Musical Aesthetics in Present-Day Cairo

Abstract

F our widely applicable aesthetic criteria contribute to the acceptability of music within a particular culture: (1) conformity to established tradition; (2) artistic creativity; (3) innovation and modernity; and (4) the cultivation of individual and distinctive musical traits. In contemporary Cairo, tradition, creativity, innovation, and individuality are expressed in various, often imprecise, ways by musical critics, historians, musicians, and members of the listening public. Tradition is suggested by such labels as rvh Sharqiyyah, Eastern spirit, and taba' Misrf, Egyptian character.1 Creativity is described as a form of complexity resulting from musical workmanship on the part of the artist. Innovation is connected with a large number of musicians and musical compositions from the late 19th century to the present, and linked with a variety of musical novelties. Individuality is applied to many distinguishing musical traits ranging from unusual vocal timbre to specialization in a specific genre or musical style. Today, the music of Cairo can be viewed roughly as having one large central domain and several smaller peripheral domains, all overlapping and interacting with one another.2 Egyptians and neighboring Arabs generally refer to the music of the central domain as fann, or craft, mfusqd, and tarab, enchantment or entertainment. This music is performed by famous professional singers such as Umm Kulthum and 'Abd al-Wahhab, and features large orchestras consisting of pan-Arab instruments such as the qanin, 'uid, nay, and violin. This music is popular among audiences and is well known even among non-Arabs as the dominant style of Arab Music. The major peripheral domains are: old works composed mostly before World War I; Islamic religious genres; compositions modeled after European art music, mostly from the 1960s and early 1970s when the Cairo Symphony Orchestra was active in Egypt; works emulating European popular music; and indigenous folk music found in Cairo and in communities along the Nile. The aim of this study is to clarify the musical implications of tradition, creativity, innovation, and individuality, and to demonstrate how they interact with one another to influence the music of contemporary Cairo.