Arab Music
The word "music" comes from the Greek word Mousiki which means ‘the science of composing melodies’. Ilm al-musiqa was the name given by the Arabs to the Greek theory of music as to distinguish it from ilm al-ghinaa, the Arabian theory. The Arab music tradition developed in the courts of dynasties in the Islamic Empire from the seventh to the thirteenth century. It flourished during the Umayyad dynasty in the seventh and eighth centuries in Syria. Although the major writings of Arab music appeared after the spread of the Islamic religion in the beginning of the seventh century, the music tradition had already begun. Before the spread of Islam, Arab music incorporated music traditions of the Sassanid dynasty (224-651) in Persia and the early Byzantine empire (fourth to sixth century) and of sung poetry from the Arabian Peninsula.
Arab music is created using non-harmonized melodic and rhythmic systems. Arabic melodies draw from a vast array of models, or melodic modes, known as maqamat. Arabic books on music include as many as 52 melodic modes, of which at least 12 are commonly used. These modes feature more tones than are present in the Western musical system, including notably smaller intervals that are sometimes called microtones, or half-flats and half-sharps. Arab melodies frequently use the increased second interval, an interval larger than those of most Western melodies. The sound of Arab music is richly melodic and offers freedom for subtle nuance and creative diversity.
The rhythmic structure of Arab music is also complex. Rhythmic patterns have up to forty-eight beats and typically include several downbeats (called dums) as well as upbeats (called taks) and rests. To grasp a rhythmic mode, ...
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... is distinguishable by pitch. Rhythmic modes also have varying articulations in different locales, and the styles of melodies and renditions differ. Sung poetry, particularly informal verse, changes with local dialects. The Iraqi maqam is not simply a melodic mode, but an unfolding of pieces in a particular mode. The word maqam in Iraq carries a meaning closer to that of waslah or nawbah than it does maqam in other places.
Because of the absence of recording or notation until the 20th century, it is impossible to be certain of the age of the melodies. Particular melodies, specifically those of Andalusian or Syrian muwashshahat, may be centuries old, but it is highly unlikely that they have remained exactly the same throughout the years. Widely known musical pieces of early times were probably subject to reinterpretation at different places throughout history.
Religion has been an important part of man’s life. Man has allowed religion to control and influence his life in many different ways, affecting both his behavior and his actions. So its not surprising that music, one of man’s earliest expressive forms, has also been influenced by religion. Religion has had an effect on man’s music all throughout history, from the early Egyptians to even now. So it is only natural that Western music should also have been affected by religion. Western music, and its development by composers, has been strongly influenced by the Christian religion, especially in the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods. The music in these periods laid the foundation for all the different types of music we enjoy today.
African music has had a major influence on Cuban culture beginning in the early 1550’s through slave trade. Thousands of slaves were brought to Spain in the 1400’s and eventually migrated to Cuba. Since these “Ladinos” were accustomed to Spanish culture and language, they easily were able to get by in Cuba and even escape slavery. As a result, Slave owners in Cuba brought more slaves directly from Africa. In 1526, a Royal Decree allowed slaves to buy their freedom, resulting in increased interaction and ethnic mixing among Cubans and Africans. All aspects of both cultures began to blend, especially among working class Cubans and Africans. Music became a common bond between the two groups
There are various aspects of our lives and of those there is music. Music is an inextricable part of life. It can be dated back to the most primitive of time. Where there are humans there is some form of music varying from culture to culture. Languages, belief systems and many other variables within a nation have great influence on what is considered music and what’s not music. This is why it is very important when listening to music to consider the context in which it was created in. This will enable you to appreciate the different sounds and musical constructions such as rhythm, melody, harmony and also the lack thereof. American music is fundamentally diverse because of the many ethnicities and subcultures. These attributes of society are also found in other nations around the world. The Middle East, Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa are nations of varied ethnic groups whom have expressed their beliefs, culture and other extra musical influences in their music. Through the study of many ethnomusicologists in these regions we can acknowledge and or comprehend the different sounds of music apart from our ethnocentric understanding of music.
In the works An Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man by James Weldon Johnson and Slave Songs of the United States by William Francis Allen, Charles Pickard Ware, and Lucy McKim Garrison, both stories include the topics about music from the African-American perspective. Although both works are quite different, there are some similarities between the stories. An Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man and Slave Songs of the United States both show the difficulty of an outsider trying to transcribe music from a somewhat “unknown” and challenging perspective. Although they are similar in this aspect, their plans, understanding of the music, and musicking experience greatly differ from each other.
This pattern is a type of call and response structure that is very common in African and Afro-Cuban music. One simple way to understand and hear the beat applied is the classic “Bo Diddley beat” used in most of his songs. This example shows how the Afro-Cuban rhythms, a product of acculturation, is so adaptable and hidden in plain sight all over jazz and American music. In this essay, I will explore how Afro-Cuban
An intermezzo is defined as a brief interlude (a period of time between events or activities). This period of history is sometimes called the Iranian Intermezzo because it was a brief break between the rule of the Abbasid Arabs and the Selijuq Turks. The term Iranian Intermezzo represents a period in Persian history which saw the rise of various native Persian Muslim dynasties in the Iranian plateau. Iranian Intermezzo has always been recognized as a period in time of major importance for the formation of Islamic civilization, both in political and intellectual terms. In the linguistic and literary area, the Persian period was characterized by the rise of the Persian speaking court, therefore bringing about the literary beginnings of the classical Persian language and its acceptance as the second primary Islamic language of high culture. This development of the Persian language in turn led to the writing of many of the Islamic civilization’s greatest works of poetry, philosophy, biography, history, and religion in Persian. However at the same time Arabic continued to be a major literary language, and the oldest Persian works were based on translations from the Arabic language.
