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ART AND CULTURE
Arab Influence on Western Music
With award-winning conductor and performer GianLuca Marcianò
hen studying the history of music, in Europe, I learned many theories
W about the origins and the development of our musical forms and
traditions. However, when I embarked upon a new musical experience in
the Middle East, a completely different picture began to emerge. Lengthy
research, into Arabic music and its history, took me on an exciting journey
to an undiscovered world, full of shocking revelations.
The origin of music from the Ancient Greeks is dogma for every Western
musician, which is why, for instance, La Camerata de’ Bardi, in Italy,
wanted to return to the origins of music through the study and emulation
of Greek tragedies (first examples of ‘opera’ poetry in music). It is also
acknowledged, in the western world, that the first alphabetical notation
system was invented by the Greeks, and that the first complete musical
treatise was written by Aristotle.
All these ‘facts’ went undisputed, until few years ago. New studies about
the Arabic influence on other cultures’ music traditions have, indeed,
demonstrated that we have been blind for centuries; and it is a paradox
that many scholars have huge difficulty accepting the indisputable
evidence that has been revealed in these new studies.
In Greece and then in Rome, Egyptians, Syrians and Arab musicians,
renowned for their superior skills and talent, were commonly employed
to perform, long before the era of tragedies and comedies. Semitic
civilizations (Babylon, Assyria and Phoenicia) exported their musical
knowledge to Greece in the earliest period of ‘polis’ system. Even the
alphabetical notation was influenced by tablatures based on Arab
instruments.
Later, during the Abbasid Era, real ‘liederabend’ (‘evenings of song’)
were performed, in the Music Majlis, interconnecting poetry and music
in the same work, and musical theory reached the apogee, with Al Kindi
(800-877 AD), the first great musical theoretician, and his successor, Al
Farabi, who wrote Kitabu al-Musiqa al-Kabir (The Great Book of Music).
GianLuca Marcianò
The instruments that were used in the Arabic world during that period
were also extremely modern and definitely inspired many of the most
popular instruments now used in contemporary Western music. The ‘Oud’
gave birth to both the guitar and mandolin, while the ‘Nay’ was the first
flute, ‘Qanun’ was prototype of the harp, ‘Ribab’ and ‘Kamancha’ were
the first examples of stringed instruments like the violin or cello, and
‘Zurna’ anticipated our horns and trumpets. Of course, we must not fail
to mention the drums, which have come in toto from the Middle East.
The influence of Arabic music is even wider still, as it is a fact that
Andalusian music got its rhythm and melodies from Islamic sources,
and the Troubadours in Southern France and Italy were similarly inspired
as well. It is an additional surprise to discover that most Latin / Latin-
American dances are a fusion between local music traditions and Arabic
sounds and rhythms - tango, ‘milonga’, ‘guajira’, samba, ‘jarabe’ and even
flamenco (from ‘fellah-mengu’ meaning ‘farmers without land’).
Perhaps the most shocking discovery of all, for me as an Italian, was to
learn that the modern system of notation (solmisation) – do re mi fa sol
la si – was not created by Guido d’Arezzo, an Italian, as has long been
assumed, but instead is actually derived from the Arabic alphabet (dal ra
mi fa sad la sin) and was in use 400 years before Guido’s system! In fact,
it was while studying music in Catalonia, that he learned this notation,
from Islamic musicians.
Quarter tones, ‘maqamat’ * and an ornamental way of singing are typical
of Arabic music, but their presence is even evident in Eastern European
folklore; in Romania, Serbia, Bosnia and Bulgaria, brass instruments
and drums play traditional melodies full of quarter tones and Arabic
tonalities. ‘Sevdalinke’, traditional songs in Arabic style from Bosnia, are
still very popular in Sarajevo and even Serbia. During the time of Turkish
occupation, Eastern European and Arabic music traditions met each other
in the Balkans, where they live on today, even for the younger generations.
Now, this music style has begun to influence even western pop music,
which is looking for ethno sounds.
Last but not least, the ‘Ribab’ was the progenitor of the ‘Er-Hu’, one of the
most important instruments in all Chinese music tradition. The ‘Er-Hu’ is
played with a bow and has only one string. The music literature for ‘Er-Hu’ is
completely different than the usual Chinese music, with melodies, rhythm,
ornaments, quarter tones, and atmospheres all inspired by Arab music.
ART AND CULTURE
In depth studies of the influence of Arab music in other parts of the world
started only recently – a few years ago – and will certainly unfold in
many directions, yielding more and more information, which will change
our perspective and encourage us to think in terms of ‘world’ music as
opposed to only western music and all ‘others’.
Historically we owe much to the Arab / Muslim world for its contributions,
which helped us to emerge from the Dark Ages into the Age of Reason
and Enlightenment, and now, with the discovery that we have even
greater links with each other through our forms of music, it is the perfect
opportunity for all of us to come together and form a new understanding
based on this common language, which needs no translation and speaks
directly to hearts and souls, everywhere.
ABOUT ThE AUThOR
Originally an award-winning child prodigy as a pianist,
Mo. GianLuca Marcianò has conducted and performed
internationally for several seasons. He has conducted
several examples of standard repertoire at many theaters.
Mo. Marcianò was selected as Andrea Bocelli’s conductor in
Beijing in 2008, where he conducted and supervised a gala
concert of Mr. Bocelli, presiding over the Beijing Symphony
Orchestra at the Winland Financial Center’s grand opening.
One of Mo. Marcianò’s current projects is located in the
United Arab Emirates, as the General Artistic Director and
co-founder of an event company in Dubai, UAE, which
will produce classical and crossover events debuting this
season as concerts. The company’s co-founder and General
Manager is Marc Heller.
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