Music, Singing and Dance in Arab Muslim Society: the View of Religious Authorities and Reality Nowadays The study concerns theoretic and empirical analysis of contemporary Arab Muslims attitudes towards the issue of music, singing and dance performance. The issue is viewed from the perspective of religious authorities in contrast with the view of ordinary Muslims and everyday reality. Firstly, the theoretical part notes down a wide response spectrum on the question of principle: are the above mentioned activities considered as permitted or prohibited in Islam? The points of view are grounded in excerpts of traditional Islamic texts and legal experts' opinions. The next part focuses on the elements of music, singing and dance that can be found in Islamic religious practice as well as the real significance of their role in it. The third and final chapter aspires to show the reality of everyday life in Arab Muslim society. With reference to the first part of the study, it aims to notice the divergence of opinion on this issue. The analysis is based on empirical survey, that notes down opinions and attitudes of a group of selected Arab Muslims. The questionnaire follows the customary methodology of sociological research. The main goal is to find the majority attitude to the performance of music,...

The beloved songs of Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum exist today not only in collective memory, but as a vital part of the soundscape of contemporary Egyptian life and social discourse. The lyrics of Umm Kulthum's songs represent some of the best-known poetry of the Arab world, written in a range of styles by Egyptian and non-Egyptian poets. In this thesis I examine the intertwined nature of poetry and song through study of the [sung poems] of Umm Kulthum's musical films. Because sung poetry is often inseparable from its sounded performance, I draw on methodologies from musicology, linguistics, and poetics to explore the aesthetics of the [sung poems] through interactions of form, register, music, and meaning. The detailed study of these intersecting features contributes new insight into the role of performance in shaping language register and meaning. / text

The concept of choral music as defined by the Western world was foreign to Arab cultures until the colonization of the Arab world began in the seventeenth century when we began to see the Western choral style emerging in the churches of the Arab world. Group singing of traditional music was done in unison or heterophonic textures. Notated part-singing is a product of colonization, Westernization, Christianization, and now globalization. In recent years, singing music in mixed or multiple voicings not of a heterophonic nature has spread beyond the churches to the secular Arab world. As choral singing has increased in the Arab world, a new genre of Arabic choral music has emerged. In order for Western conductors to effectively teach, conduct, or perform these new works, it is important for them to develop a basic understanding of traditional Arabic musical styles and pronunciation of the language, thereby making Arabic choral music more accessible and enabling it to become a part of the larger world’s musical vocabulary. This study serves as an introductory resource for non-Arab choral conductors concerning key elements related to performing Arabic choral music and provides a context for how these elements relate to this evolving choral genre. In addition, through interviews with composers and conductors of Arabic choral music, this project will further inform the reader regarding the performance of this genre.

