Al-Farabi and the Science of Arabic Music

What happened

Across the medieval Islamic world, musicians organized melody into a system of modes called the maqam — the word means 'station' — each a scale-and-melody type with its own character. The philosopher al-Farabi (c. 872–950) set down this knowledge in his monumental Great Book of Music (Kitab al-Musiqa al-Kabir), analyzing sound, instruments, and the modes with mathematical and philosophical rigor.

Why it matters

The maqam system remains the foundation of Arabic classical music to this day, and al-Farabi's treatise was one of the most important works of music theory of the Middle Ages, drawing on and extending the Greek tradition.

Sources

• United States Naval Academy. Traditional and Classical Arabic Music · Reputable source