Music and Performance in Muslim Contexts – serie

This book comprises a study of music in Iran from the Timurid period in the fifteenth century up until the end of the Qajar period at the beginning of the twentieth century. It examines many aspects of music making in this span of time including centres of musical patronage, the role of patrons, music theorists, music treatises, the social organization of musicians, courtesan and concubine culture, and performance contexts. It also compares descriptions of musical sessions and performance formats from different periods and considers Western influence, socio-political developments, and contact with other musical cultures. Music Making in Iran also scrutinizes the emergence and evolution of modal entities, rules for modulation, the formation of court repertoires, the development of rhythmic structures, vocal and instrumental genres, and forms of composition.

Music Making in Iran from the 15th to the Early 20th Century looks at the change and evolution of music in Iran from both social and theoretical perspectives. Amir Hosein Pourjavady scrutinises the emergence and development of modal entities, rules for modulation, the formation of court repertoires, the progress of rhythmic structures, vocal and instrumental genres and forms of composition. Through this lens, Hosein investigates how Iranian music has been impacted by Western influence, socio-political developments and contact with other musical cultures.

In the riverine valleys of the Pamir Mountains of Tajik Badakhshan, a thriving millennium-old community of Nizari Ismaili Muslims created a unique spiritual culture in which the performance of music and poetry plays a central role. This book focuses on the central musical and poetic tradition of the Pamiri Ismailis, qas?da-khon? (also known as maddo), tracing its origins, evolution, and eventual delocalization and relocation in new social contexts. The first study on the musical culture of the Pamiri Ismailis in almost 20 years, this monograph introduces readers to leading performers of qas?da-khon? and to the Ismaili gnosis that inspires its music and poetry a foundational source for an understanding of Islam in Badakhshan as an amalgam of diverse cultural practices and multi-layered identities. In an era of cultural globalization, the circulation of qas?da-khon? and maddo beyond Badakhshan serves as a case study of global cultural flows, diversity, versatility, and connectedness.

Islam has been a part of hip-hop culture since it sprang from New York's street culture in the 1970s. Today hip-hop has evolved into a truly global artform with a diversity of Muslim Islamic discourses expressed. Using tools from the field of social semiotics, this book examines how Islamic themes feature in US hip-hop culture, maintaining a particular awareness that both Muslims as well as non-Muslims participate in their production. The book also argues that there is a historical continuity in the use of Islamic semiotic resources in US musical culture that runs through the entirety of the 20th century and can be observed in gospel, blues and jazz. It is also often connected to African American religious initiatives and African American empowerment politics.

Islam has been a part of hip-hop culture since it sprang from New York’s street culture in the 1970s. Today hip-hop has evolved into a truly global artform with a diversity of Muslim Islamic discourses expressed. Using tools from the field of social semiotics, this book examines how Islamic themes feature in US hip-hop culture, maintaining a particular awareness that both Muslims as well as non-Muslims participate in their production. The book also argues that there is a historical continuity in the use of Islamic semiotic resources in US musical culture that runs through the entirety of the 20th century and can be observed in gospel, blues and jazz. It is also often connected to African American religious initiatives and African American empowerment politics.

Awakening – an Islamic media company formed in London – has created the soundtrack to many Muslim lives during the last two decades. As the company celebrates their first 20 years in the industry, Jonas Otterbeck examines their remarkable rise to success and their established reputation as one of the most important global enterprises producing pop music inspired by Islam. Otterbeck thoroughly describes the history and development of new Islamic popular music genres, in particular pop-nashid and Islamic pop, for the first time. He argues that Awakening – a company with the ambition to portray itself as Islamic – is best understood in relation to the ethical turn in Islamic thinking. In this way, he explores how the Islamic pop industry is, in effect, altering the very formulations of Islamic thought.

Published in Association with the Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations and the Aga Khan Music ProgrammeExamines how the making, marketing and performance of new Islamic music genres relate to Islamic discourse and thoughtListen to the Spotify playlist 'The Awakening of Islamic Pop Music', featuring 103 of the songs mentioned in the bookAnalyses the contribution of popular music to the development of contemporary interpretations of IslamUses Awakening as a case study to explore the relationship between Islamic popular music genres and wider Islamic discourseSupported by fieldwork (following tours), content analyses (of songs, videos, promotion material and social media) and interviews (with artists, business people and musicians) Includes new perspectives on celebrity culture among Muslims and its connection with ethical Muslim masculinity Awakening an Islamic media company formed in London has created the soundtrack to many Muslim lives during the last two decades. It has produced three superstars (Sami Yusuf, Maher Zain and Harris J.) among a host of other artists. As the company celebrates their first 20 years in the industry, Jonas Otterbeck examines their remarkable rise to success and their established reputation as one of the most important global enterprises producing pop music inspired by Islam.Otterbeck thoroughly describes the history and development of new Islamic popular music genres, in particular pop-nashid and Islamic pop, for the first time. He argues that Awakening a company with the ambition to portray itself as Islamic is best understood in relation to the ethical turn in Islamic thinking. In analysing the turn to ethics, he explores how the Islamic pop industry is, in effect, altering the very formulations of Islamic thought. Closely examining the ethical masculinity of the Awakening artists, alongside their personas in songs, on stage and on social media, the book analyses how popular culture and the creative arts challenge Islamic (re)thinking. "

Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, whose life and mystical poetry provided the inspiration for the Mevlevi Sufi order, is one of the world's best-known poets, yet the centuries-long musical tradition cultivated by the Mevleviye remains much less known. In this deeply researched book, renowned scholar Walter Feldman traces the historical development of Mevlevi music and brings to light the remarkable musical and mystical aesthetics of the Mevlevi ayin the instrumental and vocal accompaniment to the sublime ceremony of the 'Whirling' Dervishes.