The cultural heritage of the Arab world, one of the wisest and most powerful civilizations, - folklore - reflects the essence of life of the Ancient East, its traditions, foundations, and is largely due to the Muslim worldview of the Arabs.
Flourishing through conquest
The first monument of Arabic folklore dates back to the 2nd millennium BC. in the form of an inscription, which states that Assyrian slaves bewitched with singing of their overseers. In ancient times, the Arabian Peninsula was the center of the development of Arab culture, which originated from the depths of Northern Arabia. The conquest of a number of highly developed powers by the Arabs led to the flourishing of culture, which, however, later developed under the influence of border civilizations.
Characteristics
As for the traditional instrumental Arabic music, it is not widely spread, so the information about it is very few. Here, instrumental music is practically not used as an independent type of creativity, but is an essential element in the performance of songs and, of course, oriental dances.
A large role in this case is assigned to the drums, which reflect the bright emotional coloring of Arabic music. The remaining musical instruments were presented in a more meager assortment and were a primitive prototype of modern ones.
Even today, it is difficult to find an Arab home where there would not be any percussion instruments made from widely available materials such as leather, clay, etc. Therefore, the melodies of uncomplicated motifs coming from the windows of the houses, accompanied by rhythmic tapping, are quite a common occurrence.
Macamus as a reflection of the mentality
The Macamas (Arabic - makam) are one of the brightest elements of Arabic folklore. The sound structure of a makam is quite unusual, so they are difficult for people who are not familiar with the specifics of the cultural and historical environment of a given nation. In addition, the fundamentals of the musical theory of the West and the East are fundamentally different, so that a person who grew up in the bosom of European music, Oriental motifs can be misleading. Makamas, as well as any folklore, were originally stored only verbally. And the first attempts of their recording fell only on the 19th century.
Ancient Arabic folklore is characterized by the fusion of music and poetry. Professional poets and singers are widely known, whose songs, as people believed, had magical influence. Each village had its own Shair, which occasionally sang its songs. Their subject matter was arbitrary. Among them were songs of vengeance, funeral, praise, songs for horsemen and cattle drovers, mourning and others.
Arabic folklore is the assimilation of the embryos of the original culture of the Arabs and the developed art of the peoples they conquered, and this mixture of national colors is transformed into magnificent creativity, reflecting the incredibly specific, unusual character of African and Asian civilization.
Author - Irina Vasnetsova
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