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Ziryab
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
Ziryab was a singer and oud player at the court of Baghdad and came to Córdoba around 822, at the invitation of the emir Abd ar-Rahman II. The stories about him were largely written down centuries later, so his dates (born around 789, died around 857) and many anecdotes are uncertain. According to tradition he gave the oud a fifth pair of strings and founded a music school for men and women. For this reason he is regarded as the forefather of Andalusian music.
Listening
Listening tip. No music of Ziryab's own has survived. Listen to the Iraqi oud player Naseer Shamma, who dedicated an album to him: hear how the oud begins freely and without a fixed metre, like a taqsim.
Hilal As Sabá · Naseer Shamma, 2003
Nuba Raml Al-Maya - Mizan Al-Basit · Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra, 2024
Les jardins de ziryab · Anouar Brahem, 2006
Mentioned in other articles
- Andalusian music Genre
In 822 the musician Ziryab came from Baghdad to the court of Córdoba, and according to tradition he laid the foundation there for an Andalusian tradition of its own.