the Abbasids (eighth and ninth centuries) ;
Music at the court of Harun ar-Rasid The emergence of Andalusia The beginning of the Andalusian music tradition: Ziryāb Music theory The tenth to the thirteenth century ;
Music theory in the Mashriq Developments since the tenth century in the Maghreb From circa 1250 to 1600 ;
Musical life Music Theory Rhythm Forms of compositions The organization of the modes and cosmology Musical instruments From the late fifteenth to the mid-nineteenth century ;
From 1850 to the end of the twentieth century ;
The period of the Arab renaissance, the nahḍa The twentieth century ;
The lyric theatre The music film and Muḥammad ʿAbdū-l-Wahhāb The radio and Umm Kulthūm The turāṯ or musical heritage The seventies, a change of generations Part 2: The Modern Time Introduction ;
The tone system ;
Temperament The jins The maqam Meter and rhythm The classical urban music ;
The tradition of Iraq: al-maqām al-ʿirāqī The classical tradition of Syria and Egypt, the waṣla Classical traditions in North Africa: the nawba Popular music ;
Firqa songs The Egyptian šaʿbī The Egyptian gīl The Algerian raï The Moroccan šaʿbī (chaâbi) The Arab hiphop Folk Music ;
The Middle East The Maghreb Bibliography Discography List of recorded music Websites Index