Al Andalus
Spain was in 711 invaded by raiding muslim troops who quickly concered the ruling Visigoths and established themselves in major cities like Cordoba and Toledo. With the introduction of a monetary system as well as new civil property laws, combined with liberal treatment of christians and jews, this culture soon flowered into one of the most advanced in Europe in terms of technology, agriculture and art. This period was called al Andalus (perhaps after: ”the land of the Vandals ”(Vandaloci)) and became an enormously important source of influences to central european culture , leading directly to the start of the renaissance. Greek philosophy was re-introduced to europe by translations from arabic, and the libraries of Cordoba and Toledo became legendary in Northern Europe for their treasures in science, philosophy and poetry.
The introduction af advanced watering systems quickly increased agricultural production and new crops were introduced that presented a variety in products unheard of before. The architectural techniques that were brought in, revolutionized building technology. The arab culture was leading in astronomy at the time, and the concept of the zero in mathematics also stems from this period.
Andalusian classical music is a style of Arabic music now found across North Africa, though it evolved out of the music of Andalusia between the 9th and 15th centuries, during the Al-Andalus period. It is now most closely associated with Morocco, though similar traditions are found in Algeria (Gharnâtî, and San'a), Tunisia and Libya (al-Maalûf). The popular musics of chaabi developed themselves as alternative to this classical form of music.
Andalusian classical music was allegedly born in the Emirate of Cordoba (Al-Andalus) in the 9th century. The Persian musician Ziryâb (d. 857), who became court musician of Abd al-Rahman II in Cordoba, is usually credited with its invention. Later, the poet, composer and philosopher Ibn Bâjja (d. 1139) of Saragossa is said to have combined the style of Ziryâb with Western classical music to produce a wholly new style that spread across Iberia and North Africa.
By the 11th century, Moorish Spain had become a center for the manufacture of instruments. These goods spread gradually throughout France, influencing French troubadours, and eventually reaching the rest of Europe. The English words lute, rebec, guitar, organ and naker are derived from Arabic oud, rabab, qitara, urghun and nagqara'.
The classical music of Andalusia reached North Africa via centuries of cultural exchange, the Almohad dynasty and then the Marinid dynasty being present both in Al-Andalus and in Morocco and most of North Africa. Mass resettlements of Muslims and Sephardi Jews from Cordoba, Sevilla, Valencia and Granada, fleing the Reconquista after 1492, further expanded the reach of Andalusian music.
In this period,music spread by creative copying and personal interpretation by individual players who brought their inspirations to new places.The inqusition in Europe did their best to erase all traces of the arab culture i Spain, by for instance burn public and private libraries, but musical influences spread with each travelling musician. With the Spanish Vice-kingdom in Naples in the 16th century, one can find the roots of a baroque music that projected the forms of Sarabande, Passacalle , Chiaconna, Folia etc. into the european scene. Naples evolved from this as a hot spot of musical invention, and was visited for centuries later by composers from all europe ( for instance Händel ) .
The Al Andalus period was vibrant with creativity and it is very easy to outline a common denominator for Andalusian music, early Baroque and modern jazz in their flexibility, openness for interpretation and improvisation and a georgeous richness of forms and variations.This is what forms the basis of the Siwan project.