Ishaq al-Mawsili
Ishaq al-Mawsili (
Taught by his renowned father
Life and career
Early life
Modern sources vary on the exact location and birthdate of Ishaq al-Mawsili. The arabist
The success of his father allowed Ishaq to be raised "among the cultured elite",
Musical career
In a career of over 40 years, Ishaq became both a leading court musician and companion to six caliphs: Harun, Al-Amin, Al-Ma'mun, Al-Mu'tasim, Al-Wathiq and Al-Mutawakkil.[1] He was given additional patronage by viziers and other important figures of the Abbasid court.[10] On one occasion Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani records that Ishaq identified a single mistuned string upon listening to twenty ouds simultaneously.[10] Also according to al-Isfahani, he was inspired by the Sasanian musician Barbad, and often told friends a story of Barbad being able to play a song on his barbat lute, even though a jealous rival had mistuned all of his strings.[11] Among Ishaq's students was 'Alī ibn Yaḥyā al-Munajjim (died 888)—the father of poet and music theorist Abu Ahmad Monajjem—who wrote a book on Ishaq al-Mawsili.[12] The geographer Ibn Khordadbeh is also said to have been his student,[13] as Khordadbeh's father Abdallah ibn Khordadbeh was a friend of Ishaq's.[14]
Like his father Ibrahim al-Mawsili, Ishaq al-Mawsili led a conservative musical faction,[1] upholding the classical Arab traditions of Hejaz.[10] This put him in opposition with the progressive musical ideology led by Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi,[1] who was joined by Ziryab, a pupil of Ibrahim al-Mawsili.[15] An Abbasid Prince, Ibrahim was "portrayed as a champion of greater freedom of expression" and noted for his musical innovations which often employed Persian aesthetics.[2] Contemporary sources frequently comment on the rivalry between Ishaq and Ibrahim and agree on Ishaq's musical preeminence,[10] particularly as an instrumentalist and composer.[4] Ishaq was celebrated for his technique, command of repertoire and musical ear,[5] and according to al-Isfahani he once purposefully played an out of tune oud to show up Ibrahim.[10] Contemporary sources relay that Ishaq had an unattractive singing voice,[10] and in this he was surpassed by Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi, who was famous for his tone and vocal range of four octaves.[2] To make up for his poor natural voice, Ishaq may have sung in falsetto, a technique that commentators such as al-Isfahani credit him with introducing.[10] Despite Ishaq's greater renown, Rowson notes that "it seems clear that the future lay with [Ibrahim]"; Ishaq's colleagues Allawayh al-Asar (Alluyah) and Mukhariq eventually joined Ibrahim's faction.[10]
By the time of Al-Wathiq (r. 842–847) Ishaq had ceased music composition, though he was still active as a performer.[16] In his later years he gradually became blind and died in Baghdad on March 850 (235 AH).[1][16]
Music and writings
Later sources credit Ishaq with the composition of 200 to 400 songs as well as poetry numbering 50 folios, though all of it is lost.[17]
Ishaq is credited with creating a theoretical system for
Legacy
A diversely educated individual, Ishaq exemplified the "cultivated musician-courtier" of his time by having considerable ability in the variety of disciplines in addition to music.[2] Yet his reputation and historical importance centers solely around his music.[3] Into the 12th century, Ishaq's theories were applied in Muslim-ruled Spain; the remained relevant up to at least the late 14th century, when the theorist Ibn Kurr reputedly championed them.[1]
He is featured prominently in the music treatise of Ibn al-Tahhan (fl. first half of the 11th century), Hawi al-funun wa-salwat al-mahzun (Compendium of the arts to comfort sad hearts), and far more than many of al-Tahhan's contemporaneous musicians.[18] Ishaq appears in tales from the Maqamat of Al-Hariri of Basra and One Thousand and One Nights.[19]
References
Notes
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Neubauer 2001a, "(2) Isḥāq al-Mawṣilī".
- ^ a b c d e Wright 2001a, "(iii) The early Abbasids and Baghdad (750–900)".
- ^ a b c d e f g h Rowson 2012, § para. 1.
- ^ a b c Wright 2018, § para. 1.
- ^ a b c d Wright 2018, § para. 2.
- ^ a b c Neubauer 2001a, "(1) Ibrāhīm al-Mawṣilī [al-Nadīm]".
- ^ a b Farhat 2001, "1. History".
- ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membershiprequired)
- ^ Meyers Sawa 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Rowson 2012, § para. 2.
- ^ Khazrai 2016, p. 167.
- ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membershiprequired)
- ^ Zadeh 2013, p. 65.
- ^ Bosworth 1997, pp. 37–38.
- ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membershiprequired)
- ^ a b Rowson 2012, § para. 4.
- ^ a b Rowson 2012, § para. 3.
- ^ Wright 2001b, "(i) Political fragmentation".
- ^ Wright 2018, § para. 3.
Sources
- Books
- Khazrai, Firoozeh (2016). "Music in Khusraw Va Shirin". In ISBN 978-1-137-09836-8.
- Zadeh, Travis (2013). "Of Mummies, Poets, And Water Nymphs: Tracing The Codicological Limits of Ibn Khurdādhbih's Geography". In Bernards, Monique (ed.). Abbasid Studies IV: Occasional Papers of the School of 'Abbasid Studies. Exeter: Gibb Memorial Trust. ISBN 978-0-906094-98-3.
- Journal and encyclopedia articles
- Bosworth, C. Edmund (1997). "Ebn Ḵordāḏbeh". In ISBN 978-1-56859-050-9.
- ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membershiprequired)
- Farhat, Hormoz. "II. Classical traditions". In Lawergren, Farhat & Blum (2001).
- Neubauer, Eckhard (2001a). "Mawṣilī, al- family". ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membershiprequired)
- Rowson, Everett K. (2012) [1998]. "Esḥāq Mawṣelī". Encyclopædia Iranica. Leiden: Brill Publishers.
- Wright, Owen (1966). "Ibn al-Munajjim and the Early Arabian Modes". The Galpin Society Journal. 19: 27–48. JSTOR 841911.
- Wright, Owen; Poché, Christian; Shiloah, Amnon (2001). "Arab music". ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membershiprequired)
- Wright, Owen (2001a). "2. The early period (to 900 CE)". In Wright, Poché & Shiloah (2001).
- Wright, Owen (2001b). "3. The later Abbasids (900–1258)". In Wright, Poché & Shiloah (2001).
- Meyers Sawa, Suzanne M (2013). "ʿĀtika bint Shuhda". Encyclopaedia of Islam. Leiden: Brill Publishers.
- Wright, Owen (2018). "Isḥāq b. Ibrāhīm al-Mawṣilī". Encyclopaedia of Islam. Leiden: Brill Publishers.