A Brief and Broad Overview

 Assyrian & Babylonian kingdoms  Later, Persian Kingdom  Arabian civilization cradle of intellectual achievement (i.e. music/theory, instruments, math & medicine)  Pre-Islamic music – oral tradition

 Lyre  Frame drum  Reed & Double reeds

Fore-parent to the modern oboe Ultra-Orthodox muslims call this instrument the Devil’s Penis

 *Huda – simple folk songs, camel songs (aka: caravan songs)  *Nawh – lamentation or elegy  *Ghina – generic term for art music  Iranian (Persian) Dynasty (Sassanians) 224 AD  khosovania – systems or modes (Barbad)  Poetry driven (Persian roots)

 Nasheed = voice & percussion only; religious content, poetry, or concepts of the prophet  Sufi (sect of Islam) - mystics  Qawaali (qawwali) = “utterance” voice, percussion, harmonium  Whirling dervishes = voice, percussion, woodwinds, strings  Gnawa = voice, strings, percussion, woodwinds

 Qu’ranic recitations (chant),  Call to prayer  Huda – simple folk songs, camel songs (aka: caravan songs)  *Nawh – lamentation or elegy  *Ghina – generic term for art music  Nasheed = 10% religious content, praise of the Prophet, poetry

 Considered the Star of the East or Diva of the Arabic Song  Began her career reciting Qu’ranic verse  Most popular during the 1950’s – 60’s  Peasant - cultivated perfect Arabic  Still highly revered in Egypt

 Predominately male oriented  Reminiscent of western male a capella quartets  Contemporary groups have the “boy band” sound  More political rhetoric appearing  Western in flavor  Pushing envelope

 Raihan – Indonesian quintet  Rakan Selawat (Seal of the Prophet)  786  Straight Path  Shaam  Mercy Like the Rain  Mustaqiim Sahir  This is Islam

 Sufism  Whirling dervish = can convert; traditionally men, long study, dhikr (remembrance of Allah)  Qawalli & Gnawa = hereditary; cannot convert  Sufi’s are in love with God and seek to establish an ecstatic relationship with Him.  Imagery & language used is one of lovers  Music is the means by which to ascend unto God  If it’s in praise to Allah it cannot be bad

 Followers of Mevlana Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi (13 th cent. Persian poet, Islamic jurist, & theologian)  Mevlevi Order originally founded in Turkey after Rumi’s death  Dervish lodges were banned in 1925; contem- porary communities were persecuted under penalty of death  1950 laws relaxed; Mevlevi viewed as an association – performances only permitted annually (Dec. 17)  Many tourist performances

 Symbolizes Divine Love & mystical ecstasy of union with the Divine Being  Actualized dhikr  Opens with the recitation of the Na’t-I Serif  Then instrumental (ney) introduction  Salutations & circumambulations  Concludes with recitation from the Qu’ran

 The Ney; end blown reed  Only reed allowed in the Sema - often a chorus of neys used  Human voice, percussion (frame drum, doumbek), and strings (dependent on the region – zither or type of fiddle) are also used

 East Indian / Pakistani  Hereditary; families old as 600 yrs  Ensemble called a Party  Hierarchy within family and performance order  Voice, tabla (drums), harmonium cymbals  Urdu, punjabi, arabic  Seek ecstasy (wajad) through song

 Gnawa (Gnaoua)  Extreme sect of Islam (pluralists)  Descended from African slaves & mercenaries  Hereditary  Practice spirit (demon) possession via lila or derdba  Commonalities with Voodoo  Becoming major contributor to “world beat” or gnawa fusion (diffusion)  Some looked upon with same distain as gypsies

Guimbri Taureg tribe with guimbri

 Whirling Dervish  Mevlevi Order (Ottoman Empire/Turkey)  Qawaali  Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan  Gnawa  Mustapha Baqbou

 Term gained use 1980’s  Marketing/classificatory device for music industry  Music that uses distinctive ethnic scales, modes and musical inflections (ethnic instrumentation) for western audiences  Jazz infusion/diffusion