My project is first and foremost about developing a pedagogical method for teaching Middle Eastern folk and classical music on the violin. As a secondary goal, I want to know if my own playing could benefit from applying such a method and become more skilled in expressing myself artistically on my instrument.  In order to achieve this, first, I have transcribed and notated music from different music styles of the Middle East, including Kurdish, Persian, Arabic and Turkish music and described the specific traits of these different styles. Then, I have created a method of how to represent different stylistically important elements in the music, e.g. the most popular ornaments used in this music, as well as finding new ways of representing them by new symbols. Finally, I have devised exercises for learning and perfecting these style elements, such as ornaments.           There is no well-established method for teaching the Middle Eastern styles of violin playing (Eilenberg, 1993). This fact makes it challenging for students to learn and pass on the tradition. Unlike Western Classical music, Middle Eastern music involves using different modal systems, including scales with quarter tones. The modes and corresponding scales are called Maqam and there are a great many of them. (Todorov, 2018)A violinist playing this style of music, usually uses intricate ornamentations in playing on these scales when making an extemporization or improvisation on the maqam, called Taksim. Not having a method for this complicated music style, makes a new learner to rely solely on learning by ear and learn through imitation, which is today often performed by listening to recorded sources. In my personal experience, it took many years of careful listening and imitating to learn how to play Middle Eastern music on the violin.          As an accomplished violinist and teacher, now I want to establish and develop my method so students can take advantage of it and learn this music more thoroughly, faster and become more accomplished in expressing themselves within the style. My hope is that this method will help preserve the Middle Eastern style of violin playing and make it easier to pass on to the next generations. Furthermore, the method will also help an interested foreigner to understand and potentially learn Middle Eastern music on the violin. Thus, my research interest is to investigate in what way I can describe, notate the pertinent stylistic elements of the music for to develop a ‘Method for oriental violin playing’, including notations, exercises, and teaching process, that can make a musician understand the Middle Eastern music styles and learn to play them. The ultimate aim is to pass the tradition easier and faster, giving aspiring violinists possibility to develop their violin playing within this field. Hopefully, from notating and transcribing these styles the tradition can be preserved. A specific question is also to investigate the usefulness of the method for groups of violins.   Secondary research interest is to investigate how this work might influence the development of my own playing, in terms of technique and expressing.    Summary of research questions:    -              How can I describe and notate the Middle Eastern violin styles with details? -              What are the most important stylistic elements and techniques?  -              How can I teach this music? -              How can I pass on the tradition faster and easier with the help of a method in a way that develops the field of Middle Eastern violin styles? -              Can I develop my own playing and artistic skills by applying exercises for stylistic features? / <p>Samai Hijaz                                       Göksel Baktagir (Turkish) Bogazici                                            Baki Kemanci (Turkish)</p><p>Alan Kamil – Violin </p><p>Feras Sharstan – Kanun</p><p>Saman Taha – Piano</p><p>Mårten Hillbom – Raqq and Cajon </p><p> </p><p>Swedish folk music meets Kurdish folk music!    (Kurdish and Swedish)</p><p>Alan Kamil – Violin </p><p>Tommy Lundberg – Violin </p><p> </p><p>Pirozbe                                          Nasir Razazi’s Song (Kurdish)</p><p>              Violins:</p><p>Alan Kamil</p><p>Tommy Lundberg </p><p>Anna Ekborg</p><p>Sandra Arvman</p><p>Nichelle Johansson</p><p> </p><p>Saman Taha – Piano </p><p>Mårten Hillbom – Cajon</p><p> </p><p>Swan Lake                                        Mojtaba Mirzadeh (Persian) Soran Badinan                                  Dilshad Said (Kurdish)</p><p>Alan Kamil – Violin </p><p>Saman Taha – Piano </p><p> </p><p>Nassam Aleyna el Hawa                 Rahbani Brothers – Fairouz (Arabic)</p><p>Alan Kamil – Violin </p><p>Feras Sharstan – Kanun</p><p>Saman Taha – Piano</p><p>Mårten Hillbom – Darbuka </p><p> </p><p>Eshveh                                              Bijan Mortazavi (Persian)</p><p>Alan Kamil – Violin </p><p>Saman Taha – Piano </p>

