Música andalusí "Calbi arabi" (Anónimo)

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• published: 09 Jan 2010
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The sustained presence of Islam created a peculiar and unique Middle Ages in the Iberian Peninsula. Eight long centuries witnessed a divided Spain (not to mention two additional centuries of Morisco presence on Spanish soil) marked by a constant fight between Christianity and Islam. In spite of an atmosphere of constant conflict and belligerence, the period was relatively peaceful, enriched by mutual cultural influence. Without this mix of cultures, we would have missed many singular cultural wonders. The Christians initially lived under Muslim rule. Many of them decided to adopt the Muslim religion: the so-called adopted (Arab: muwalladin; Spanish: muladíes). The rest remained faithful to their own religion but were inevitably influenced by the Arabic culture of their rulers. The word mustarib, literally 'would-be Arab', denoting this condition, is the origin of the generic term Mozarab. The Reconquista, or reconquest of Spain by the Christians, saw Toledo's recapture in 1085, followed by several victories over the Moors. The recently-liberated zones were extensive enough for a stable situation that had to be guaranteed by an increasing presence of the victors. At this point, a crucial decision was taken -a resolution that would affect the shape of Spanish culture in the Middle Ages radically. The defeated Hispano-Arabic people were allowed to remain under Christian domination while preserving their Islamic religion and Arabic language as well as their own judicial system and organization. The term mudayyan precisely refers to the 'settlers that were allowed to remain in the land'. This is the origin of the word Mudejar. Broadly speaking, the terms Mozarab and Mudejar have been used to designate the product of that forced marriage between Christians and Moors. Thus, we give the name Mozarab to the chant of the Christians that flourished under Islamic rule and also to the particular Romance dialect intermingled with Arab words (and many times transcribed using the Arabic alphabet) that would eventually mark its presence in the origins of Spanish literature. The word Mudejar has been used in the realm of the plastic arts since the middle of the 19th century to denominate an astoundingly personal Peninsular style, an art full of Muslim inspiration whose development in Christian Spain took place between the 11th and 16th centuries. Also considered as Mudejarism is any cultural development that shows a fusion of Christian and Arabic elements, specifically in their customs and traditions. Like many aspects of life such as language, plastic arts, literature, science and customs, music did not escape intact from this abrupt change. Tunisian lexicographer Ahmad al-Tifasi (1184-1253) gave some valuable accounts of the music of al-Andalus. He tells us that the chant of the Hispano-Arabics in the old times was developed either in a pure Christian tradition or in the style of the rough chant of the cameleers. He points out that, in those primordial times, the Arab people did not follow any musical rule in the music-making process. In order to alleviate this chaotic state, some musicians from Northern Africa who were proficient in the musical style of Medina were invited to Spain. Afterwards, Ziryab also went to the Iberian Peninsula and was able to introduce some astonishing innovations. According to our researcher, the following years saw a period dominated by the figure of a native of Saragossa, Ibn Baya (d. 1139), usually regarded as the musician who successfully combined the chant of the Christians with the one originated in Masraq. Al-Tifasi specifically mentions that the Grand Imam Ibn Baya blended (mazaja) both musics. Musicologist C. Poché has interpreted this assertion by reasoning that Ibn Baya (Avempace) might well have founded some sort of repertoire based on certain musical structures of the Visigoths or perhaps derived from the Gregorian model. If this were not the case, it would be very hard to explain the presence of scales with no intervals shorter than a semitone in traditional Hispano-Arabic music, a characteristic totally unprecedented in and alien to other Arabic music. This point was already brought to light in 1863 by F. Salvador-Daniel, who considered that there was an amazing analogy between the musical scales of Arab-Andalusian provenance and those from Gregorian Chant, hardly a simple coincidence. In fact, from the modal point of view, there are no significant differences between, say, the melodic lines by Alfonso X and the more archaic pieces from the Andalusí tradition. These analogies would not only concern the underlying modes for the melodies, but also, as H. H. Touma claims, their melodic designs.