Music in Ancient Arabia and Spain

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• Music in Ancient Arabia and Spain - a book by Julian Ribera : Music
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• Music In Ancient Arabia And Spain
• Music In Ancient Arabia And Spain

Everything in the way of the history Music in Ancient Arabia and Spain. Everything in the way of the history and habits of fish has been studiously avoided, and technicalities have been used as sparingly as possible. The writing of this book has afforded him pleasure in his leisure moments, and that pleasure would be much increased if he knew that the perusal of it would create any bond of sympathy between himself and the angling community in general.

This section is interleaved with blank shects for the readers notes. The Author need hardly say that any suggestions addressed to the case of the publishers, will meet with consideration in a future edition. We do not pretend to write or enlarge upon a new subject. Much has been said and written-and well said and written too on the art of fishing but loch-fishing has been rather looked upon as a second-rate performance, and to dispel this idea is one of the objects for which this present treatise has been written.

Far be it from us to say anything against fishing, lawfully practised in any form but many pent up in our large towns will bear us out when me say that, on the whole, a days loch-fishing is the most convenient. One great matter is, that the loch-fisher is depend- ent on nothing but enough wind to curl the water, -and on a large loch it is very seldom that a dead calm prevails all day, -and can make his arrangements for a day, weeks beforehand whereas the stream- fisher is dependent for a good take on the state of the water and however pleasant and easy it may be for one living near the banks of a good trout stream or river, it is quite another matter to arrange for a days river-fishing, if one is looking forward to a holiday at a date some weeks ahead.

However, as time wore on and the Islamic world was established on a permanent basis, the love and appreciation of poetry and music surged forward, incorporating the old and formulating the new. It was in the Hijaz that rhythm and melody of song were developed into artistic and elegant singing.

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The early Muslims, especially under the Umayyads and later, in the early period of the Abbasid dynasty, spread the love for Arabic music throughout their vast empire. They then refined and based this music on notes and scales and, at the same time, developed dancing and singing schools across their lands — the most famous being in Medina and Baghdad. In these schools, musicians and dancing girls, coming from all parts the Muslim world were taught the art of entertainment. Under this culture-oriented dynasty, poetry, music and singing reached dazzling heights.

They established music schools that could be compared to the best in the cities of the Arab East. These musicians, poets and singers were the pathfinders of their era. However, the best was yet to come. Ziryab, one of the greatest teachers of musicians and singers of all times, arrived in Andalusia in 82l A. He was a marvellous entertainer and enchanted the court of Cordova for years with his wit, music and song. He was steeped in the knowledge of refined music and established a conservatory of music in Cordova — the first in Europe.

Under his influence, the traditions of Medina and the classical music school of al-Mawsili in Baghdad whose pupil he had been took root in Spain and flourished. Encouraging experimentation and innovations in musical styles and instruments he came to establish the unique Arab musical tradition of Andalusia.

1. Arabic Contributions To Spanish Music, Song And Dance.
2. MODERATORS.
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The Arab music brought to Spain by Ziryab had borrowed much from the music and song of the neighbouring countries and then developed into the distinctive melodies of the Arab East. In Moorish Spain it was later modified by Greek music and song giving birth to the Arab-Andalusian type melodies. In those centuries music was developed into a fine art.

It is said that when al-Mahdi, one of the last caliphs in Cordova, entertained, the sound of a hundred lutes and a hundred flutes would fill the air. To the music schools of Arab Andalusia in these golden years, students came from other European countries to study, then returned influenced by the music of the Arabs — the finest in the world of that time. Throughout this period and long thereafter, Arab-Andalusian music and poetry belonged not only to the wealthy but also to the workers and peasants. A 13th century Arab author, Zakariya al-Qazwini, describing a village he visited in Muslim Spain, wrote that almost every inhabitant was interested in literature and music and many peasants were capable of improvising poetry and song.

The kings of Granada, Valencia, Saragossa, Toledo, Malaga, Seville and others vied with each other as patrons of learning. Toledo boasted of its famous musicians. Malaga overflowed in its love of music. Two of his friends took good care of him but at night when he tried to rest the loud noises of musical instruments and vulgar singing, from the neighbouring homes, kept him awake and increased his misery.

