Mu Final

Front 1

Adhan

Back 1

The Islamic call to prayer, recited by the muezzin five times daily summoning Muslims for mandatory prayers

Front 2

Allah

Back 2

Standard Arabic word for God

Front 3

Andalusia

Back 3

Area of Southern Spain that became know as the center of intellectual pursuit. Center of cultural and religious pluralism, Jews, Christians, and Muslims lived together

Front 4

Asmahan

Back 4

Famous Syrian singer and actress who lived in Egypt and sang most of her songs in Egyptian Arabic. Was on a secret mission to convince her people in Jabal el-Druze to allow the British and Free French forces to enter Syria through their territory without a fight. British and Free French promised independence of Syria in return

Front 5

Berber

Back 5

From Roman term for “Barbarians” which also gave rise to the Barbary Coast. Indigenous tribes or ethnic groups of North Africa and peripheral regions

Front 6

Canon

Back 6

A contrapuntal composition that employs a melody with one or more imitations of the melody played after a given duration.

Front 7

Cantillation/Chanting

Back 7

Ritual chanting of readings from the bible

Front 8

Dastgah

Back 8

A musical mode in the traditional Persian art music which consists of twelve principal musical modes.

Front 9

Dhikr

Back 9

An Islamic practice that focuses on the remembrance of God. Often includes repetition of the names of Allah, supplications and aphorisms from hadith literature and sections of the Qur'an

Front 10

Fairouz

Back 10

Contemporary Lebanese superstar singer and mulit-facited icon. Born in Beirut, rags to riches story. Was a Christian and a symbol of Lebanon

Front 11

Ashkenazi

Back 11

The Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities of the Rhineland in the west of Germany. Migrated east forming communities in non German-speaking areas while spreading and diversifying Yiddish. Refrain from eating legumes, corn, millet, and rice. Freely mix and eat fish and milk products.

Front 12

Mizrahi

Back 12

Jews descended from the Jewish communities of the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia. Practices similar to traditional Sephardic Judiasm.

Front 13

Sephardic

Back 13

A subgroup of Jews Originating in the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa. Many were expelled from Spain in 1492 under the Alhambra decree. Often name their children after the children's grandparents

Front 14

Khaled

Back 14

Rai singer-songwriter born in Algeria. The most internationally famous Algerian singer, unofficially dubed “King of Rai”.

Front 15

Faudel

Back 15

French Rai singer or Algerian descent, considered the “Prince of Rai”. Grew up in Paris

Front 16

Rachid Taha

Back 16

French-Algerian musician that performs many styles such as rock, techno, and Rai

Front 17

Kobi Shimoni

Back 17

Israeli hip hop artist and music producer. His rap aims to inspire and encourage a new generation to stand as a unified Israeli nation. Attempt to instill a new sense of Zionism to teenagers in the twenty-first century.

Front 18

Makam

Back 18

A Turkish system of melody types that provides a complex set of rules for composing. Each specifies a unique intervalic structure and melodic development. Whether the piece is a fixed composition or a spontaneous composition they all attempt to follow the melody type

Front 19

Maqam

Back 19

A modal structure that characterizes the art of music in countries of North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia.

Front 20

Marcel Khalife

Back 20

Lebanese composer, singer and oud player, considered a Palestinian among the Palestinians, a Southerner among the South Lebanese and an Arab musician. Granted the Palestine Award for Music and named UNESCO Artist for Peace.

Front 21

Mohammad Reza Shajarian

Back 21

Internationally and critically acclaimed Persian traditional singer, composer and Master of Persian music. Considered as one of the most celebrated world music artists. In 1999 UNESCO presented him with the prestigious Picasso Award

Front 22

Oud

Back 22

A pear shaped, stringed instrument, which is often seen as the predecessor of the western lute, distinguished primarily by being without frets, commonly used in Middle Eastern music

Front 23

Quarter or Neutral Tones

Back 23

An interval as wide as a semitone which is half a whole tone

Front 24

Rai

Back 24

Performers were originally women which would preform for other women and weddings and private gatherings or illegally in cafes, bars, and bordellos. Women were barred from performing in public and young men broke in to the ranks. Development of “world beat”. Became less oriental and more western. Moved to France

Front 25

Rhythmic Modes

Back 25

Patterns of long and short durations

Front 26

Riqq/Daff

Back 26

A type of tambourine used as a traditional instrument in Arabic music

Front 27

Saida Sultan/Danna International

Back 27

Transsexual Israeli pop singer of a Yemenite Jewish origin.

Front 28

Tamer Nafar

Back 28

Arab Israeli rap artist. Started the first Palestinian-Arab rap group called DAM. Sings mostly in Arabic but also in Hebrew and English. Music influenced by the Palestinian-Israel conflict and the struggle for equal rights for Arab-Israelis

Front 29

Umm Kulthum

Back 29

Egyptian singer, songwriter, and actress. Known as the Star of the East, still recognized as the Arab world's most famous and distinguished singer of the 20th century