What is the origin and development of Arabic music?

Arabic music originated from Bedouin nomadic life, and the earliest rhythm was a song sung by camel drivers according to the rhythm of camel's marching. In the era of Jasilier, the folk songs sung by camel caravans appeared, and the ritual ceremonies of polytheism were often accompanied by corresponding carols. Before Islam came into being, Arabs liked poetry very much. They compiled poems into various types of songs, including religious songs, caravan songs, battle songs, love songs and so on. Correspondingly, some musical instruments were introduced, including tambourine, flute, oboe, pipa, etc., which became common musical instruments for Arabs.

The Arab people love music very much and think that music and poetry can promote social relations and purify the relationship between men and women.

In the Wu era, religious feelings were weak and entertainment became the norm. In the two holy cities of Hijaz, there are singers from all directions. Saeed Miszheha, a black singer in Mecca, studied Byzantine music and Persian music in Syria and Iraq, and set Arabic poems to tunes. He is the originator of Islamic music. After Saeed Mizhah, four famous singers have appeared in the music world in the Islamic world: Ibn Suraji, of Turkic descent, studied music under Saeed Mizhah, who is said to have introduced Persian pipa to Hijaz and conducted it with a whip for the first time; Halid is descended from Berbers. He studied music under Ibn Suraji and later became a famous singer. Ibn Muharraz, a descendant of Persia, is known as the Arab castanet; Melbard, of black descent, once sang songs in Damascus court and was favored by the caliph. Milla is a geisha in Medina and a leading figure in Hijaz music. During Umayyad period, many musical instruments such as Persian piano pipa and wooden Dai Di came out one after another. Most caliphs and dignitaries of Umayyad dynasty followed Persian customs and often held song and dance parties.

In the era of Abbas, Arabic music entered modern people, and musicians emerged one after another. During the reign of Mehdi, Shayatu from Mecca and Ibrahim from Mosul were gifted in music. It is said that Xie Yatu's singing can make people feel warmer than taking a hot bath; Ibrahim even found that the second string of 1 was not pulled tightly enough when conducting dozens of musicians to play the pipa. Later, Ibrahim became a guest of Harun, was treated by the caliph, and was often rewarded handsomely. During this period, music theory has also made great progress in the Arab world. Muslims translated Greek music works into Arabic, and some Greek music theory works were also translated into Arabic and widely circulated. Ishag Moussouris, a musician in Baghdad, has written several works, summed up music theory and creative practice, and discussed the composition of melody and rhythm. Farabi, a famous scholar, has made a deep discussion on the structure, melody and rhythm of music, and has written The Complete Music and The Classification of Rhythm, which are regarded as authoritative works of music theory by contemporary people and have had a certain influence on western music.