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This enraged him but one night his feeling for the music and singing, coming from the surrounding buildings, changed. Describing this experience, he wrote:. One night I awoke after dozing a little, and noticed that the tumult of odious voices and turbulent tunes had calmed down, leaving only a breath of sound, tranquil and lovely. I felt that my soul understood this music and would find repose in it, with none of the repugnance I had felt for the other. It was purely instrumental, without the human voice.

Then it began increasing slowly in volume. I was drawn to it and disposed to listen, even when it reached the fullest possible strength. I found myself forgetting my misery in the emotional enjoyment, which almost caused me to imagine that the walls and floor were floating around me. And all this time there had been no sound of a human voice. I said to myself: What kind of a voice will the musician have? How will it end? I could not contain myself and got up, leaving my two companions sleeping. I opened the door of my room and followed the sound until I reached the part of the house whence I could overlook the neighbours.

I saw a large garden with about twenty people in the centre, seated in a row, with sweets, fruits and drinks before them. The girl who was singing sat apart from the others, and held her listeners spellbound.

She sang and sang, and I, hidden above, could watch without being seen. As she sang a verse, I learned it, until I knew quite a number. According to travellers from other Arab lands, Muslim Spain, in that enlightened era, was a land filled with poets and musicians. Music, dance and song were not only encouraged in the homes but also on the streets.

The parades and street celebrations in the cities of modern Andalusia are only a continuation of the traditions set by the Moors many centuries ago. Like the king so his subjects. Seville rang with song and music. The city became the centre for manufacturing musical instruments.

From this city many Arab musical instruments were introduced to the remainder of Western Europe. Arab merchants from Seville were found in that part of continent, selling their well-made instruments, many of which can still be seen in historic Spanish paintings. In the medieval period, and even today, names of many of these musical instruments are derived from Arabic:.

With this rich background of music in Arab Spain, it is not strange that innumerable types of music, song and dance developed. These two types of song and music were widely sung and appreciated by both the Muslims and Christians in all parts of the Iberian Peninsula and spread throughout the Arabic-speaking world of his time. And, until now, this type of song and music continues to be sung by famous singers across the whole of the modern Arab world.

The muwashshahat were written and sung in classical Arabic but the last verse always ended with two or four lines written in the Romance or the aljamiado language of the Christians and summarised the entire meaning of the poem. This last verse was known as a kharja and from it was derived the whole inspiration of the poem. The zajal was the colloquial form of the muwashshahat , written and sung in vulgar Arabic.

It was popular among the masses in both Muslim and Christian Spain and later spread throughout the Muslim world with remarkable rapidity. The well-known 12th century poet from Cordova, Ibn Quzman, used to boast that his zajal was sung as far away as the eastern Arab world. This type of verse did not disappear for today in Egypt and Lebanon, zajal continues to be a popular folk art. It is believed that the zajal gave rise to the villancico , a type of Spanish Christmas carol and from the zajal and muwashshahat the Spanish cantigas developed.

In later centuries these cantigas were to have a great impact on all European music. After the Muslim defeat in Spain, their music was not lost. In that age even the churchmen were delighted with Moorish song and dance. In Valladolid, a city carrying an Arab name, balad al-Walid , the council of the city, fearing their church leaders had become enamoured with Arabic entertainment, forbade any further hiring of Moorish musicians to enliven Christian vigils or to entertain at Christian feasts.

Well might the church leaders have feared Arab music and song for even in the Christian religion the Arab influence was to leave its mark. The romerias , celebrations held near Christian shrines and still seen in modern Spain, were originally visits to the shrines of Muslim holy men that were passed from the Moorish to the Christian communities.

In the spring months, when the cities of Andalusia are filled with colourful religious parades, the sad and wavering laments of the saeta punctuates these processions. Although now sung in Spanish, there is no doubt that its origins go back to the Arabic songs of the Moors. One could argue that these influences are only on the periphery of Christian worship, but there are other influences that are felt in the church itself. The poetry and music of the zajal and muwashshahat also gave rise to the troubadours, from the Arabic tariba — to sing.

From the very beginning, these entertainers, not only sung Arabic poetry in its authentic and sentimental state but also, in its method and construction. Later Arabic was abandoned for the languages of southern Europe but the Arabic format remained.