Die Musik der Araber (The Music of the Arabs)

Abstract

Die Musik der Araber is an informative and introductory account of the music of Arabic speaking peoples. In accordance with other ethnomusicological publications in this series, Touma's book - an expanded version of a 1975 edition - observes a conservative format. This is underpinned by the author's musicological stance and his inherent bias favouring musical genres with antique historical pedigrees to the detriment of rural and modern urban forms. The value of this publication lies in Touma's excellent synthesis of a broad range of relevant literature, his succinct explanation of intervallic structure and maqam (pl. maqamat ) theory, his analysis of Arab instrumental practice, and his discussion of a wide range of geographically dispersed traditions. Further, this clarity is enchanced by a multitude of musical quotations directly related to textual references, a complication of thirty-eight photographs demonstrating musical performance in context, and a superb selective and annotated bibliography for further research.