What is "music of the Islamic world"? Four possibilities
"Music of the Islamic world" depends on meaning of "Islamic world"...and what kind of world is that?
- Music of Muslims? (Muslim world) (objective but incoherent)
- Music of Islamic urban cultural centers during period of ascendency? (Islamicate world) (somewhat coherent, somewhat objective)
- Music (sound) of Islamic ritual practice? (coherent, objective, but limited)
- Music expressing Islamic spiritual ethos? (coherent, subjective)
We'll examine two possible meanings and their interrelation:
- Sound of Islamic ritual practices
- Islamicate music