Syncretic Islamic communities & their music: Difference between revisions

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== Class ==
== Class ==
Ramadan Mubarak! The Qur'an was revealed in 610, in this month, the 9th of the Islamic calendar. By Tradition this revelation began on an odd-numbered night in the last 10 days, conventionally the 27th is celebrated as this night - known as "Laylat al-Qadr", the "Night of Power", as described in the Qur'an, [https://quran.com/en/al-qadr Surat al-Qadr (97)].
Forms of language performance:
* Tilawa
* Ibtihalat
*


Intro to Gnawa and its [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kq2Vy20SccA globalization]
Intro to Gnawa and its [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kq2Vy20SccA globalization]

Revision as of 11:08, 12 March 2024

Syncretism from an Islamic perspective: spirit propitiation/healing groups and practices combining Islamic and sub-saharan Africa: Gnawa and Zar


Tuesday (10a)

From Kurdistan to Turkey to Morocco: Ahl al-Haqq, Bektashi/Alevi ... and Gnawa!

Due

Read/skim and review one of the following two (depending on your interests - your choice!), in conjunction with the videos posted for last week:

  1. Yaresan (Ahl al-Haqq): Introduction and Chapter 5: Ritual and Observance from “God First and Last". Religious Traditions and Music of the Yaresan of Guran, by Philip G. Kreyenbroek (feel free to browse other sections of the book if you're interested)
  2. Bektashi and Alevi: The Role of Expressive Culture in the Demystification of a Secret Sect of Islam: The Case of the Alevis of Turkey, by Irene Markoff. The World of Music, Vol. 28, No. 3, Islam (1986), pp. 42-56 (15 pages)

Watch and review: "Gnawa Music - Body and Soul" (if you have trouble with the link, search for the title in Films on Demand)

What connections can you perceive between these traditions? How are they similar or different? Consider ritual, folkloric, and popular/world musical forms (including intersections with other genres, like jazz). Compare and contrast them in your review.

You may submit both reviews in one page or less.

Class

Ramadan Mubarak! The Qur'an was revealed in 610, in this month, the 9th of the Islamic calendar. By Tradition this revelation began on an odd-numbered night in the last 10 days, conventionally the 27th is celebrated as this night - known as "Laylat al-Qadr", the "Night of Power", as described in the Qur'an, Surat al-Qadr (97).

Forms of language performance:

  • Tilawa
  • Ibtihalat

Intro to Gnawa and its globalization

Instruments:

  • Guimbri (sintir, hajhouj): bass lute
  • Qaraqeb (sing. Qarqeb): cymbals
  • tbel or ganga: large drums

Musical structure:

  • Rhythms: triple, stretched
  • Scales: pentatonic


Ritual performance (lila):

Staged ritual (folklore, tourism):

World music Gnawa fusions: jazz, funk, hiphop, festival

Origins: West African music, terms, and spirituality

  • Pentatonic and triple meter
  • Polyrhythmic
  • call and response

Terms, music, spirituality


Thursday (10b)

Gnawa continued....links to jazz and popular music in the West.

Zar.


Due

Read: Liminal Rites and Female Symbolism in the Egyptian Zar Possession Cult, by Richard Natvig, Numen, Vol. 35, Fasc. 1 (Jul., 1988), pp. 57-68

Listen/watch: traditional Egyptian zar

Then browse the following sites and videos produced by two folkloric centers in Cairo:

Makan:

El Mastaba

Also note diffusion of Zar to other parts of the world:

Submit: one page on similarities and differences between Moroccan Gnawa and Egyptian Zar. Consider: the people, the ritual, the music - but also the ways this music has been folklorized, rendered "world music", or mixed with other genres. How, when, and where does the performance retain a spiritual significance, and why is that significance at other times and places eliminated? What are the reasons why the two traditions may be similar? Why are there differences?

Class

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