Music and its Virtues in Islamic and Judaic Writings

A fascinating aspect of the study of music in medieval Islamic and Judaic writings is the broad and interdisciplinary nature of the works and treatises in which it is covered. In addition, such works verbalize an art that was transmitted orally and took shape spontaneously, typically with improvisation during performance. As a result of this outlook the musical concept (or science) is often intertwined with practice (or history). This second collection by Amnon Shiloah brings together twenty-two studies exemplifying such multi-faceted viewpoints on the world of sounds and its virtue. The first studies concern the origin and originators of music and to how its essential constituents came into being; included here is the art of dance along with the controversial attitudes towards it. Next comes the symbolic, philosophical and metaphorical interpretation of music; one of the major ideas epitomizing this approach claimed that the pursuit of knowledge is the path to human perfection and happiness. There follow studies on the transmission of knowledge, along with some annotated key works dealing with therapeutic effects. The last articles focus on cultural traditions elaborated on European soil developing a particular style and musical practice, centred on the Iberian Peninsula, which was the scene of one of the most fascinating examples of cultural interchange.

Amnon Shiloah is Professor of Musicology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.

Contents: Preface; Part 1 Theories of Origins: The beginning of things: theories of origins in Arabic and Hebrew sources; A passage by Immanuel ha-Romi on the science of music; Biblical references to music as interpreted in Arabic treatises; The davidic traditions concerning music; The singing birds; Réflexions sur la danse artistique musulmane au moyen âge. Part 2 The Symbolic, Philosophical and Metaphorical Interpretation of Music: L' approche humaniste et métaphorique dans les premiers écrits arabes sur la musique; La musique entre le divin et le terrestre; 'Ên-kol' - commentaire hébraïque de Å em Tov ibn Å aprÃ't sur le canon d' Avicenne; Jewish and Muslim traditions of music therapy. Part 3 The Transmission of Musical Knowledge: Qalonimus ben Qalonimus, 'Ma'amar be-mispar ha-hokhmÃ-t'; Musical concepts in the works of Saadia Gaon; Some comments of the cantillation of the 10 Commandments; A propos d' un 'petit livre arabe de musique' (with A. Berthier); Notions d' esthétique dans les traités arabes sur la musique; L' évolution de la vocalité et de la technique vocale dans les traités anciens de la musique arabe. Part 4 The Ideological Attitude Towards Music: Music and religion in Islam; Maïmonide et la musique. Part 5 Music in Contact: The Romaniot musical tradition (revised version); Development of Jewish liturgical singing in Spain; Muslim and Jewish musical traditions in the Middle Ages; Andalusian instruments of music and instruments of entertainment; Index.