Mike's Oud Forums

Al-Andalus Documentary on TV

jdowning - 8-18-2007 at 05:16 AM

This may be of interest to TV viewers in the U.S. and Canada. Next Wednesday, August 22 showing on PBS (channels 284 and 291) at 9pm Eastern and Pacific times - also in High Definition - is the documentary "Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain", "A fascinating time in Spanish history".

stringmanca - 8-23-2007 at 08:09 AM

For those of you in the SF Bay Area, KQED canceled last night's broadcast of this program for some reason, but they are scheduled to show it Friday morning from 3-5 AM (channel 9 in San Francisco).

Set your recorders!

Nathan

jdowning - 8-23-2007 at 09:24 AM

I was unable to view the program as advertised for some reason either - received "Australian Pink Floyd" instead!! Not sure if or when there will be a repeat broadcast for our area.
The film is being made available on DVD by PBS from their web site http://www.shoppbs.org Release date is 14 September, code ISLS401, price $29.95 US.

stringmanca - 8-24-2007 at 07:53 AM

I was able to record it this morning. I hope to get a chance to watch it this weekend and will give a report next week.

jdowning - 8-24-2007 at 08:19 AM

I set my recorder for 3am to 5am Eastern time PBS on the unlikely chance that I might receive the program - but no such luck.
No prizes for guessing what I did record though - yup - Australian Pink Floyd once again !! Not my cup of chi.

stringmanca - 8-24-2007 at 10:52 AM

The Dark Side Of The Moon is calling you...
You're being pulled Down Under...
Resistance is futile...
:xtreme:

jdowning - 8-24-2007 at 11:36 AM

Gulp!

amtaha - 8-24-2007 at 12:42 PM

This is not the same show, but it's an interesting documentary nevertheless

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-768956312207897325&q=%2...

carpenter - 8-24-2007 at 03:15 PM

I was lucky enough to actually get it taped. Pretty good, 2 hrs or so, covers a lot of historical ground.

Along the same line, a friend loaned me a fine, related book some time ago; The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain, by Maria Rosa Menocal. Not just a book, it's a time commitment - tough going in some places, but when the going gets tough ...

stringmanca - 8-27-2007 at 08:37 AM

Yes, I thought it was quite nicely done, although some of the historical facts were slightly different than what I'd read previously. There was even a short section on Zeryab, although his students were shown playing small lutes fingerstyle. I didn't notice any ouds, but the small lutes seemed to be everywhere.

Here's some further info on the show:
http://upf.tv/upf06/Projects/MuslimSpain/MuslimSpainintro/tabid/78/...

zoukboy - 8-27-2007 at 12:45 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by stringmanca
Yes, I thought it was quite nicely done, although some of the historical facts were slightly different than what I'd read previously. There was even a short section on Zeryab, although his students were shown playing small lutes fingerstyle. I didn't notice any ouds, but the small lutes seemed to be everywhere.

Here's some further info on the show:
http://upf.tv/upf06/Projects/MuslimSpain/MuslimSpainintro/tabid/78/...


Wasn't the oud still fretted in 9th Century CE? And didn't Ziryab add the 5th string?

jdowning - 8-28-2007 at 05:08 AM

I have yet to view the film but this image from our TV magazine for August suggests that the 'instruments' used in the program are only theatrical 'props'. Note the solid pegbox on the 'oud' in the foreground and lack of strings (or frets)!

zoukboy - 8-28-2007 at 07:01 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by jdowning
I have yet to view the film but this image from our TV magazine for August suggests that the 'instruments' used in the program are only theatrical 'props'. Note the solid pegbox on the 'oud' in the foreground and lack of strings (or frets)!


Yes, you're right about that.

On thing they did get right is Arabic music and poetry's influence on William IX of Aquitaine (Eleanor's father) and the 1st Troubadour. Seems his father had a group of singing slave girls who were Muslim. William apparently learned a lot from them and the history of Western music was changed forever.

jdowning - 8-28-2007 at 12:37 PM

Interesting - I currently hold the opinion that the troubadour tradition in Southern France was heavily influenced by the culture of Muslim 'Spain'. Even as late as the 16th C, at least one of the songs in Luis Milan's vihuela book "El Maestro" of 1536 - the little Villancico No 5, "Falai mina amor" - seems to me to reflect the earlier troubadour tradition of so called "courtly love" which itself likely had much earlier Arabic roots.
I guess that I will have to purchase the DVD after all. All in a good cause - support of PBS.

zoukboy - 8-28-2007 at 04:29 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by jdowning
Interesting - I currently hold the opinion that the troubadour tradition in Southern France was heavily influenced by the culture of Muslim 'Spain'. Even as late as the 16th C, at least one of the songs in Luis Milan's vihuela book "El Maestro" of 1536 - the little Villancico No 5, "Falai mina amor" - seems to me to reflect the earlier troubadour tradition of so called "courtly love" which itself likely had much earlier Arabic roots.
I guess that I will have to purchase the DVD after all. All in a good cause - support of PBS.


Check out "The Troubadours" by Robert Briffault. He documented the Arabic influence on the troubadours back in the '40s, I think. He devotes an entire chapter to it.

jdowning - 8-29-2007 at 12:31 PM

Thanks for the reference. I am not familiar with the works of Robert Briffault but a Google search reveals a huge body of writings on this and related topics viewed from a multitude of personal perspectives - much dating from the early 20th C. I could not find any books by Briffault (either in French or English translation) on Project Gutenberg so they are not yet in the public domain (but no doubt out of print copies are available on line from sources like Addall books).
For those unfamiliar with this wonderful and massive resource of books - free for download (in many languages but not in Arabic - only translations) - check out:
http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/ for an online catalogue of what is available. You will be browsing for hours!