Language and Music

"One aspect of unity in Arab music is the intimate connection between the music and the Arabic language."

-Ali Jihad Racy, Ph.D

The boundaries of the Islamic Empire during
 the height of the Umayyad Dynasty

A time of extensive expansion, the Umayyad Dynasty laid the foundation for the process by which modern classic Arab music has formed. As Umayyads sought to increase the incredible size of the already massive Islamic Empire, a fusion of cultures and ethnicities began that included both poetry, language, and song. It was during this time that Muslims started to gain an appreciation for music, an appreciation which to this day continuously shapes and reshapes the world's perception of Muslim music.



Like several ancient musical styles, the text of music during the Umayyad Dynasty was largely taken from the language of the Qur'an (Arabic). Lyrics were often taken from poetry and as the era was dominated by Oral Knowledge, songs were often preserved through poetic reciations and likewise, poems were preserved through song. Recently, scholars and avid fans of *classic Arabic music have begun translating lyrics from their original form in Arabic:

Traditional Arabic
Instruments

ام كلثوم - الأطلال

يا فؤادي لا تسل أين الهوى كان صرحا من خيال فهوى
اسقني واشرب على أطلاله واروعني طالما الدمع روى
كيف ذاك الحب أمسى خبرا وحديثا من أحاديث الهوى

To Western spelling of Arabic language:

Oum Kalthoum - Les Ruines

Ne cherche pas, mon ame, a savoir qu'est devenu l'amour
C'etait une citadelle imaginaire qui s'est effondree
Abreuve-moi et trinquons a ses ruines
Conte en mon nom l'histoire

Cover of the Qur'an

And finally to English:

Om Kalthoum - The Ruins

My heart, don't ask where the love has gone
It was a citadel of my imagination that has collapsed
Pour me a drink and let us drink of its ruins
And tell the story on my behalf as long as the tears flow
Tell how that love became past news
And became another story of passion
I haven't forgotten you (Lyrics courtesy of http://www.arabicmusictranslation.com/2007/11/oum-kalthoum-ruins-el-atlal-les-ruines.html)

Besides serving as a form of entertainment and a means of preserving poetry, song was utlilized in Cairo to teach the Qur'an. Much like catholic monks, Arabs would chant passages from the Qur'an in order to remember the text. In this way, the history of Arabic Classical music is much like the history of all forms of music. Truly, how many cultural songs have originated in order to preserve the language? What began as an oral form of knowledge necessary to preserving a language has become a popular form of entertainment, unique to its culture of origin.

*For video samples of classic Arabic music visit http://www.classicalarabicmusic.com/Video%20Music.htm