Andalusi classical music facts for kids

Andalusi classical music is a special kind of music that started a long time ago in a place called al-Andalus. This was a part of Iberia (modern-day Spain and Portugal) where Muslims and Moors lived between the 9th and 15th centuries.

This music then traveled and influenced many different styles across North Africa, including Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. It's known for its beautiful poems, some written by famous authors like al-Mu'tamid ibn Abbad and Ibn al-Khatib.

History of Andalusi Music

Andalusi music is thought to have begun in the Emirate of Cordoba in the 800s. A musician named Ziryâb, who was born in Iraq, moved to Cordoba and became a court musician. Some people say he helped create this music style. Later, a poet and composer named Ibn Bajjah from Saragossa mixed Ziryâb's style with Western ideas, creating a new sound that spread everywhere.

By the 900s, Muslim Iberia was a big center for making musical instruments. These instruments slowly made their way to Europe. They influenced French troubadours and trouvères and eventually reached other parts of Europe. For example, English words like "lute," "rebec," "guitar," and "naker" come from Arabic words like oud, rabab, qithara, and naqareh.

A writer named Aḥmad al-Tifāshī, who lived in the 1200s, described Andalusi music as having four main types: nashīd, ṣawt, muwashshaḥ, and zajal.

• A nashīd was a classical poem with a vocal introduction and then combined singing and instruments.
• A ṣawt was similar but didn't have the vocal introduction.
• The muwashshaḥ and zajal were often composed directly as songs.

As Muslims and Sephardi Jews left places like Córdoba and Granada during the Reconquista, they brought Andalusi music with them to North Africa. This helped the music spread and change. In North Africa, a common musical form is called a nūba. This is a suite of music that might have started in Islamic Iberia, but it developed many different forms in its new homes.

Andalusi Music and Jewish Communities

Jewish communities have played a very important part in keeping Andalusi music alive. Many important musicians in North Africa were Jewish. Even today, Moroccan Jewish communities in Israel still sing Andalusi melodies and old song texts in their religious music. One of Ziryāb's colleagues in the 800s was a Jewish musician named Manṣūr al-Yahūdī.

Old Song Texts and Styles

Many old writings help us understand the songs and ideas behind Andalusi music. The oldest collection of these texts is from Aḥmad al-Tīfāshī's book around 1253. Another important collection is Kunnāsh al-Ḥāʾik, which was put together in the late 1700s and revised in 1886.

Today, each country in North Africa has its own style of Andalusi music:

• In Morocco, the instrumental version is called al-Āla, and the religious singing style is al-samāʿ wa-l-madīḥ.
• In Algeria, there are three styles: al-Gharnāṭī (from Granada) in the west, al-ṣanʿa around Algiers, and al-maʾlūf in the east.
• Tunisia and Libya also call their traditions al-maʾlūf.

Andalusi Music Today

The Andalusi nubah is still the main form of Andalusi classical music. Each nūba focuses on one main musical mode. People used to say there were 24 nūbāt, one for each hour of the day. Today, there are 16 in Algeria and 11 in Morocco.

In Morocco, each nūba has five parts called mîzân, and each has its own rhythm. They are played in a specific order:

• basît (6/4 rhythm)
• qâ'im wa niṣf (8/4 rhythm)
• btâyhî (8/4 rhythm)
• darj (4/4 rhythm)
• quddâm (3/4 or 6/8 rhythm)

Andalusi classical music orchestras can be found in many cities across North Africa:

• Algeria: Tlemcen, Algiers, Constantine, and many others.
  • The main styles are Gharnati (Tlemcen), Sana'a (Algiers), and Ma'luf (Constantine, Annaba).
• Morocco: Fes, Meknes, Tetuan, Rabat, and more.
  • The main style is tarab al-āla (instrumental music), along with the religious al-samāʿ wa-l-madīḥ.
• Tunisia: Tunis, Testour, and Kairouan.
• Libya: Tripoli.
  • In Tunisia and Libya, the Maʾlūf is the main style.
• Outside of North Africa, the Israeli Andalusian Orchestra plays this music, often with religious songs from Sephardi Jews.

The instruments used in Andalusi classical music include:

• oud (a type of lute)
• rabab (a bowed string instrument like a rebec)
• darbouka (goblet drums)
• ṭaʿrīja (tambourine)
• qanún (a zither-like instrument)
• kamanja (violin)

Sometimes, modern instruments like piano, Double bass, cello, and even banjos or saxophones are added, but this is not common.

Influence on Other Music

Al-Andalus was a major way for many musical instruments from the Middle East to reach Europe. For example:

• The lute came from the Arabic oud.
• The rebec came from the Maghreb rebab.
• The guitar came from qitara.
• The naker (a small drum) came from the naqareh.

Some scholars also wonder if the Solfège musical notation system (like Do-Re-Mi) might have come from an Arabic system, though there isn't strong proof for this idea.

It's also thought that the troubadour tradition, which was a type of poetry and music in medieval France, might have been influenced by al-Andalus. Some scholars believe that William IX of Aquitaine, one of the first troubadours, might have been inspired by the music and poetry from al-Andalus. This suggests that Andalusi poetry was one of the influences on European "courtly love poetry."

See also

In Spanish: Música andalusí para niños

• Malhun
• Andalusi nubah
• Mohammed al-Haik
• Abdessadeq Cheqara
• Mohamed Bajeddoub
• Music of Algeria
• Music of Morocco
• Music of Tunisia
• Music of Libya