Qur’an
Muslim holy book; words of God recorded by the prophet Muhammed
mosque
Muslim house of worship
minaret
Tower connected to the mosque from which the muezzin recites the azan
muezzin
Musical specialist who sings the azan from the minaret to call Muslims to prayer
azan
A musical call to prayer performed by the muezzin from the minaret
maq’am
A mode system used to compose music or improvise a taqasim
taqasim
An improvisational section, may be solo or accompanied by ostinato
heterophonic texture/idiomatic heterophony
Different instruments playing a melody differently
iqa’/additive meter
Like a tala from India, a specific rhythmic pattern, such as the Sama’i (10/8) or 8-beat Palestinian folk meter.
sama’i
10/8 iq’a from Classical Arab music with grouping 3+2+2+3
ostinato
Repetitive accompaniment pattern
tarab
Ecstasy or enchantment from performance; good rapport with audience
tutti
In concerto grosso, a part wherein the whole orchestra participates
rondo/concerto grosso
Form comparable to takht in M.E. culture because full composition alternating with a concertino part is a lot like the composition alternating with taqasim sections
daff
Arab tambourine-like frame drum
dumbek
Goblet-shaped drum
santur
Trapezoidal zither, ancestor of piano in that it is hammered
qanun
Trapezoidal zither, ancestor of harpsichord in that it’s plucked
rebab
North African contemporary ancestor of rebec/guitar/violin family
‘ud
Short-necked lute (solos; ancestor of Western lute)
buzuq
Long-necked lute (accompaniment; ancestor of cello)
nay
End-blown flute
Sufi
Muslim mystic who likes to gain union with Allah through song and dance which often lead to possession, similar to Christian Penetecostal tradition
Haj
Required pilgrimage to Mecca
Kaaba
Big holy boxy building around which the most holy mosque is build in Mecca. Muslims perform the tawaf by circumambulating the Kaaba 7 times.
quadrivium
Four great subjects which were core to the Greeks: music, math, astronomy, and geometry. Arabs translated the Greek texts
Ottoman Empire
Conquered Arabs, ruled from 15th century to the 19th century. They had a massive, multilingual empire controlling much of southeast Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa. Their musical legacy was the basis for classical tradition.
Anadalusian legacy
The Arabs invade Spain in 711 AD to trigger the spread of Muslim influence across North Africa, Central Asia, parts of Southeast Asia; creative exchange between Arab and Western world
kaleidophonic
a trait of music which, if you change your focus, could be heard in different meters
tonal language
a language whose word meanings are affected by pitch, including Bantu language family
speech playing
musical signals with verbal linguistic signification, i.e. talking drums
hocket
interlocking of parts such that one plays while the other rests and the melody is shared
hunter-gathers
member of a society in which the food and supplies are foraged from wild plants and animals
mbira
also known as a “thumb piano,” consisting of a wooden board to which staggered metal keys have been attached, often also including a resonator
bira
an all-night Shona ritual in which members of an extended family call on ancestral spirits for guidance and intercession; music on mbira, hosho rattle, and clapping accompany song and dance
anthropomorphic
giving inanimate things human characteristics
mother drum
The lowest drum in an ensemble, played by the master drummer with considerably more freedom and flexibility than the other drummers enjoy
master drummer
The music specialist who undergoes long training to play the master drum and understand the complicated communication with dancers, among other things
acculturation
the process by which cultures influence each other
syncretism
acculturation through shared traits between cultures
Afro-pop
music which borrows from North and Latin American pop styles and traditional African features
nationalism vs. tribalism
Styles which are sort of pan-Zimbabwean, for example, instead of Shona-specific; Afro-pop is an example of a national style