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Islamic music may refer to religious music, as performed in Islamic public services or private devotions, or more generally to musical traditions of the Muslim world. The heartland ofIslam is theMiddle East,North Africa, theHorn of Africa,Balkans, andWest Africa,Iran,Central Asia, andSouth Asia. Due to Islam being a multi-ethnic religion, the musical expression of its adherents is vastly diverse. Indigenous traditions of various part have influenced the musical styles popular among Muslims today. The word "music" in Arabic, the language of Islam, (mūsīqāموسيقى) is defined more narrowly than in English or some other languages, and "its concept" was at least originally "reserved for secular art music; separate names and concepts belonged to folk songs and to religious chants".[1]
At least one scholar (Jacob M. Landau) makes the generalization about Islamic music that it "is characterized by a highly subtle organization of melody and rhythm", that "the vocal component predominates over the instrumental", and that the individual musician "is permitted, and indeed encouraged, to improvise".[1]
Historically, the question of whether music is permitted inIslamic jurisprudence is disputed.[2] Regardless, Islamic art and music flourished during theIslamic Golden Age.[3][4][5] Islamic music is also credited with influencing European and Western music; for example, French musicologistBaron Rodolphe d'Erlanger in his assessment of theAbbasid Caliphate in Islamic history creditsAbu Nasr Muhammad al-Farabi'sKitabu l'musiqi al-kabir ("The Great Book of Music") with this influence.[4]
According to scholar Jacob M. Landau, "a fusion of musical styles" was able to develop between "pre-Islamic Arabian music" and the music of Persians, Byzantines, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Turks, Moors, because of "strong affinities between Arabic music and the music of the nations occupied by the expanding Arabic peoples".[1] The core area where this "new art" of classical Islamic music succeeded stretched "from the Nile valley to Persia". However, many parts of the Muslim world did not adopt the "new art" of classical Islamic music, or adopted it but also kept native music forms which were "alien" to classical Islamic music.[1] In general, the farther from the area between the Nile and Persia one travels, "the less one finds undiluted Islamic music."[1]
All of these regions were connected by trade long before the Islamic conquests of the 7th century, and it is likely that musical styles travelled the same routes as trade goods. However, lacking recordings, we can only speculate as to the pre-Islamic music of these areas. Islam must have had a great influence on music, as it united vast areas under the first caliphs, and facilitated trade between distant lands. Certainly, theSufis, brotherhoods of Muslimmystics, spread their music far and wide.
Khaliji music has roots going back more than 1,000 years, to theIslamic period, under theUmayyads and Abbasids.[6]
TheBerber and Arabic speaking countries of Central and Western North Africa, such as Morocco, Algeria, Libya and Tunisia, share some musical traditions with Egypt and the Arabic-speaking countries of the Middle East. Popular modern styles of music such asRaï andChaabi originated in Berber countries. In addition, West African influences can be heard in the popular music ofGnawa.
MostSomali music is based on thepentatonic scale. That is, the songs only use fivepitches peroctave in contrast to aheptatonic (seven note) scale such as themajor scale. At first listen, Somali music might be mistaken for the sounds of nearby regions such asEthiopia,Sudan orEritrea, but it is ultimately recognizable by its own unique tunes and styles. Somali songs are usually the product of collaboration betweenlyricists (midho),songwriters (lahan), andsingers ('odka or "voice").[7] Instruments prominently featured in Somali music include thekaban (oud).
Islam is the largest and oldest organized religion in this region, although indigenousSahelian andSaharan styles and genres are more prominent than those influenced by Middle-Eastern theory.
West African musical genres are more varied, and tend to incorporate both native andBerber influences, rather than those ofArab origin. A long history of courtgriot music based on historical accounts and praise-singing exists in the region. Wind and string instruments, such as theKora harp,xalam lute, orTambin flute (similar to theney) are generally preferred topercussion, although percussion instruments such as thetalking drum anddjembe are also widely played among Muslim populations
Many of the countries in Central Asia such asUzbekistan,Tajikistan andTurkmenistan have been heavily influenced by Turkic and Persian culture. Bowed instruments are common, as is bardic singing.