Cette thèse porte sur une réflexion autour de la composition musicale arabe et les nouvelles technologies, avec comme élément central, les particularités idiosyncratiques inhérentes au langage musical.La rencontre avec les nouvelles technologies soulève plusieurs interrogations sous-jacentes. L’approche proposée consiste en la détermination d’un cadre formel avec un ensemble de structures idiomatiques selon un angle pluridisciplinaire musicologique et ethnomusicologique, mais aussi historico-acoustique et théorico-empirique à la fois.Le modèle musicologique dégagé permet de souligner : l’importance des cellules mélodiques primaires, une quantification acoustique des systèmes intervalliques, les aspects de monodie et d’hétérophonie selon le niveau individuel et collectif, une instabilité des degrés, et des aspects liés à l’interprétation musicale. Des approches originales sont envisagées concernant l’étude des mécanismes d’ornementations et trois catégories sont baptisées.La confrontation de ce modèle musicologique avec la rencontre des nouvelles technologies est établie et les conséquences de celle-ci sont soulignées. Les notions de simulation et d’émulation mettent en évidence la centralité du timbre et le recours à des échantillons audiovisuels permet d’identifier le domaine implicite de l’expérimentation. Une comparaison avec le modèle expérimental sur le plan de la musique électronique en général et l’informatique musicale en particulier est alors réalisée.Enfin, un essai de modélisation informatique dans l’environnement Csound est proposé et retrace les éléments idiosyncratiques identifiés. Des compositions électroacoustiques sont citées et une pièce est analysée. / This thesis focuses on Arabic musical composition and new technologies, with the idiosyncratic characteristics inherent in the musical language as central element.The encounter with new technologies raises several underlying questions.The approach suggested consists of a formal frame with a set of idiomatic structures according to a pluridisciplinary angle musicological and ethnomusicological, but also historical-acoustical and theorico-empirical at the same time.The musicological model revealed underlines: the importance of primary melodic cells, acoustic quantification of interval systems, monody and heterophony aspects according to individual and collective level, instability of degrees, and aspects related to musical interpretation.Original approaches are envisaged concerning the study of the mechanisms of ornamentations and three categories are baptized.The confrontation of this musicological model with new technologies’ encounter is established and the consequences of this one are underlined.Simulation and emulation concepts highlight the centrality of timbre and the use of audio-visual samples allows the identification of the implicit domain of experimentation.A comparison with the experimental model of electronic music in general and computer music in particular is therefore made.Finally, a computational modelling test in the Csound environment is proposed and traces the idiosyncratic elements identified. Electroacoustic compositions are cited and a musical work is analysed.

La musique arabe se distingue par une riche diversité modale. Par ses quarts de tons inclus dans plusieurs modes, ses ornementations effectuées dans le jeu des interprètes et ses timbres spécifiques, son exécution devient une sorte de handicap forcé par ses modes particuliers qui sont souvent en dehors du système musical tempéré. Cela n’empêche pas la présence et l’usage du piano dans la musique arabe que ce soit en accompagnement (instrumental ou vocal) dans un groupe ou « takht » arabe ou même en solo. Cette problématique a été traitée de manière plus globale. L’étude de la relation entre Occident et Orient relève d’un défi pour énumérer le détail d’une acculturation très vaste et pluridisciplinaire (musicale, théâtrale, cinématographique, sociale, politique…) Dans plusieurs ouvrages et plusieurs recherches, l’interaction musicale entre ces deux mondes a été traitée de manière générale. Par conséquent, nous trouvons que le traitement précis et ciblé de notre recherche se présente dans l’étude de l’insertion du piano dans la civilisation arabe en premier lieu puis dans la musique arabe en second lieu. La fusion entre une icône de l’occident et une musique à caractère modal, voire ethnique, est impressionnante ce qui nous amène à traiter ce phénomène dans une thèse. / Arabic music is characterized by a rich modal diversity. For its quarter tones included in several modes, ornamentation made while playing special stamps, its execution becomes a kind of disability forced by its particular modes that are often outside the tempered musical system. This does not preclude the presence and use of piano in arabic music whether in accompaniment (instrumental or vocal) in a group or arabic "takht" or even solo. This issue was addressed more comprehensively. The study of the relationship between West and East is a challenge to list the details of a very broad and multidisciplinary acculturation (music, theater, film, social, political ...) In several books and several research projects, musical interaction between these two worlds has been treated in general. Therefore, we find that specific and targeted treatment of our research is presented in the study of the insertion of the piano in the Arab civilization at first and then in arabic music. The merger between an icon of the West and a music modal character, even ethnic, is impressive which brings us to treat this phenomenon in a thesis.

