Making Music in the Arab World

The book covers the period from the late 19th century to the present day. It aims to develop a qualitative understanding of traditional Arabic music, complementing other more general works on the music of the Arab world or the Near East. As the author, Al-Rassi, is a performer of Arabic music on "tarab" instruments, such as the bouzouq, oud, and ney, and deeply immersed in the emotional feeling of the music, he discusses the individual opinions and experiences of many makers and listeners of tarab in a balanced way, which led to some complexities. His research also faced the challenges of bringing the phenomenon of musical "ecstasy" to mind, as it is essentially a living practice and experience, similar to a Sufi state that is beyond description.

• Number of Pages: 320 pages