middle east and central asia music forum · middle east and central asia music forum friday, 10...

MiddleEastandCentralAsiaMusicForumFriday,10November2017

AbstractsThePerformanceoftheSocialImaginaryinBābakBoubān’sSetarvanIgnacioAgrimbauGrowingupintheaftermathoftheIslamicRevolution(1978-9)andapproachingartisticmaturityintheturbulentyearsthatfollowedthedownfalloftheReformistmovement,theIraniansantoorist,composerandlinguistBābakBoubān(1971)expressedhisviewsregardingtheaestheticdiscoursesandsocialattitudesofthetime.InhissettingofMehdiAkhavānSāles’spoemSetarvan(‘barren’),Boubānsoughttointegratearangeofdiscursivepositionsthatwere,attimes,atoddswitheachother.AttheheartoftheideasandfeelingsthatinformedthemakingofSetarvanwereambitiousconceptuallinks:areactionagainstthedominantcanonsofIranianclassicalmusic,hismixedfeelingsaboutthesantoor’sidentity,thestateofunknowingconfusionwhichheattributedtoTehranianclassicalmusicaudiences,hisdisappointmentwithadulthood,andaconcernfortheemotionalwell-beingofadolescentsinTehran.

Drawingondifferentstrandsofnarrativetheory,Iintroducetheconceptofaestheticemplotmenttoillustratetheintentionalcreationofaninstanceofdiscursiveandexperientialconsistencythroughaestheticpracticeandreflection.Presentingitasacasestudyoftheperformanceoftheauthorialself,Iarguethataestheticemplotmentsalsoconstituteawayforindividualstoreasserttheirstandingandprojecttheiragencywithinsocialrealitiesoverwhichtheyhavelimitedcontrol.Locatingtheconstructionofindividualartistrywithintheexchangesbetweenpractice,reflexivityandself-representation,Ibuildonhermeneuticandexperientialapproachestotheethnomusicologyoftheindividual.IalsohopetocontributetothetraditionofIranianclassicalmusicscholarshipbothwithinandoutsideIran.IgnacioAgrimbau(BuenosAires,1977)isanethnomusicologist,composer,multi-instrumentalistandcommunitymusiciancurrentlycompletingaPhDinethnomusicologyatSOAS,UniversityofLondon.HehasconductedresearchinTehran,Iran,andtheUpperWestRegionofGhana.HisresearchinterestsincludetheGhanaian-Dagaragyil,theIraniansantoor,musicandindividuality,ethno-theoriesoflearning,theywayspeopletalkaboutmusicandhowtheyrelatetothewaytheyplayit.HeworksasafreelanceperformerandcomposerintheUKandinternationally.Asacommunitymusician,hehasdeliveredprofessionaltrainingfordifferentorganizationsandiscurrentlydevelopingaresearchprojectaboutthepracticeandusesofmusicinspecialeducation.

MumblingtheQur’an:PiousincorporationandvocalreluctanceLisa-MariaBrusiusConvertedMuslimwomenwholearntorecitetheQur’aninArabicfaceanumberofvocalchallenges.IftheyaspiretoconformtoanidealwayofreadingtheQur’an,theynotonlyhavetogetagraspoftherulesthatgovernthetransformationfromtextintovocalsound,theyalsohavetoreformandretraintheirbodiestoproducesuchsounds.Convertedwomen’sstrugglesarenotmerelylimitedtomasteringthecorrectarticulationofletters,theyincluderealisingvocalnasality,semi-regularrhythmicpatterns,waysofbeingaffected,andwaysofexperiencingandappreciatingthesonicresults.Thewomenalsohavetoreciteinfrontofothers,outsidetheirprivatespace.Althoughtheydosowilfullyandasapiousendeavour,itisanactofdisciplinethatrequiresnotonlycontroloftheselfbutalsoovercomingaculturallyshapedbody.ParticularlyinmixedArab-Germanrecitationclasses,wherenativeArabicspeakersappearbetter-equippedintermsoftheirlinguisticabilities,thiscanproducesocialdynamicsofseparationandasenseofexclusion.

