The Great Book of Music

Page 10

...in his opinion among them. It has become apparent that this second book is lost, and its loss is truly regrettable, as it undoubtedly contained comparisons and commentaries of great benefit for the comprehension of certain elements of the subject.

As for the first book—which is this work titled The Great Book of Music original: "Kitab al-Musiqa al-Kabir"—the author addressed within it all parts of the craft craft: "al-sina'a," Al-Farabi’s term for a systematic discipline that bridges theoretical science and practical art. in both its aspects, the practical and the theoretical. He divided it into two parts: one serving as the Introduction original: "al-Madkhal" to the craft of music, and the other regarding the principles of the craft, the mention of famous instruments, rhythms, and the composition of specific melodies. He organized all of this into three discourses original: "funun," meaning major sections or branches of the science..

The first part, the Introduction to the craft of music, he organized into two treatises:

The first: on the definition of the meaning of melody melody: "al-lahn," which in medieval Arabic musicology refers not just to a sequence of notes, but to the broader concept of musical composition and performance., an investigation into the origin of music and the differences in its practical and theoretical forms in humans, the classification of types of melodies and their purposes, and the emergence of musical instruments.

The second: on the principles of knowledge in the craft of music. Here, he defined the natural melodies original: "al-alhan al-tabi'iyya," referring to music that arises spontaneously from human nature or specific cultural groups. of humans and enumerated the nations whose melodies can be considered "natural" in some way. He then discussed the relationships between notes and their harmonies, the number of consonant notes in the foundations of melodies, and explained the ranges of natural voices. In this context, he mentioned an ancient instrument called the Shahroud Shahroud: a large, ancient stringed instrument, likely a type of archlute or complex zither, known for its extensive range and deep tones., which was extreme in its range toward the lowest and heaviest registers.

This section, which serves as the introduction to the craft of music, almost constitutes an independent, concise book on this craft.