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Publisher’s Note:
(Taqseem Qanoon
)
A good day to you ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to this musical
presentation and documentary, about learning Arabic Music. My name is Fawzi Zedan
of
Multi Media Publishing Co. The organization that is responsible
for the revival of this educational and entertaining Musical work.
We are a web-based, Southern California Educational Publishing
establishment, dedicated to promoting and preserving cultural
musical heritage.
This Presentation was inspired by,
and based on an old musical documentary that was published on vinyl
disks (records) back in the 1980’s in the Republic of Tunisia, with
research and documentation done by a musical academician, a scholar,
a composer and a talented artist, Dr. Salih Al- Mehdi. We have been
working diligently on restoring and reviving this publication by
re-formatting, enhancing, translating and re-publishing it on a
modern media with the hope that it will be preserved for future
generations to learn and appreciate this great musical heritage.
This series of lectures in
Comparative Classical Arabic Music, in my opinion, is one of the
most extensive and exhaustive research, in the study of classical
Arabic Music, it’s history, compositions, modes, forms and
rhythms. It discusses the various aspects of this musical genre in
the Middle East including Turkey and Iran, the Arabian Peninsula and
the Arab countries of North Africa. The examples cited in the
various discussions are some of the most beautiful and rare pieces
of musical compositions and forms. Dr. Al- Mehdi shows his multi
artistic talents in utilizing several musical instruments to explain
the various modes, scales and rhythms, to educate us in this rich
heritage that spans three continents and about 1500 years of musical
evolution in the Arabic and Islamic world.
(Taqseem Oud )
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Comparative Arabic Music, the
Documentary
Arabic Music of
the distant past took on a special significance among scientists and
philosophers, and was given ample attention as a science, and as an
art. Among those notables were; Abu-Nasr Al-Faraby and
Ali Ibn Siena of the Arab East, and Abu Bakr Ibn Al-Saigh,
who was known by Ibn Bajah, in the Andalusia of old Spain,
and the like s were many. Kings and princes were delving into
music, and a notable Khalifa, Ibraheem Ibn- Almahdi and his sister
Uleiah (both were the children of the Abbasiad Khalifa Al Mahdi and
the brother and sister of the well known Khalifah, Haroon Al Rasheed),
and were the ones to head the school of musical renewal during their
times.
Arabic
music had gone, since those day, through a period of stagnation,
during which, known historical personalities have avoided it or have
shown little serious interest, until the 30’s of the last century.
In the early 30’s(1932), a symposium and a convention for Arabic
Music were held in the city of Cairo, after which, many institutions
and organizations, to revive the classical Arabic Music, were formed
throughout the Arab countries. Consequently, the International
organization for the arts, which is a part of the U.N. I.S.C.O.,
have become the benefactor of this art form, and established an
international institution in Berlin to care for, preserve and
promote Oriental music, where Arabic music is an integral part. The
Arab League has also established a special organization for Arabic
music and was in the process of establishing an international
institution in the city of Al-Manstir in the republic of Tunis.
And here
we are also contributing to these efforts with this series of
recordings, through which we will introduce brief historical notes
and studies of the Maqamat (plural of Maqam), which is called Tuboo
in North Africa, as well as studies in rhythms and musical forms,
supported by many musical examples taken from the musical heritage
of the various Arab countries, Turkey and Iran.(Taqseem
Piano 3 )
Historical
Notes
As we go back to the time before Islam in the Arabian
Peninsula, we will find the extreme attention and care given by the
tribes to the many musical personalities of that era. They were
invited to join the caravans that traveled north twice a year, which
were told by the Holey Quraan, and were requested to sing along a
musical style called Al-Hedaa, which camels have responded to, and
traveled long distances without rest and enduring grueling
conditions. History tells us that some of the Al-Hedaa singers have
persisted in singing with these caravans for long periods where
camels have fallen and died of exhaustion, upon which they were
punished by the Khalifah Al-Mamoon for their actions.
The Sixth century was a time when the Arabs came in contact with
other forms of music. The Persian labors who were brought to help
build and repair the Kaabah, were the ones to introduce Persian
music to Arabia (singing while working). The proliferation of
Islam, have brought with it an appreciation for good sound and
music, and the Prophet Muhammad was always complementary of those
with good voices. It was told that once the prophet Muhammad was
praising Abu-Musa Al-Ashary for having a voice like of that produced
by a flute from the house of David. The Prophet has also appointed
Belal the Ethiopian to be the first Muazzin for having such a
wonderful voice.
(Taqseem 4 )
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