Bien que le Oud soit l’instrument emblématique de la musique arabe, il est devenu omniprésent dans pratiquement tous les pays du monde. La façon de le jouer diffère d’un pays et d’une région à l’autre, se traduisant par des différences en termes de style. Des classifications et des catégorisations des styles du jeu du Oud existent, connues des musiciens et des auditeurs, mais rarement répertoriées. La présente recherche a donc pour objectif de porter un regard sur ces classifications ainsi que sur les principaux styles existant actuellement pour en déduire une première catégorisation. Pour parvenir aux résultats visés par cet objectif, une approche phénoménologique a été adoptée et qui s’opérationnalise en un devis de recherche mixte à deux volets séquentiels : une recension des écrits publiés sur le sujet, qui jette les bases historiques, théoriques et documentaires, bonifiée d’une collecte de données primaires par entrevues auprès d’informateurs clés. De nombreux documents ont été recensés, publiés depuis le IXe siècle jusqu’à nos jours et la question de styles n’est abordé qu’en filigrane. Les données et les informations retenues de cette revue de la littérature nous ont permis de colliger un matériel préliminaire, qui a servi à la construction d’un questionnaire ouvert, pour colliger des données auprès de répondants. En effet, des entrevues avec des oudistes professionnels, des musiciens et des luthiers appartenant à différentes pays et régions ont été réalisées. À la suite d’un portrait historique du Oud assez documenté, une catégorisation générale a été esquissée et qui consiste à distinguer cinq grandes rubriques principales du jeu du Oud, appelées « styles » ou « écoles ». Les différences de perspectives par rapport à ces styles sont multiples, mais la principale et la plus commune est celle qui aborde cette question selon le pays, la région ou le territoire, soit les frontières géographiques, linguistiques ou même politiques. Les cinq grands styles retenus sont les suivants : Le style sharqi (‘oriental’), le style irakien, le turc, le style iranien et le style maghrébin andalou. Pour plusieurs répondants, d’autres façons de jouer du Oud, qu’elles soient émergentes ou non sont considérées comme des sous-styles de l’un ou l’autre des cinq styles cités. Ce travail ne prétend pas à l’exhaustivité, il relate des éléments qui font consensus, tout comme des divergences d’opinions au sujet des styles du jeu du Oud, ce qui en fait sa richesse. Cette catégorisation représenterait donc une base de référence à des travaux futurs sur ce sujet complexe. Malgré certaines limites discutées, la contribution de cette recherche est double, tant au niveau théorique que pratique. / Although the Oud is the iconic instrument of Arabic music, it has become ubiquitous in almost every country in the world. The way to play it differs from one country and region to another, resulting in differences in terms of style. Hence, classifications and categorizations of Oud playing styles exist, known to musicians and listeners, but rarely documented. The present research aims to examine these classifications as well as the main styles currently existing to draw a first categorization. To achieve this objective, a phenomenological approach was adopted, and which is operationalized in a sequential mixed method design: We begin by reviewing the principal documentation published on Arabic music from the ninth century to the present day focusing on all the aspects related to playing this instrument, supplemented by primary data gathered through in-depth interviews with key informants. It was found that the question of styles is not well detailed, but only touched on implicitly. The data and information retained from this literature review enabled us to collect preliminary material, which was used to construct an open-ended questionnaire, to collect data from respondents. Therefore, interviews with professional Oud players, musicians and luthiers belonging to different countries and regions were carried out. Following a well-documented historical portrait of the Oud, a general categorization has been sketched out which consists of distinguishing five main categories of the playing of the Oud, called “styles” or “schools”. Many perspectives exist, but the main and most common is to classify Oud styles according to the country, region, or territory, namely, geographical, linguistic, or even political borders. The five major styles selected are: The sharqi style (‘oriental’), the Iraqi style, the Turkish, the Iranian style and the Maghreb Andalusian style. For several respondents, other ways of playing the Oud are considered sub-styles of one or another of the five styles cited. This work does not claim to be exhaustive, it relates relevant elements discussed in this research that make consensus, as well as a differences about the styles of Oud playing, which makes it rich. This categorization would therefore represent a basis for future research on this complex subject. Despite some limitations, the contribution of this research is both theoretical and practical.

