“If you ask people from the Arab world about classical music, the first thing that will come to their minds is Mozart, Beethoven and Bach,” says Mustafa Said. “They don’t know that they have classical music of their own. It’s a heritage that is disappearing.”
Over the past 20 years, the oud player, composer and musicologist has strived to preserve this rich, but under-recognised strand of music. In contrast to the western standard of 12-tone composition, the Arabian repertoire is based on the maqam system, which uses microtones and modal melodies and is taught through a largely practical and oral tradition.
Among the best-known examples of maqam music is the body of work produced by Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum during the 1940s. Early recordings date back to the turn of the 20th century and include the singing of Abdo al-Hamuli and the oud playing of Saliba el-Katrib. Such artefacts are, however, becoming vanishingly rare.
Read the profile in Hyphen Online.
[This piece was published on 14/08/24]
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