Music and Literature
Some of the most significant aspects of the Andalusian culture exchange are music and literature. Many of the Arabic instruments used in Al-Andalus became an important part of classical Spanish music. Ziryab, Chief Entertainer of the Court of Cordoba in 822AD, developed a unique style of music, combining Arabic and Spanish styles, which attracted musicians from all over the world. In addition, learning and scholarship were highly valued in Andalusia, so much that Arabic became the language of scholarship. Prestigious form of poetry gradually developed to express the new elite’s love of art. Hebrew poetry, muwashshah, was transformed by contact with Arabic.
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"Ziryab has a lot of influence on Umayyad culture and generally on Al-Andulas culture. He brought the latest fashion from Middle East to Iberian Peninsula and completely changed the culture of the Al-Andulas.”
Prof. Maribel Fierro, Spanish National Research Council in Madrid Spain |
“If you eat asparagus, or if you start your meal with soup and end with dessert, or if you use toothpaste, or if you wear your hair in bangs, you owe a lot to one of the greatest musicians (Ziryab) in history.”
Robert W. Lebling Jr.-"Islamic Spain TV" |
 Ziryab’s innovations in Al-Andalus included appropriate clothing for each of the four seasons. (Courtesy of Islamic Spain TV)
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Ziryab's Lute (Courtesy or Islamic Spain TV)
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“Scholars undoubtedly recognized the intellectual superiority of neighboring Al-Andalus and did their best to gather its riches, turning their library into one of Christendom’s finer centers of learning." Chris Lowney, "The Vanished World" |
“Hasdai, a minister and physician, from Cordoba court promoted a new kind of poetry and that is important aspect of encounter between Hebrew and Arabic literature. So a great tradition of poetry emerged in Spain, we call Hebrew the golden age of Spain … Some famous Jews poet’s names are Dunash ben Labrat, Shmuel Hanagid, Moses Ben Jacob, and Ibn Ezra. Jewish people in Al-Andalus had an Arabic and a Jewish name as they were bicultural."
Raymond P. Scheindlin, Professor of Medieval Hebrew Literature, Jewish Theological Seminary, NY |
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Personal Interview with Mr. Raymond P. Scheindlin, Professor of Medieval Hebrew Literature and Director of Shalom Spiegel Institute of Medieval Hebrew Poetry at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. December 15th, 2015
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My Beloved Comes
You came to me just before the Christians rang their bells. The half-moon was rising looking like an old man's eyebrow or a delicate instep. And although it was stilll night, when you came, a rainbow gleamed on the horizon, showing as many colors as a peacock's tail. Ibn Hazm (Córdoba) (Translation of Ibn Hazm Poem, courtesy to Islamic spain tv) |
