View source for Outline of the history of music in the Arab world

* '''Pre-Islamic period (jahiliyya) (to 622)'''
** Arab consciousness not yet established
** Music of Arabic-speakers:  poetry-centric, localized
* '''Early Islamic: rise of Great Tradition (to 750)'''
** Multicultural influences:  Persian Sasanian, Byzantine, Syrian, Egyptian...
** Rise of Arab consciousness and expansion of Arab character
* '''Abbasid and Andalusian "golden age" of Great Tradition (750-900)'''
** Multicultural society
** Increased Persian influence
** Decline in Arab character and identity
** Increase in Islamicate character and identity
* '''Political fragmentation (from late 9th c)'''
** Decline of Arabic-speaking powers 
*** Destruction of Baghdad (1258) by Mongols
*** Foreign domination of Cairo
** Rise of non-Arabic speaking dynasties
*** Turkish (from 10th century, but especially Ottomans from 1299, took Egypt in 1517)
*** Mamluks, from 1250 in Arabic speaking regions (Cairo) (Turkish speaking)
*** Persian (especially Safavids from 1501-1736)
*** Berber (Almoravids from 1040, Almohads from 1121)
*** Mughal (from 1526; Urdu)
** Reconquista (Christian reconquest of Spain, expulsion/conversion of Muslims and Jews completed 1492)
** Contraction of "Arab" concept
* '''Emergence of regional art music traditions (esp. after 13th c)'''
** Gradual divergence from Great Tradition, and development of regional art music tarab traditions
** Arabic-speaking world
*** North Africa (influence of Andalusia) = maghrib (vs. eastern areas = mashriq)
*** Egypt 
*** Levant
*** Iraq
*** Arabia/Gulf
** Turkic world (Ottomans)
** Persianate world (Safavids, Qajars)
** Mughal world (Hindustani music)
* '''Impact of 19th/20th century colonialism & new Arab nationalism'''
** Colonial rule: Colonialists (Britain, France) tended to define ethnic regions by language, hence used "Arab music" (before "Arabs" did)
** Orientalism: al-Musiqa al-Sharqiyya ("Eastern" or "Oriental" music) entered lexicon, "Oriental" referencing Ottoman, roughly.
** Opposing colonial rule: Nahda and new Arab nationalism (''Arabi'') vs. renewal of Ottomanism/Islamism (''Sharqi'').  Importing European ideas such as linguistic nationalism ("if France is based on French then an Arab nation must exist too"), differed from revival of Caliphate and multicultural polity with an Arab rather than Turkish core (Jamal al-Din al-Afghani, Muhammad Abdu, Rashid Rida). Christians tended to be Arab nationalists (e.g. Michel Aflaq) or regional nationalist (e.g. Lebanese nationalism).
** Ottoman influence:  "Arab" also became an ethnic designation in opposition to "Turkish" (along with attempts to "purge" the latter)
** Arab nahda (renaissance) - revival of ''Arab'' literature and nationalism, resulting from impact of European arts and nationalism via scholars returning to Egypt and Levant (Rifa'a al-Tahtawi 1801-1873), and especially Christians in Levant (Mashriq)
** Music: takht (small ensemble) performing mix of Ottoman instrumental and Arab song (muwashshah, qasida), with the addition of a new form, the ''dawr''
** Arab Congress of 1913 met in Paris, seeking greater autonomy for Arabic speakers under Ottoman rule
** British encouraged Arabism to defeat Ottomans in WWI (Arab revolt in Arabia); Ottoman empire ended, replaced by Turkish Republic (1923)
* '''Rise of "turath" (musical heritage) and pan-Arab music (1900+)'''
** Major factors: Arab nationalism, Arab independence, technology of recording, music economy
*** Early 20th c:  Nadi al-Musiqa al-Sharqiyya (Oriental Music Club)  (1906), later Ma`had al-Maliki lil-Musiqa al-Sharqiyya (Royal Oriental Music Institute) (1929)
*** al-Ma`had al-Maliki lil-Musiqa Sharqiyya sponsored the famous 1932 conference "Mu'tamar al-Musiqa al-`Arabiyya; transition to "Arab music" for the literate tradition. Recognition of broad regional variants:  North Africa, Egypt, Levant, Iraq, Arabia.
** Rise of music technology (first recordings 1904, later radio 1920s, cinema 1930s, TV 1950s), music economy (ticketed events, sales of music media)
** New musical theatre (imported from Syria, with French influence)
** Reclamation of an "Arab" heritage and "pan-Arab" music, despite regional diversity, particularly with independence from the 1950s
*** "Old" art music labelled as Arabic "al-turath al-`arabi al-qadim" ("old Arab heritage" - really 19th century music: what immediately preceded rapid media-induced change).  E.g. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1AjFowpvfg Firqat al-Musiqa al-`Arabiyya], yet with European influence in ensemble size and organization.
*** Influence of radio, film (including musical film, e.g. ''Dananeer''), commodification, western music
** Rise of a new modern pan-Arab music: mediated via films, radio, later TV
*** More European influence: instruments, ensemble size
*** Few media producers/channels, centralized
*** Thus:  appearance of pan-Arab music (top-down, Cairo-centered), government controlled, and ideological (pan-Arabism)
*** Some of this music retains many elements of the older styles (e.g. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac49JsBr600 Umm Kulthum]), while other artists innovated (e.g. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFyStCw6wqI Abdel Wahhab] and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ptd3R51Qj-s Abdel Haleem Hafez]
* '''Rise of modern popular Arab music: decentralization, then recentralization'''
** Decentralization, loss of pan-Arab music
*** Demise of key members of the old generation from 1970s to 1990s (Umm Kulthum, Abdel Halim)
*** Appearance of cassette tape, greater private sector freedom (1970s) in 70s
*** Explosion of decentralized producers/channels with limited distribution
*** Impact of western popular music formats (short song, pop ensemble)
*** decline of pan-Arab music in favor of regional styles
** Recentralization, return of pan-Arab music but less ideological
*** New mass media  (1990s) : Satellite TV, mobile phone, Internet
*** Private ownership
*** Distributed ownership
*** Emergent pan-Arabism
*** Rise of the videoclip as primary mass-mediated form ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9YI3FmYgmk Ruby])