The Music of the Arabs (Hardcover)

by Habib Hassan Touma (Author) "The earliest information on the musical life of the Arabs originates from sixth century A.D..." (more)
Key Phrases: magam row, wazn patterns, maqam row, North Africa, Middle Ages, Arabian Peninsula (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
This comprehensive book on Arabic music by a composer and musicologist now living in Germany is part technical treatise, with many musical examples; part history; and about half cultural description. Concerned that traditional Arabic music is in danger of being lost because of pressures to Westernize, Touma earnestly chronicles the presence and use of music in the contemporary Arab world, with detailed reports on song styles, musical instruments, art music, religious music, and popular music. He approves of musicians who preserve tradition while offering a distinctive voice of their own, such as composer Munir Bashir and singer Umm Kulthum. A bibliographic essay discussing sources in Arabic, French, German, and English ends the book. A specialized work by an expert; for large music collections.?Bonnie Jo Dopp, Montgomery Cty. Dept. of Public Libs., Md.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"Finally, a readable, authoritative introduction to Arabic Music has been translated in to English ... The Music of the Arabs is simultaneously exhilarating and humbling." --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 238 pages
• Publisher: Amadeus Press; Expanded edition (March 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0931340888
• ISBN-13: 978-0931340888
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,473,521 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #4 in

  Books > Entertainment > Music > Musical Genres > Ethnic & International > World Beat East

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Music of the Arabs -- a short review, March 6, 2000

By	"mimikanun" (Richmond, California) - See all my reviews

Touma's Music of the Arabs does not cover the subject. Although he states early on that he doesn't plan to cover folkloric music, nevertheless his photos seem mainly to focus on that area. He spends a lot of time on Iraqi maqam, which is quite different from mainstream Arabic music and not well known to most Arabs. He barely mentions the greatest artists of modern urban (traditional) Arab music such as Umm Kulthum, Muhammad Abd al-Wahhab, Baligh Hamdi, Farid al-Atrash, Abdel Halim Hafez, and others; people wishing to get an overview of Arab music in the twentieth century will be somewhat misled by this book. Also, the CD that is meant to go with the book similarly focuses on non-mainstream traditional Arabic music. I suspect the man has a bone to pick and is purposely slanting his book away from what most Arabs would think of as typical Arab music. (I have written a extensive and detailed review of this work for "The Near Eastern Music Calendar." Furthermore, I am a musician who has played Arab music professionally for more than 20 years.)

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book, June 17, 2006

By	Mr. N. Coutya "Oud Player" (London) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Music of the Arabs Book/CD (Paperback) (Paperback)

Thanks God that the book doesn't mention Farid or Abdel Wahab, because Arabic music did exist before them, or before they changed it into Casino-like belly dancing arabesque musique rather than a decent creative music that didn't need their foreign and stupid influences such as Rumba and Tango, things that were cut and paste from the hollywood of the twenties, and that are so out of date now.

This book focuses on the Arabic music as a traditional inherited music, and does an excellent job at describing it.

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best introduction I've read, October 23, 1997

By A Customer

Yearning to discuss technical specifications of the oud? Want to casually mention the influence of the maqam phenomenon at your next cocktail party?

Me either. That's why I bought this book instead of some dry pedantic musicological tome. (Besides, I hate cocktail parties.)

Arab music is fascinating to listen to, but it's great to be able to understand what's coming out of the speakers. Touma deftly handles major aspects of the music, and provides a layman's glossary and even a transliteration of the Arabic alphabet. Out of all the books I bought, this was the only one I could understand without a degree in musicology.

A fabulous and down-to-earth introduction to what is often a mysterious subject.