Cette thèse est une réflexion sur le ‘ūd (lutharabo-oriental) de concert. Celui-ci est étudié en tant que concept mettant en valeur une corrélation entre son évolution historique et organologique, le développement de la pensée compositionnelle des‘ūdistes (luthistes) et l’essai d’une représentation de cette pensée à travers une modélisation sémiotique. L’approche historique s’est focalisée sur la facture de l’instrument et a permis de relever la primauté des ‘ūds irakien et turque comme modèles privilégiés de ‘ūd de concert. Cette préférence est liée avec le développement de la pensée musicale des ‘ūdistes contemporains et leur pratique compositionnelle et interprétative. À travers une étude analytique de cinq œuvres pour ‘ūdde concert, cette pratique est conçue comme étant un espace compositionnel émergeant d’une interrelation entre trois espaces : un espace d’écoute, un espace formel et un espace sémantique. L’approche « spatiale » de la musique du ‘ūd deconcert, l’évolution de ses formes et les variations interprétatives des ‘ūdistes ont nécessité la réflexion sur la représentation de cette musique. La modélisation sémiotique d’un extrait analysé (2ème mouvement de l’Amiriyya de Naseer Shamma)est posée ici comme une alternative à la transcription traditionnelle, en créant un espace graphique inspiré des modèles de notation dans la musique contemporaine et accordé aux critères de l’espace compositionnel du ‘ūdiste. / This thesis is a reflection on the concert ‘ūd (Arab-easternlute). It is designed as a concept emphasizing a correlation betweenits historical and organological evolution, the compositional thought development of ‘ūdists (lutenists) on the one hand, andthe testing of a representation of that thought through a semiotic model, on the other hand. The historical approach focusedon the construction of the instrument and revealed the primacy of the Iraqi and Turkish ‘ūds as preferred models of theconcert ‘ūd. This preference is linked to the development of contemporary ‘ūdist’s musical thought and their compositionaland interpretative practice. Through ananalytical study of five musical works for this instrument, this practice is regarded as acompositional space of an emerging inter-relationship between three spaces : a listening space, a formal space and a semanticone. The spatial approach to music of the concert ‘ūd, the evolution of its forms and ‘ūd players interpretative variations havecalled for reflection on the performance of this music. The semiotic modeling of an analysed excerpt (2nd movement ofNaseer Shamma’s composition, l’Amiriyya) is placed here as an alternative to traditional transcription by creating a graphic”area” inspired by notation models in contemporary music and provided for the criteria of the ‘ūdist’s compositional space.

Consacré à un instrument de musique et à deux de ses maîtres, ce travail de recherche s’inscrit dans une approche historique, organologique et analytique. Le qānūn, cordophone traditionnel à cordes pincées, est le socle de l’ensemble instrumental dénommé takht qui est inhérent à la tradition musicale artistique du Mashriq à l’époque de la Nahḍa (Renaissance arabe 1898-1939). Soumis à cette époque, à des mutations organologiques de même, qu’à des transformations dans la grammaire musicale, en rapport avec les processus acculturatifs et modernistes de l’entre-deux-guerres, le style de l’improvisation instrumentale ou taqsīm au qānūn connaît une évolution significative. Celle-ci est étudiée dans cette thèse en tenant compte de l’organologie historique et systématique de l’instrument, du mode de jeu instrumental, de l’histoire de cette tradition musicale et en s’appuyant sur l’analyse de la transcription d’exemples enregistrés sur disques 78 tours de deux grands maîtres de cet instrument : Muḥammad al-‘Aqqād (1849-1930) et Muḥammad ‘Abduh Ṣāliḥ (1912-1970). / This research, which uses historical, organological and analytical approaches, is solely concentrated on a musical instrument and two of its masters. The qānūn is a traditional chordophone where strings are plucked; it is the base of the instrumental ensemble called takht which is inherent to the musical artistic tradition of the Mashriq during the Nahḍa period (Arabic Renaissance 1898-1939). Subjected to many organological changes during this period, and subjected to many transformations in the musical grammar with respect to acculturation and modernism between the two wars, the improvisational instrumental style, known as qānūn taqsīm saw a significant evolution. The latter is studied in this thesis, bearing in mind the historical and systematic organology of the instrument, the performance mode, the history of this musical tradition, as well as relying upon the analysis of transcriptions of recorded examples of 78 RPM of the two great masters of the instrument: Muḥammad al- ‘Aqqād (1849-1930) and Muḥammad ‘Abduh Ṣāliḥ (1912-1970).

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