Historical Background: Classical Arabic Music, Arabic-influenced Jewish Music, Contemporary Western Classical Music

​

Habib H. Touma (1996) writes that “Arabian music emerged on the Arabian Peninsula during pre-Islamic times” (p.xix). He also writes that “the music of the Arabs is an essential part of the music of the Near East and North Africa” (p.xix). This folio explores elements of classical Arabic music of the modern period, roughly from the late 19th century to the present time. This includes music that was created in cities such as Cairo, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Beirut, Damascus and Baghdad; by composers and performers like Egyptian composer-singer Mohammed Abdel Wahab (1907-1991), Iraqi composer Munir Bashir (1930-1997) and Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum (1900-1975).

 

Classical Arabic music makes use of Maqamat that provide the basis for both composition and improvisation. Classical Arabic music can also be seen in the broader context of Turkish, Persian and Indian music. Throughout my critical commentary there will be occasional references to this broader aspect of Arabic music, but the main focus is on classical Arabic music.

 

My Pdd folio refers to diverse forms of 20th century classical music and does not focus exclusively on any particular style. In some cases I have applied musical parameters of Arabic genres to forms of contemporary classical music, while in other cases I offered new methods that are associated with Arabic forms and can be employed in combination with other methods. Amongst the composers of special importance to me are Béla Bartók (1881-1945), György Kurtág (b. 1926), György Ligeti (1923-2006), Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992), Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998), Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951), Gunther Schuller (b. 1925), Stefan Wolpe (1902-

1972) and John Zorn (b. 1953).

 

The Research Challenges

This folio explores ways of resolving compositional challenges ensuing from the integration of Arabic music and Arabic-influenced Jewish music with contemporary Western classical music. Some challenges resulted from the employment of various modes of different modal systems (i.e., Western modes, modes of Jewish prayers and Maqamat). Other challenges are associated with stylistic approaches and the aesthetics of Arabic music, Arabic-influenced Jewish music and Western music in general, and more specifically, intonation and improvisational approaches. One major challenge that had to be faced was to create a semblance of the sound of prayers and Piyyutim, in which melodies serve religious purposes and are usually chanted in synagogues by its congregants. Practical ways had to be found to instruct the performers on how to produce specific sonic outcomes.

 

The questions and the challenges that I have faced in my compositions include:

· How to incorporate microtonal pitches of the Maqamat and its intervals?

· How to notate quarter-tones and three-quarter tones?

· How to instruct performers to play intervals that are not exactly a quarter-tone and not

exactly three-quarter tones?

· How to instruct performers of Western classical music to improvise?

· How to use Taqsim and Maawal (improvisational forms of classical Arabic music) in a

non-Arabic context?

· How to use improvisational forms of Western music in conjunction with those of Arabic

genres?

· How to achieve the sound of prayers and Piyyutim of Arabic-influenced Jewish music?

· How to integrate heterophonic textures of prayers and Piyyutim of Arabic-influenced

Jewish music?

· How to instruct performers to play musical ornaments and perform other conventions

that are associated with Jewish religious practice?

· How to create musical textures foreign to Western classical practice through

improvisation?

· How to merge musical elements of different ancient styles of Jewish music, Sephardi-

Mizrahi, that is associated with Arabic music, and Ashkenazi, that is associated with

Western music?

· How to integrate a classic Arabic instrument in a Western ensemble?

· How to integrate the different tunings of a classic Arabic instrument (Arabic violin)

with equal temperament?

​