Arabic and Asian Music

After finishing the unit on Arabic music, I began doing some deeper research into a few things that really interested me: 

1.) How Arabic music, in the secular world, has changed and developed over time

2.) How Arabs/Muslims view the relationship between Arabic music and Islam 

3.) How Arabic music works (harmonically, etc.)

Firstly, as I was researching more into Arabic music and I found a lot of information regarding its beginnings. Arab music has deep roots in poetry. This love for poetry in music comes from the influence of philosophers, writers and musicians from Greece. Now it was during these early years that Islam was not an (established) religion and therefore people had no conflicts in creating music or art - this period is known as Jahiliyyah. During Jahiliyyah, "musicians", otherwise known as "Jahili poets" or "Arab poets" would write poetry and recite them with "high musical rhythm and tone". Scholars consider this as being the beginning of Arab music making. As time went on, many different changes were made in the style of Arab music. Rather than just reciting poetry in rhythm, instrumentation became a part of Arab music making; using ouds, rebab, lute and drums. Along with having instrumental accompaniment, these poetry reciters were given a label; in the 16th century, male musicians were called, "Alateeyeh" or "Alatee" which translates to "a player upon an instrument" and for women, they were called, "Alawim" or "Al'meh" which translates to "a learned female". These terms were given to people who were either instrumentalists or vocalists in Arab music and although it seems pretty cool that they were recognized this way, for men, this job was looked down upon. Male Arab musicians weren't given very much money and were ultimately judged by society. For female Arab musicians, people would give them more money and regard/acknowledge their work with a bit more respect. This idea continued on for years, with very little stylistic changes happening in the musical genre.

As we go into the 20th century and on, Arab music begins to pick up a little bit more speed when it comes to stylistic changes being made. During the early years of the 20th century, the idea of nationalism becomes an important idea that cultures all around the world adopt, and so this in turn effects Arabic music. Cairo becomes a hub for Arab music making and new musical ideas are introduced to the genre. Umm Kulthum and later, Fairuz, served as two important and influential musicians during this progressive period in Arab music. This led to more Westernized sounds in the 1950s and 60s by Arab musicians. Today, there are many different sub-genres of Arabic music including Arab R&B, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Reggae, Electronica, Rock and more. Included below are some of my favorite Arabic sub-genres I've found while doing my research:

Some Arabic rock for you :)

And you like (Arabic) jazz? ;) 

Secondly, I wanted to discuss how Arabs/Muslims view the relationship between Arabic music and Islam. As we had already listened to and discussed in class, the Islamic Call to Prayer is an important point of reference when comparing the relationship between music and Islam. Now over the years, many scholars have argued about what the Qur'an actually permits when it comes to music making and although there is no direct reference about music and if it is permissible or not, many people just assume Islam writes off music altogether and forbids it. 

Although there are some people of the Islamic faith that consider music to be the stepping stone that leads to so much more, "drinking or licentious behavior" that is considered to be illegitimate in the faith, others might argue music differently (depending on the situation of course). The most important aspect to consider when looking at music and Islam is to assess the heart of the situation - is music being made out of faith or for enjoyment, entertainment, pleasure purposes? For Muslims, the Call to Prayer is a religious audio art that prepares ones heart for worship. Although it shares all of the same characteristics of music (being melismatic, melodic, etc.), it is considered to be a devotional audio art. 

Going off of that idea, Sufis, one large identifying group of Muslims, say that in order for music to be considered a devotional audio art it has to legitimately fit into three differing categories; 1.) time 2.) place and 3.) companions. 

But what does that mean? Let's break it down. 

1.) Time- the audio art allows you to continue participating in religious or social obligations, does not distract you from what is important.

2.) Place- the audio art must be heard in an appropriate setting, for example, NOT in a bar.

3.) Companions- the companions that surround the listener must only bring out the best in the person, not hinder them from staying strong and protected in the faith.

If these three categories are proven to be legitimate, the audio art being listened to or made is considered appropriate for a Muslim. Now obviously, this belief can change from Muslim to Muslim, but over time there have been some modifications on what Muslim people believe their relationship between Arabic music, or music in general, should be in comparison to their faith.

Below is a video featuring Dr. Zakir Naik that gives you all more specific information on what the Qur'an actually says (quoted verses and such) and how many Muslims feel about music:

Lastly, I wanted to delve deeper into how Arabic music works. We spoke briefly with Dr. Haecker about what portions of Arabic music theory looks like but as he said, there is much more we did not get to even touch on. So what more is out there? As someone who struggles with Western music theory and understanding all of the concepts, analyzing everything that is presented to us in our music, researching more into this was mind-blowing. First, let's look at some of the distinguishing features of Arab music. When listening or performing Arab music, one of the first things you notice is that there are a lot of ornamentations happening or that the melody is very melismatic. This feature is used to add effect and is often times done through improvisation on the vocalists part. 

Secondly, tuning in Arab music is a bit different than our A 440 here in the West. In Arabic music there is something called the Maqam system that is used - it dates back to the 9th century and it is the idea that all Arabic music is based off of eight modes (or maqams). Each Maqam is supposed to signify a different mood or theme and is based off of seven different tone scales, which include microtones. Now as complicated as it may sound, the Maqam system is not taught through school like music is taught over here in the West through general music education classes starting as early as kindergarten or pre-school, rather, it is passed down aurally, through extensive listening and by playing Arabic music. 

Another common feature of Arabic music is its unique rhythms. Sometimes when listening to Arabic music you can't quite find the proper meter, it feels like its constantly switching it up. And that's the stye of Arabic music, nonmetric! The rhythms of Arab music is differentiated by using different pitches, one high and one low. By doing this, one can add variety and texture to a piece. 

Lastly, the timbre of their instruments is a huge indicator of this not being Western music. As we learned in class, although many of our Western instruments are direct descendants of African/Middle Eastern instruments, over time, sound and materials used to create these instruments change, hence the sound changes. 

Below is a video showcasing all of the features we discussed above about what Arab Music really is:

In the beginning of this video, there is an awesome oud solo that gets the audience into the specific Maqam they are playing out of. Tune in around 1:25 to hear the whole ensemble come together to make it one big party :)

Bibliography:

“Traditional and Classical Arabic Music.” Traditional & Classical Arabic Music, https://www.classicalarabicmusic.com/traditional%20arabic%20music.htm. 

“Music and Islam: A Deeper Look.” Asia Society, https://asiasociety.org/arts/music-and-islam-deeper-look. 

“Traditional Music in the Arab World.” Music in Global America, 23 Aug. 2019, https://scalar.usc.edu/works/music-in-global-america/traditional-music-in-the-arab-world.