DrawingonmyethnographicstudyofconvertedwomeninBerlin,Iattempttocapturethesignificanceof‘somaticrepertoires’or‘bodymemory’invocalpracticesofrecitation.BuildingonMarcelMauss’s(1935)conceptualisationofbodytechniques,DeborahKapchan(2007)understandstheserepertoiresas‘corporealattitude[s],gesture[s],orhabit[s]learnedinaculturalenvironmentthat[are]oftenunconsciousbutthat[are]asiteofsubjectiveandintersubjectivemeaning’.Mypaperinterpretsthechallengesthatconvertedwomenencounterasstrugglesagainstsuchsomaticrepertoiresandfurtheraddresseshowthesestrugglescreateandimpactsocialdynamicsinrecitationclasses.Lisa-MariaBrusiusisaPhDstudentatKing’sCollegeLondon.Shestudiedmusicology,history,andMiddleEasternstudiesattheUniversityofOxford(MPhil),HumboldtUniversityofBerlin(BA),andFreeUniversityofBerlin.HercurrentresearchfocusesonvocalpracticesinMuslimcommunitiesinEurope.Herresearchinterestsalsoincludethehistoryoftheso-calledʻBerlinschoolʼofsystematicandcomparativemusicologyandhip-hopinGermany.Since2014,shehasbeenco-organiseroftheBerlinEthnomusicologyandAnthropologyofMusicResearchGroup(BEAM).TheMusicalNahda:ReckoningswithMusicalModernityacrosstheMediterraneanHazemJamjoumOverthecourseofthelongnineteenthcentury,thespecterofEuropecametohaunttheintellectualactivityofthelearnedclassesoftheArabprovincesoftheOttomanEmpire,an

erathathascometobeknownastheNahda.ThishauntingwasclearlyevidentinNahdawiwritingsonmusic,wheretheconfrontationbetweenmusicalpracticeintheArabworldandtheideaofEurope,ladenwithnotionsofsuperiority,createdaconceptionofculturalcrisis,thatwastobeovercomethroughmusicalreform.MusicisanaspectoftheNahdathathasreceivedlittletonoattentioninintellectualhistoriesoftheArabworld,andArabicmusicalthoughthasremainedlargelyabsentinmanyanattemptathistoriesof“worldmusic.”

Inthispaper,Iexplorethewaysinwhichratherthanbeingaconfrontationbetween‘European’and‘non-European’positions,asbothdiffusionistandnativisthistoriographieswouldsuggest,theargumentsunderpinningthemusicalNahdawerenotdeterminedbywriters’identitiesasEuropeanorother.Between1800and1938,groupingsincludingbothArabandEuropeanwritersforwardedsimilaragendasindebatesagainstothersimilarlydiversegroupings,wheretheideaofmusicalmodernity—andbyextensionideasaboutthestandardization,codificationandtemperingoftheArabicmodalsystem(maqam)—tookondifferingvalences.Thepaperisanattemptatanintellectualhistoryofpronouncementsonmusicalreform—fromMikhailMishaqaandAhmadFarisal-ShidyaqtotheparticipantsoftheCairoCongressofArabMusic—thatisattentivetothecontendingpoliticalagendasofthevaryingwaysinwhichthesethinkersdiagnosedthecrisisofArabicmusicandoutlinedtheirsuggestionsforitstreatment.HazemJamjoumisadoctoralcandidateinmodernMiddleEasthistoryatNewYorkUniversity(NYU),andcurrentlyaGraduateResearchFellowatNYULondon.ThispaperispartofhisbroaderresearchontheinterrelationsbetweenculturalproductionandculturalpowerinearlytwentiethcenturyEgyptandthe“Arabworld.”

SonifyingNationalIndependenceIdeology:thepoliticsofpopularmusicinKarimov’sUzbekistanKerstinKlenkeUzbekistanisanexceptionfromtheseeminglyuniversalrulethatnewnationstateschooseparticularlyoldtraditionsasmusicalemblems.Byselectingestradaassoundofthenation,itmade one of the youngest additions to the repertoire of genres the country’s musicalambassadorafter independence.Underpresident IslomKarimov,various state institutionswereentrustedwithestrada’sdevelopmentandcontrol,andthecreationofso-calledmilliyestrada(nationalestrada)assonicincarnationofnationalindependenceideologywashighontheagendaofmusicalandeducationalpolicies.

The choiceof estradaasmusical signet is notonlyunusual, it seemsparadoxical –because Uzbekistan is no exception from the widespread tendency among postsocialist

successorstatestonegatetheirSoviethistory.Sowhydidacountrythatonceevenbannedtheword ‘Soviet’ frompublicdiscoursechosetoberepresentedmusicallybyagenrethatundisputablyisaheritageoftheSovietera?HowexactlydidtheKarimovgovernmentdealwithestrada?Inhowfarweremusicpoliciessuccessfulinimbuingestradawiththenimbusofsomethingnew?Andwhatisthelegacyof15yearsofconcertedestradapoliticsinpost-KarimovUzbekistan?

