Among the Jasmine Trees: Music and Modernity in Contemporary Syria

Glossary of Selected Arabic Terms

227 G L O S S A R Y O F S E L E C T E D A R A B I C T E R M S adhÂan Muslim call to prayer. ⁄aqd, ⁄iqd (pl. ⁄uqÂud) Three-, four-, or five-note constituent unit of a maqÂam (melodic mode). aœsÂala Authenticity, rootedness; purity of descent. aœsµıl Authentic, pure. aœsl (pl. uœsÂul) Origin, root; lineage. asmÂa‹ allÂah al-œhusnÂa‹ The Most Beautiful Names of God (also called the Ninety-Nine Names of God). baqÂa‹ Remainder (of the higher soul in Sufi exegesis of the dhikr). bashraf (pl. bashÂarif) Compositional form of Persian origin popular in Ottoman and Arab music but seldom performed in contemporary Syria. basœt Enjoyment, amusement. daff (pl. dufÂuf) Small frame drum played with the hands. dawr (pl. adwÂar) Complex, multi-part vocal form developed in Egypt in the nineteenth century and popular in Syria. dhÂakir (pl. dhÂakirÂun) Participant in the dhikr ritual. dhÂakira Memory. dhikr (pl. adhkÂar) Ritual invocation and remembrance of God. dhikrÂa Remembrance, commemoration. dhawq Taste, sensitivity, urbanity. dÂulÂab (pl. dawÂalµıb) Short instrumental piece that introduces vocal pieces, taqasµım, and modulations to another maqÂam in the performance of a waœsla. fanÂa‹ Obliteration [of the lower soul in Sufi exegesis of the dhikr]. fann (pl. funÂun) Art. fannÂan Artist. ghinÂa‹ Song. œhadÂatha Modernity, newness. œhadµıth New; prophetic tradition in Islam. 228 Glossary of Selected Arabic Terms œhafla (pl. œhaflÂat) Large concert (lit. “party”). œhÂajj (pl. œhujjÂaj) Honorific title of one who has made the pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca. œhilÂu “Sweet,”aesthetically pleasing. inshÂad Varieties of religious song. intiqÂal Modulation from one maqÂam to another.µıqÂa ⁄ (pl. µıqÂa ⁄Âat) Meter. irtijÂal Improvisation, although this term is not used in medieval Arabic texts; see taqsµım. jamÂal Beauty. jamÂaliyyÂat Aesthetics (also ⁄ilm al-jamÂal). jinÂaœh (pl. ajniœha) “Wing”or supporting munshid at a dhikr. jins (pl. ajnÂas) Constituent melodic unit of a maqÂam, sometimes called a tetrachord. kalimÂat, kalÂam Lyrics. kartah Gradual increase in the tempo of inshÂad in the dhikr. kayf A state of pleasure, delight, and high spirits. khayÂal Imagination. kull shµı faranjµı baranjµı “Everything from the West is best.”An expression of tafarnuj. laœhn Melody. layÂalµı Solo singing of variations of the words yÂa layl, yÂa ⁄ayn (O night, O eye) to an improvised melody. maqÂam (pl. maqÂamÂat) Musical mode based on a seven-note (heptatonic) scale; also, tomb of a Sufi “saint”(wÂalµı). maœtla⁄ (pl. maœtÂali⁄) Opening, beginning; opening movement of a taqsµım or musical composition. mawwÂal (pl. mawÂawµıl, mawÂaliyÂa) Solo singing of colloquial poetry to an improvised melody that usually follows the layÂalµı. mihna (pl. mihan) Craft. muftµı Leading Islamic authority in a city or country. mulaœhœhin Composer. munshid (pl. munshidÂun, -in; fem. munshida, pl. munshidÂat) Religious singer. mÂusµıqÂa “Music,”(Greek mousiké); refers in the modern period to instrumental music. muthaqqaf “Cultured person,”intellectual. muœtrib (muœtribÂun, -µın; fem. muœtriba, pl. muœœtribÂat) Vocalist. muwashshaœh (pl. muwashshaœhÂat) Of probable Andalusian origin, the muwashshaœh consists of classical Arabic poetry set to music and forms the staple of the Aleppine waœsla. Shannon: Among the Jasmine Trees page 229 Glossary of Selected Arabic Terms 229 nafs (pl. anfus) Soul, self. nÂay (pl. nayyÂat) Reed end-blown flute. qafla (pl. qaflÂat) Closing section or music phrase in instrumental and vocal improvisations and pre-composed genres. qÂanÂun (pl. qawÂanµın) Trapezoidal lap zither or psaltery. qaœsµıda (pl. qaœsÂa‹id) Solo singing of classical Arabic poetry to an improvised melody. qudÂud œhalabiyya (sing. qadd halabµı) Light songs in the Aleppine and other colloquial Arabic dialects that are performed at the conclusion of the waœsla. rayyis Lead munshid at a dhikr. riqq (pl. riqqÂat, ruqÂuq) Small tambourine. rÂuœh (pl. arwÂaœh) Soul, spirit. rÂuœh sharqiyya “Oriental spirit,”“Eastern Soul”(Racy 2003). sahra (pl...