Transcript Slide 1

MUSIC OF ISLAM:
A Brief and Broad Overview
PRE-ISLAM

Assyrian & Babylonian kingdoms
 Later,
Persian Kingdom
Arabian civilization cradle of intellectual
achievement (i.e. music/theory, instruments,
math & medicine)
 Pre-Islamic music – oral tradition

EARLIEST DOCUMENTED INSTRUMENTS

Lyre

Frame drum

Reed & Double reeds
THE UD (OUD)
OTHER LUTES
THEORBO (LUTE FAMILY)
THE SHAUM
Fore-parent to the modern oboe
Ultra-Orthodox muslims call this
instrument the Devil’s Penis
MUSIC GENRE
*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)

WHAT IS IT??
THE GOOD, THE BAD, & THE SCARY
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
CONSERVATIVE, ORTHODOX – HALAL OR GOOD
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

UMM KULTHOUM
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

NASHEED (ANASHEED)
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

NASHEEDS

Raihan – Indonesian quintet
 Rakan

Selawat (Seal of the Prophet)
786
 Straight

Shaam
 Mercy

Path
Like the Rain
Mustaqiim Sahir
 This
is Islam
MODERATES’ VIEW– HALAL (TECHNICALLY)
HARAM (BAD) IN EYES OF THE ORTHODOX
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
WHIRLING DERVISHES
Followers of Mevlana Jalal ad-Din Muhammad
Rumi (13th cent. Persian poet, Islamic jurist, &
theologian)
 Mevlevi Order originally founded in Turkey after
Rumi’s death
 Dervish lodges were banned in 1925; contemporary communities were persecuted under
penalty of death
 1950 laws relaxed; Mevlevi viewed as an
association – performances only permitted
annually (Dec. 17)
 Many tourist performances

A DERVISH THEATER
THE SEMA
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 SEMA MUSIC
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

ORDER BASED IN OMAHA, NB
QAWAALI
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

HARMONIUM AND TABLA
THE SCARY – HARAM (BAD)

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

Taureg tribe with guimbri
Guimbri
SUFI MUSIC

Whirling Dervish
 Mevlevi

Qawaali
 Nusrat

Order (Ottoman Empire/Turkey)
Fateh Ali Khan
Gnawa
 Mustapha
Baqbou
WORLD BEAT
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