ThesequestionsIwillexploreinmypaper.BasedonextensivefieldworkinTashkent,thepresentationwillbeframedbyacriticalreflexionofthesubversionbias,whichhassofardominatedresearchonsocialistandpostsocialistpopularmusicinWesternmusicstudies.Myaimistocometoanunderstandingoftherelationbetweenauthoritarianpoliciesandpopularmusicthattranscendsthecommonbinarytropesofrepression–resistanceandaffirmation–opposition.KerstinKlenkeisanethnomusicologistwitharegionalfocusonthepostsocialistworld,particularlyonCentralAsiaandtheCaucasus.AftercompletingherPhDprojectonpopularmusicandpoliticsinUzbekistan,shehasrecentlystartedtostudythenexusbetweenwar,musicandmemoryinAbkhazia.Furtherinterestsincludeethnomusicology'shistoryandpoliticsofideasaswellassocialistapproachestomusicresearch.SheiscurrentlybasedattheGoetheUniversityFrankfurt.TheAshiqBardinIranandAzerbaijan:AComparativeLookatTransmissionandChangeAnnaOldfieldTheashiqminstreltraditionisagenreofmusicalstorytellingthathascirculatedthroughNorthernIranandtheSouthernCaucasusforover500years.ThisgenreistheAzeripeople’svenuefororalliterature,includingepics,romances,lyricsongs,andverbaldueling.Anartbornofthecrossroads,thisgenrewasforgedattheintersectionofTurkicbardictraditionsandIranianphilosophicalmysticisminearlySafavidIran.Later,asashiqsdispersedintotheCaucasus,localschoolsdevelopedwiththeirownrepertoires,instrumentation,andperformancetraditions.Ashiqsfrequentlytravelledbetweenregionstoperformtogether,andthuspractitionersremainedincontactformostofthegenre’shistory

Thiscontactwasdisruptedinthe20thcenturywhennorthernAzerbaijanwasincorporatedintotheUSSR.NotonlydidthegenrebecomeisolatedfromtheAzerbaijaniregionsofIran,butitwasalsosetonadifferentpathbytheSovietState.Contactbetweenashiqsofthetworegionswaslimitedandonlyopenedupinthe1990s.Today,ashiqsofAzerbaijanandIranmixfreely,butthetraditionshavedevelopedsignificantdifferencesinrepertoire,performancepractices,andsocialfunctions.Co-researchedbyAnnaOldfield(basedonfieldworkinAzerbaijan)andBehrangNikaeen(basedonfieldworkinIran),thispresentationwilldiscusshowthisgenrehasevolveddifferentlyintwodifferentregions,focusingontransmission,performancevenues,andgender.

AnnaOldfieldholdsaPhDinLanguagesandCulturesofAsiawithaminorinEthnomusicologyfromtheUniversityofWisconsin-Madison.Herdissertation,basedontwoyearsoffieldworkinAzerbaijan,resultedinthebookWomenPoetMinstrelsofAzerbaijan:18thcenturytoPresent(2008),andshecontinuestowriteonTurkicliteratures,epics,andsingersinSovietandpost-Sovietsocieties.Oldfieldisactiveinculturalexchangeprojects.SheteachesWorldLiteratureandiscurrentlyworkingaonaTeachingArchiveofMusicalStorytelling,tobehousedatCoastalCarolinaUniversity.ABriefHistoryandExaminationof20thCenturyArabWomenComposersZainaShihabiWomeninmusichaveplayedanimportantroleinthehistoryofArabicculturefromasearlyasAlJahalliya(theperiodofignorance–priorto630AD),when‘poetrywasthematerialofsinging’(Kamel,2012),withpoetssuchasAlKhansā,andlateraftertheintroductionofIslamSufipoetRabiaAlAdawiyya,andseveralothersthroughouthistory.WithinArabictraditionalmusic,particularlyinthe‘AlNahda’(Renaissance)periodofthelate19thandearly20thcentury,womenthrivedinperformance,butafterthe1932FirstCongressofArabMusicmetinCairo,femalecomposersflourishedintheArabworld.Thishistoricmeetingwas‘thefirstinternationalscientificforumonnon-Europeanmusictobringtogetherdistinguishedcomposers,scholars,performersandeducatorsfromEuropeanandArabcountries’(Stanevičiūtė,2016),andmarkedaturningpointinthehistoryofArabicmusic.Afterthismeeting,WesterninstrumentsandnotationwereintroducedtotraditionalArabicmusic,andthishadasignificantimpactonArabwomenincomposition.ThispresentationexploresthepositionofwomeninArabmusicsocietyaftertheintroductionofWesterninstrumentsandnotation,andthedebatesonmusicandparticularlywomeninmusicinIslam.ThetalkwillfocusonthecurrentperceptionanddevelopmentofmusiceducationinJordanandPalestinetoday,andinfluencesfromtheWestintermsofmusiceducation.ZainaShihabiisadoctoralresearcherbasedinLiverpool,workingonthedebatesoncurriculumdevelopmentwithinA-levelmusicintheUK.ShealsoworksonthehistoryoffemalecomposersintheArabworld.Herpublicationsincludethejournalarticle:‘MappingTrendsandFramingIssuesinHigherMusicEducation:ChangingMinds/ChallengingPractices’,andbookchapter‘MusicEducationintheUK:ThePowerofOmissionandthePotentialofAwareness’(2017).CurrentlysheisworkingtowardscompletingherdoctoralthesisinmusiceducationandtheroleoffeminismineducationintheUK.

