What can we learn about the Intellectual history of the pre-modern Islamic world by examining the science of music? This dissertation addresses how the science of music, as a body of knowledge, was appropriated from its Greek origins, how this science was then reproduced and disseminated throughout Islamic civilization, and how Muslim society situated it vis-à-vis Islamic tradition. Widely considered to be an art today, music in the medieval Islamic world was categorized as one of the four branches of the mathematical sciences, alongside arithmetic, geometry, and astronomy; indeed, some philosophers and scholars of music went as far as linking music with medicine and astrology as part of an interconnected web of cosmological knowledge. This dissertation examines the epistemological tools and techniques that contributed to the production of musical knowledge from the early medieval to the early modern period (9th–17th centuries CE). This knowledge was often produced through the patronage of both the ruling and the urban elite classes. Furthermore, this dissertation demonstrates how this science was preserved and subsequently transmitted by scholars of the mathematical disciplines through manuscripts. By studying the marginalia and super commentaries of these manuscripts, it demonstrates how scholars in the Islamic world understood and engaged the tradition of the science of music.

The ratiep is a peculiarly South African trance-linked art form characterised by stabbings with sharp objects to the arms and other bodily parts, the piercing of the ear-lobes, the cheeks and the tongue by alwaan (skewers), the performance of certain standard dhikr to the accompaniment of the rebanna and dhol, and a highly stylized movement. The ratiep art form is rooted in Sufi Muslim traditions. Similar trance-linked art forms, called the dabos and Sufi ceremonies, exist in Sumatra and Syria respectively. These are all linked to Abdul Kader al-Jilani, founder of the Qadiriyyah Sufi fraternity. The South African variant of the art form also characterised by unusual self-mutilating acts, has been practised for more than 200 years, and started amongst the Cape Muslims. The literature provides historical evidence of the controversy regarding its "Islamic" nature, which has existed since the latter half of the previous century amongst South African Muslims. It has become dissociated from Islamic practices generally, and is regarded as bidat (innovatory). The South African Indian ratiep performance relates to its Cape Muslim counterpart. Both subgenres show a special relationship to the different genres and styles of music constituting South African Islamic and 'Cape Malay' music which are unique outflows of the cultural heritage, the social milieu and the enslaved, deprived and indentured work circumstances of early South African Muslims. In its vocal style the khalifa performance relates to qiraat and the secular nederlandslied; the latter is a transitional form between the sacred orthodox qiraat and the secular homophonic oulied. A voorwerk and giyerwee sharif precede respectively the Cape Muslim performance and its Indian counterpart. Like the ratiep, they have well-defined textual and musical forms. Ratiep musical instruments. the characteristic movement, the praboes (sharp instruments) and the bank with its decorations of flags add to the totality of the ratiep performance. Metaphysical and medical considerations are important in understanding the nature and purpose of the ratiep performance and the absence of bleeding; the results achieved thus far are still inconclusive. Ratiep acts are often seen as skilful swordplay and exhibitionism, rather than a physical testimony of faith. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, 1993.

This study traces the development of music education in Nigeria from its origins to the present day and clarifies how certain ideas and practices in Nigerian music education have originated. The study includes the discussions of the historical roots of modern music studies as based on indigenous African philosophy of education, later influenced by Islam and Islamic philosophy of education and Western systems of music education. The thesis looks historically and analytically at some problems of music education policy implementation and their implications or consequences (intended and unintended). Working from a postcolonial discursive perspective, the study narrates the story of Nigeria’s colonial encounters in a way that gives prominence to issues of educational policies and music curricula content that have, to date, been kept on the periphery of the education debate. This study examines the postcolonial Nigerian governments’ attempts to promote African cultures and traditions and efforts to expand as well as reform the education sector to reflect the Nigerian heritage and culture. The efforts to expand have outstripped the efforts to reform The efforts to reform the modern educational enterprise have led to the emergence of National Policy on Education, the Cultural Policy for Nigeria, the central control of education, and the provision of national music curricula. This study investigates the development of music education, policies and curricula since Nigeria’s independence in 1960, examines its current states and concludes that the attainment of independence has done little to erase the footprints of colonial music education ideology in Nigeria. Following an introduction to the music profession in Nigeria, the study provides an overview of the changes to tertiary music education since 1961 and analyses major issues currently faced by Nigerian tertiary music educators and scholars including: a shortage of qualified music academics, inappropriateness of imported music curriculum to the socio-cultural peculiarities of the Nigerian society, the unfit marriage of academic teaching and professional training in the music curricula, inability to produce realistic music teachers, policy makers, music education administrators, and learning texts, inadequate music research, and insensitivity to needs of the labour market. The study finds out that Nigeria has a rich musical heritage which includes the indigenous African, Afro-Islamic and Euro-American music. She has viable indigenous African philosophy, modes, and models of music education which is capable of imparting the modern African person with the human values and theoretical imperatives that can make the modern Nigerian person practice music in the modern global context. This legacy, which should empower the modern Nigerian person educationally to demonstrate national identity and mental authority locally and globally, is however, being repressed in schools and colleges curricula. Nigeria continues to struggle with music curricula that were laid down by colonial regime in the past but still continues to govern the development of musical life of Nigerian people. It is the finding of this study based on the analytical perspectives it adopts that the National University Commission (NUC) music curriculum content does not measure up with the criteria of validity, significance, interest, learnability, utility, contemporariness, relevance and consistence with social realities. The analysis of the curriculum content with Holmes (1981) theories also reveals that it is essentialism, encyclopaedic and less pragmatic in orientation while its objectives are more subject-centred than society-centred and student-centred. The study obtains evidence from observation of about 100 music lessons in ten tertiary departments of music, a tracer study of 400 music graduates, 105 students’ evaluation of institutional resources, and 28 practitioners’ and 22 academics’ (50) rating of capabilities they considered essential in a music graduate. It sources further evidence from 15 employers’ of music graduates who identified some strengths and weaknesses of music graduates they employed. From an evaluation of this evidence, the quality of the present tertiary music curriculum is judged to be generally poor and uninspiring. The study posits that tertiary music education in Nigeria needs a fundamental improvement. Based on its findings, the over-riding recommendations of the study are that all aspects of music education in Nigeria should be indigenous music research-based, indigenous culture-sourced and continuously evaluated to insure that music education programmes in Nigeria are as effective as possible in the context of Nigerian experiences and aspirations as with Nigerian students and other shareholders. It further recommends that music educators must adapt both music curricula and methods to the cultural backgrounds and needs of a changing Nigeria’s student population. / Thesis (DMus)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Music / unrestricted