Issue No. 605
Culture
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26 Sept. - 2 October 2002 Issue No. 605 Culture |
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Plain Talk
Recently I came across a research paper on Inshad Dini and Aghani Diniyya in 20th century Egypt -- ie religious recitals and songs in 20th century Egypt.
The researcher had not only listened to recordings of these religious songs and recitals but attended man performances.
The research paper is by Michael Frishkopf, from the Department of Music, University of Alberta. The research begins with an explanation which I find elegantly succinct.
"It is often assumed," he writes, "that as 'orthodox' Islam rejects music, Qur'anic recitation and call to prayer are its only acceptable melodic practices." By the same logic the special music of Sufism is bracketed under the label "heterodox" or else "popular" Islam. Both orthodox and Sufi practices are then categorically distinguished from the secular world and its music. The researcher then goes on to purport that "this erroneous tripolar view of music and religion in Egypt can be ameliorated by considering the rich range of Islamic melodic practices performed here."
Performance of inshad dini (Islamic hymnody) has been widespread in Egypt throughout the 20th century, crossing all geographical and social boundaries. Inshad expresses the effective dimension of Islam, most pronounced in Sufism. While inshad is always Sufi in the broadest sense of that word, it is appreciated in a social domain that far exceeds the borders of the Sufi orders.
The researcher then explains that until the beginning of the 20th century separating inshad from "singing" was practically impossible. During the 19th century religious and artistic traditions interpenetrated, together constituting a single cluster of performance practices.
The normative features of inshad, Frishkopf insists, can be explained only within the context of an act of devotion -- the worship of God and the expression of true religious feelings. Concomitant aesthetic pleasure is acceptable if it is not an end in itself. It should take place in a suitably sacred context, neither within core Islamic ritual, nor in irreligious contexts. Within these limits inshad may be performed at explicitly religious occasions or general social ones.
In inshad the text is important. It deals with the glorification and supplication of God, praise and love for the prophet and his family, expressions of spiritual experience and narratives about religious figures. Sometimes ambiguous love imagery may be used. The voice is also as important as the text. Melodic vocalisation delivers the text into social performance, enriched by emotional expressions to complete its meaning. The solo voice is the paragon, and clear articulation is highly valued.
Musical instruments are restricted or eliminated altogether. After the voice the most acceptable texture is solo with chorus. Most notable among the instruments are the duff (frame drum), the reed flute or nay. Its breathy, plaintive sound, commonly employed in Sufi contexts, has become a symbol of spiritual yearning.
During the 20th century inshad began to be recorded for consumption as a media-based commodity. These recordings are commercial, often studio recorded. For the most part inshad is recorded for consumption by Egyptians themselves and the tapes are material artefacts of Egyptian culture.
The researcher then goes on to explain that elevated love poetry (muwashahat) could scarcely be differentiated from spiritual poetry. Performance of spiritual poetry is given not only for specifically Islamic occasions but also for festive social occasions such as weddings. On the other hand secular love poetry could be borrowed for spiritual use, as could secular instrumentation, and the musical styles were close as well. A singer would typically include overtly religious and ambiguous elevated love poetry in his repertoire, mixing them in a single performance.
And so the research goes on, digging deeper and deeper in this subject, dealing with the tawashih, the Mouled Al-Nabi (birthday of the prophet), the liturgical inshad of the Sufis, religious stories, zikr and religious songs.
Finally the researcher comes to the conclusion that the historical study of Egyptian inshad, encompassing its changing musical, religious and social dimensions, contributes to a general understanding of religious, economic and social change.
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