HistoryonRewind:TravelingwithanArab-JewishBaidaphonRecordClaraWenzThis paper builds on my ongoing research project “Arab-Jewish Musical Memories ofAleppo”andinvestigatesmyethnographicjourneywitharecordoftheJewishhymn“YomYom Odeh”, sung by the Hazzan Raphael Tabbakh and recorded by the record companyBaidaphoninBeirutintheearly1920s.SincediscoveringitinamusiccollectioninLebanon,Ihave travelled to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Istanbul and Berlin and presented this record toSyrianswhohaverecentlybeendisplacedasaresultoftheircountry’songoingwaraswellastomembersofAleppo’sformerJewishcommunity.

Byexploringanddisentanglingtheparticularhistories,musicalassociationandoftencontradictoryreactionsthathaveemergedduringthesevariouslisteningoccasions,Isuggestto understand this record not only as evidence of a historically dismantled Arab-Jewishmusical landscapebut,more importantly,withregards to the ideologicalandgeographicalborders andborder-crossings that inform listening practices today: Whether the record’sassociationwith the “enemy” state of Israel, amysteriousmuting incident onmymobilephone,orthememoryofasecretencounterbetweentwomusicians-reflectinganongoinghistoryofconflict,thesenarrativesoftencontributetothefeelingofmusicnotbeingmobilebutbeing“locked” intoplace,whilesimultaneouslyexposing the limitsofdivisive thinkingaboutJewsandArabs.ClaraWenz is a third yearPhD student at theMusicDepartmentof the SchoolofArts atSOAS, University of London. She holds a BA in Philosophy (Munich) and aMA inMiddleEasternStudies(SOAS).Herresearchprojectinvestigates"Arab-JewishMusicalMemoriesofAleppo” and involves fieldwork among Jewish and Muslim diasporic and refugeecommunitiesinBerlin,Beirut,JerusalemandNewYork.“TheAlgerianwomanisverystrong”:MusicandGenderinAlgerianLondonStephenWilfordThenetworkofAlgerianmusiciansandlistenersincontemporaryLondonisrelativelysmallbut includes a significant number of women who are actively involved as performers,composers, event organisers and audiencemembers. In recent years, thesewomen havebeen at the forefront of an expanding, vibrant local diasporicmusic scene.Music-makingprovides ameans for social interaction, offering Algerianwomen from across the city anopportunity to meet and perform together. However, while many of these women aresuccessful professionals and accomplished musicians, they often feel constrained by theexpectationsplaceduponwomenwithincontemporaryAlgeriansociety.Theseboundariesand limitations evidence the role of music in maintaining individual and collective ties

betweentheUKandAlgeria,andthesocialandfamilialpressuresplayedoutthroughthesesocio-culturalboundaries.

ThispaperdrawsuponmyextensiveethnographicfieldworkwithinLondon’sAlgeriancommunity. Through interviews and conversations with Algerian women, I attempt tounpackthecomplex,andsometimescontradictory,relationshipbetweenmusic,genderandAlgerian-ness within contemporary London. I explore how music encourages socialinteraction and community building while simultaneously producing specifically genderedspaces for Algerian men and women in the city. By interrogating some of the tensionsbetween agency and constraint that play out for Algerian women in the city, I seek tounderstand how issues of class, age, religion and language also contribute to the livedexperiencesandmusicalpracticesofthesewomen.

StephenWilford is an ethnomusicologistwhosework focuses upon themusics of Algeria(and North Africa more broadly), with particular emphasis upon the role of digitaltechnologies in the production and circulation ofmusic among diaspora communities. Heteaches at City,University of London and theUniversity of Southampton, and his currentresearchprojectis‘MusicandDigitalCulturesintheMiddleEastandNorthAfrica’.HeisanelectedcommitteememberoftheBritishForumforEthnomusicology,andamemberoftheEthnomusicologyCommitteeoftheRoyalAnthropologicalInstitute.