The music of the Muslim countries of South Asia (Afghanistan,Bangladesh,Maldives andPakistan) as well as countries with sizeable Muslim minorities (India,Nepal andSri Lanka) merged Middle Eastern genres with indigenousclassical musical modes, and is generally distinct in style and orchestration, yet due to the strong links encountered between the Middle-East, Central Asia, and South Asia, it is closer to Middle-Eastern styles than those of the periphery of the Islamic world, which tend to be purely indigenous.
Muslim-majorityIndonesia has been significantly less influenced by Middle Eastern traditions thanSouth Asia. As a result, many local musical styles predate the coming of Islam, although exceptions includeMalayZapin andJoget, and theIndonesianGambus (derived fromQanbus), all of which show strong Middle Eastern influence.
There are also local music genres in Muslim-majority regions in Southeast Asia that are influenced by Arabian traditions, such as thetagonian of theSundanese people andglipang of the people ofProbolinggo
The music of South East Asia's Muslim-majority regions is more closely related to the musical genres ofSouth East andEast Asia.Gong chime ensembles such asGamelan andKulintang existed in the region before the arrival of Islam, and musical theory and method owe more to heavyChinese influence, as well asHindu–Buddhist principles, than to Arabic musical philosophy. Variations of one of two main scales prevail in the region among different ensembles:slendro andpelog (both of which originated inJava).
In Java, use of the gamelan for Islamic devotional music was encouraged by the Muslim saintSunan Kalijogo.
Nasheeds are moral, religious recitations recited in various melodies by some Muslims of today without any musical instruments. However, some nasheed groups use percussion instruments, such as thedaff. Singing moral songs of this type without instrumentation is considered permissible (halal) by many Muslims.
Sufi worship services are often calleddhikr or zikr. See that article for further elaboration.
The dhikr of South Asian Muslims is "quietist". The Sufi services best known in the West are the chanting and rhythmic dancing of thewhirling dervishes orMevlevi Sufis of Turkey.
However, Sufis may also perform devotional songs in public, for the enjoyment and edification of listeners. The mood is religious, but the gathering is not a worship service.
In Turkey, once the seat of the Ottoman Empire and the Caliphate, concerts of sacred song are called "Mehfil-e-Sama' " (or "gathering ofSama'"). Song forms include ilahi and nefe.
In South Asia, especially Bangladesh, Pakistan and India, a widely known style ofSufi music isqawwali. A traditional qawwali programme would include:
Shi'a qawwali performances typically follow the naat with a manqabat in praise of Ali,and sometimes amarsiya, a lamentation over the death of much of Ali's family at theBattle of Karbala.
The most well-known qawwali singer in modern times isNusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
Another traditional South Asian genre of Sufi music is theKafi, which is more meditative and involves solo singing as opposed to the ensemble form seen in qawwali. The most widely known exponent of the Kafi is the Pakistani singerAbida Parveen.
Sufi music has developed with the times. A PakistaniSufi rock band,Junoon, was formed in the 1990s to bring a modern twist to suit the new younger generation. The band achieved wide popularity, in Pakistan as well as in the West.
According to scholar Jacob M. Landau, in Islamic music, "melodies are organized in terms ofmaqāmāt (singularmaqām), or "modes," characteristic melodic patterns with prescribed scales, preferential notes, typical melodic and rhythmic formulas, variety of intonations, and other conventional devices."[1]
rhythmic modes are known asīqāʿāt (singularīqāʿ), and they have a "cyclical patterns of strong and weak beats".[1]
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Although there are a wide variety of opinions on the permissibility of musical instruments, those who produce Islamic music with instruments often feature the following instruments:
Traditional:
Strictly speaking, the words 'Islamic religious music' present a contradiction in terms. The practice of orthodox Sunni and Shi'a Islam does not involve any activity recognized within Muslim cultures as 'music'. The melodious recitation of the Holy Qur'an and the call to prayer are central to Islam, but generic terms for music have never been applied to them. Instead, specialist designations have been used. However, a wide variety of religious and spiritual genres that use musical instruments exists, usually performed at various public and private assemblies outside the orthodox sphere.
— Eckhard Neubauer, Veronica Doubleday, Islamic religious music,New Grove Dictionary of Music online[8]
The question of permissibility of music inIslamic jurisprudence is historically disputed,[2] and with the advent of a whole new generation of Muslim musicians who try to blend their work and faith, the issue "has taken on extra significance".[9]
Islamic art and music flourished during theIslamic Golden Age.[3][4][5]
Notable Sufi singers include:
Noted composers:
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