Description
Book SynopsisLisa Nielson is an Anisfield-Wolf Fellow and Lecturer in the Department of Music at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, USA. . She received her PhD from the University of Maine at Orono, USA and holds a bachelor's and master's degree in music performance and pedagogy.
Trade Review"A rich exploration of the social and religious contexts of music-making in the medieval Islamic world. Nielson weaves together issues of gender, ethnicity, social class, and religion to provide a readable and accessible survey of the complex interaction of these forces and how they affected musical culture. A recommended read for scholars and students of the medieval Middle East." -- Dwight F. Reynolds, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA
This fascinating book offers a remarkable new insight in the role of music and musicians at the courts of the caliphs in the medieval Islamic world. It sketches a social history of the
qiyan, the singing slave girls, and their male counterparts, the
mukhannathun, or ‘effeminate’ musicians, focusing on their socio-cultural position: their ethnical background, sexual relationships, patronage, skills, and career development. -- Anne, van Oostrum, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
Table of ContentsSection I: Musical Culture in the Early Islamic Courts Chapter 1: Music and Musicians Chapter 2: Musicianship and Performance Chapter 3: Patronage Section II: Representations of Musicianship and Identity Chapter 4: Literary Performance of Music and Reading Musical Identity Chapter 5: Slavery and Gender Chapter 6:
Ethnos and
gens Section III: Diversions of Pleasure Chapter 7: Discomfort and Censure Chapter 8:
Sama? and Practice Chapter 9: The Politics of Listening
