Middle East Flashcards
Maghrib
Time or place of the sunset
Mashriq
Time or place of sunrise
Adhan
The call to prayer in Islam, uttered five times daily.
Muhammad
Muslim prophet that spread Islam
Sunni
The mainstream Muslim branch that believes that Muhammad does not have a successor
Shia
Branch of Islam that believes that Muhammad has a successor, Ali.
Sufi
The mystical branch of Islam. Rejected by many because they listen to music.
Musiqa vs. non-musiqa
The two sections that Muslims categorize music in. Western music is musiqa and is not legitimate. Call to prayer is non-musiqa and is legitimate.
Ud
Arabic lute
Maqam
Arabic/Turkish mode or system
Cents
A way to measure sound
Santur
Persian hammered zither
Dastgah
Persian mode or system
Tar
Persian lute shaped like an eight
Tahkt
Egyptian ensemble including zithers, aerophones, and lutes.
Kanun
Four-sided instrument resembling an autoharp
Raqs sharqi
Belly dance
Tarab
Arabic word for state of emotional transformation or ecstasy achieved through music
Dhikr
Sufi devotional act in which believers chant the name of God with the goal of entering an ecstatic state.
Jalal-Al din Muhammad rumi
Sufi saint of Islamic mysticism known for his poems and as the founder of the Mevlevi religious order
Dervish
Western name for Sufi
Klezmer
European derived dance music commonly associated with Jewish celebrations
Nusach
Jewish cantillation
Torah
The first five books of the Bible
Shofar
A jewish ritual trumpet made of a rams horn
Five pillars of Islamic faith
- Confession of faith
- Prayer five times a day
- Almsgiving -giving money or food to poor people
- Fasting during Ramadan
- Making at least one pilgrimage to Mecca
Rabab
Lute-like instrument
Sephardic Jews
From North Africa and Asia
Ashkenzai Jews
From Europe
Muezzin
The person performing the call to prayer
Buzuq
Fretted, round bodied lute with 3 courses of strings
Taqasim
Improvisation on a maqam before a larger composition in a solo instrument
