Arabesque: Music of the Arab World

Overview

Join host Georges Collinet (from NPR's Afropop Worldwide) in this 3-part audio series that each explores a different aspect of Arab music: the musical instruments of the Arab World; what makes Arab music unique; and the styles of music in the Arab World.

Suggested Use

Allow students to listen online or to download the episodes in the series. For many students, this may be their first in-depth encounter with Arab music, and multiple listening sessions may be appropriate.

In part 1, explore the fascinating history and sounds of musical instruments of the Arab World, many of which are direct ancestors of modern Western musical instruments.

In part 2, scholars and musicians to explore unique elements of Arabic musical culture, including improvisation, ornamentation, audience participation, and the state of "musical ecstacy."

In part 3, musicians from across the Arab World join to discuss and demonstrate the diverse musical culture of Arab nations, their common musical roots, and where they believe Arabic music is headed.

For each audio story, engage in discussion around the similarities and differences between Western and Arab music-- the instruments, sounds and subject matter. Consider the traditional, classical and contemporary music of each culture.

There are several ways to access the audio stories: Visit the series page by clicking on "view resource," above. There, you and your students can listen online or download individual MP3 files. Subscribe to the Podcast by copying and pasting this URL into your podcatcher: http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/podcasts/arabmusic.xml If you use iTunes as your podcatcher, subscribe directly by clicking the icon

Technical Requirements

This multimedia resource is bandwidth-intensive, requiring a high-speed Internet connection. Users should be equipped with speakers (or headphones in a lab or classroom setting) and will need iTunes or Quicktime installed on their computers.