The Palestinian dance, also known as “Dabkeh”, is one of the most well-known dances in the worldwide. The Dabkeh is performed in many countries like Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan. Each country has different Dabkeh movements than the other. Also, there are different Dabkeh songs depending on the culture and the traditions of the country. As for the Palestinian Dabkeh, it is considered the most famous dance in the Arab region and the Middle-East. It is performed in weddings, joyous occasions and cultural events. It is classified under the line dances because the dancers stand up in one line while performing. However, in some parts the dancers break the line by changing their places.
It has been scientists' belief that music must have been present in the ancestral population prior to the dispersal of humans around the world. Therefore it is believed that music must have been in existence for at least 50,000 years, with the first music being invented in Africa and then evolving into becoming a fundamental constituent of human life. Any culture of music is influenced by the aspect of their culture, including their social and economic organization, climate, and access to technology. People express their emotions and ideas through their music. Music expresses the situations and how music is listened to and played. The attitude towards music players and composers varies between regions and periods of history. Music history" is the distinct subfield of musicology and history which studies music (particularly western art music) from a chronological perspective. ("History of Music")
Rhythm is the pattern of music. It is one of the key characteristics to define music as what it is. Rhythm is valuable, and in both Cuban and West-African music, it is one of the most crucial parts of their music. Cuban music can be separated into many different sub-categories, one of them being the Son Cubano, a type of music that originated in Cuba, and is heavily influenced by African music. Son music has very few characteristics that fully developed by itself; the music has strong hints of Spanish guitar, melody, monophony and lyrical translation with African percussion and rhythms, all merged together to show that the music had developed traits that it had borrowed from other cultures, mainly Africa. This clearly demonstrates the distinct similarities between these two nations, and how one adapted a part of the others music. Another interrelation is how both culture's music is quite simple; no complex harmonies or complicated reading of music, but with decidedly trickier rhythms. In West-Cuban music, they have an element called polyrhythm, which means multiple or opposing rhythmic patterns played at the same time. Usually, there are multiple drummers to play the separate parts, so in the end it c...
Throughout the semester, various styles of music and the aspects of culture associated with these styles have been analyzed. Musical elements such as dynamics, texture, form, timbre, melody, instruments, etc., have been used to thoroughly explore each kind of music from different areas of the world, with an emphasis in music from Africa, India and Indonesia. These aspects of music go far beyond just music itself. Culture also plays a huge role in music and the accompanying musical elements. Each country and culture has a different style and distinctiveness that add to what makes the music of that certain culture unique. Music in Africa may differ dramatically from music in Indonesia or India not only due to those certain elements but also due to how it is interpreted by people and what it represents for those people. In addition to this, what one may consider music in one culture may not be music to another. These differences have been made apparent in the several demonstrations that we have been exposed to in class.
The ballad is a old form of verse adapted for singing or recitation, originating in the days when most poetry existed in spoken rather than written form. The typical subject matter of most ballads reflects folk themes important to common people: love, courage, the mysterious, and the supernatural. Though the ballad is generally rich in musical qualities such as rhythm and repetition, it often portrays both ideas and feelings in overwrought but simplistic terms. The dominant meter of the ballad stanza is iambic, which means the poem's lines are constructed in two-syllable segments, called iambs, in which the first syllable is unstressed and the second is stressed. As an example of iambic meter, consider the following line from the poem with the stresses indicated:
Arab is not a race, but is a group of individuals that are united by their culture and history (ADC, 2014). There are many different variations commonly based on a particular individual’s country of origin such as Arab Americans. Other variations are based on their social class, the level of their education, if they live urbanely or rurally, or the time they have spent in the United States (Lipson & Dubble, 2007). Most Arabs also practice Islamic religion and are Muslim. When working with an Arab or Muslim client, nurses should ask what the client wishes to be referred to so as not to offend them in any way (Lipson & Dubble, 2007).
One of the most significant changes in components of music that formed twentieth century music is rhythm. The modern music is full of complex rhythms and time signatures. The major reason for the increase of rhythms in twentieth century music is the development of the ballet. The second component of twentieth century music is melody. This new music moves away from the traditional melodic line that previous musical styles had developed. Modern composers have also rejected...
The best Disney’s movie to watch as a family is The Lion King. The Lion King is for all ages. This movie talks about our society. Some of the themes, coming of age, society and class, still affects us. Even the music affects us in so many ways, that you are speechless. This movie has a lot of african music. The music of The Lion King has improvisation and call and response which makes the music in the movie even better. Now enough of the movie lets talk about the music.
...unication and visits , and the habits of the population Damascus, for example , where they go for a walk or to the Tor and called Gota ( Alserran ) . We see in Syria dance dabke famous , a dance collective hooking the hands of dancers and her rhythms dysfunctional suffices type and by region , there Dabke tenderness and Dabke the Syrian coast , the same Dabke in Mount Lebanon and Dabke Druze Mountain and the Euphrates and shield ... and the basis of this dance goes back to prehistoric times where it was on what is believed to have been dancing in the harvests and Agriculture for fun and relaxation in a bear zeal peasants. In conclusion, each state customs and traditions that got them since ancient times, which is still Thtfd out, both countries also differ and are similar in many of the things that where both Arab and Muslim, and differ in their culture a little.