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Introduction
The origins and spread of music among the peoples of the world
remains a topic of discussion and research among historians.
Music dates to the origins of human history, when early humans
created the first music with their voices accompanied by the
rhythms of their hands. Today the story of music's origins and
development is lost among the myths and the remains left by the
earliest humans. Yet, historians and archaeologists concur that
the origins of music are to be found in the relationship of early
human cultures to the supernatural and spiritual realms.
Before
the development of
knowledge of the natural world, early human cultures attributed
all natural phenomena to the action of hidden supernatural forces
and spirits. They used the magical powers of music to influence
and overcome these evil spirits and hidden forces.
Origins of the Oud
One myth states that Lamek, son of Cain, had a son that he loved
very much. When his son died, he hanged the corpse in a tree.
When it had dried and the the remains were scattered in the winds,
only a leg, shin, foot, and fingers were left behind. Based on
these Lamek fashioned an oud from wood: the back in the shape of
the leg, the neck in the shape of the shin, the pegs from fingers,
and strings from the veins. When he was finished he played on the
oud and sang a sad song in remembrance of his son. For this
reason Lamek is considered the father of all oud players.
ِِِِAccording to historians, the earliest appearance of the oud was in
Mesopotamia in the time of the Akkadians (C. 2350-2170 BCE), based
on the discovery of two cylinder seals and engravings from the
northern Syrian city of Jarablus dating to the first millennium
BCE that depict musicians playing oud-like instruments.
In Islamic history a number of important philosophers and
personalities
performed or wrote on the oud, including al-Kindi, al-Farabi, Ibn
Sina, and
Ziryab, until it became known as the "King of Instruments."
Although the
oud took many forms, its initial Arab style remained prevalent and
was
brought to al-Andalus (Medieval Spain) by Ziryab and then spread
throughout Europe so that today we have the Spanish "Liuto," the
French "Luth," the English "Lute," and the Portuguese "Alaude,"
which is the closest pronunciation to the original Arabic. The
oud was found throughout the courts and palaces of medieval and
Renaissance Europe and with the addition of frets and the other
changes over time developed into such modern instruments as the
mandolin, buzouki, balalaika, and guitar, among others.
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