Hi Daniel, I am sorry that you felt addressed by my not so polite remark - it was actually a (too) quick reaction to Roman's answer to my original question. I felt somewhat mistreated by simply getting the message that all my assumptions on which the question were fallacious, full stopp - with no further explanations. That style felt like a slap in the face instead of an answer, telling me mainly how ignorant I am (in infinite contrast to him) instead of giving me the chance to learn better.
Maybe I misunderstood his intention. Actually I would very much like to understand his very interesting statements better and to judge them. I am an amateur, and having not all the time in the world, I always hope that experts might be willing and able to give me some directions, be it in explanations be it in hints what to read best to get an idea what is discussed and how to weigh the arguments. (I myself am a scientist, and I often write in popular magazines, give seminars for a general audience etc. to support that kind of non-expert education which is - among other things - important for a democratic and broad culture). Recently I was fascinated by early music, and the lute in connection, and would like to understand better how our occidental idiom was formed as well as learn about the history of the lute... I read this and that so far, with serious interest but, unfortunately, limited time. So hints are more than welcome. Thanks and best Franz ------------------------------------ Dr. Franz Mechsner Hanse Institute for Advanced Study Lehmkuhlenbusch 4 D-27753 Delmenhorst/Bremen GERMANY E-mail: [1][email protected] Phone: +49 (0)4221 9160-215 Fax: +49 (0)4221 9160-179 __________________________________________________________________ Von: [email protected] im Auftrag von Daniel Winheld Gesendet: So 22.11.2009 06:26 An: lute Betreff: [LUTE] Re: Arabian past >Any explanations? Or am I so ignorant that I am not worth a serious answer? Franz, you are perfectly worthy- but this worthless correspondent was at work today and did not get home until after 9:00 PM, PST. As to the question, firstly we have to know what Arab music was like at the time the Oud passed into European hands. We cannot assume that it was anything like modern Arab music (As Roman pointed out, the oud had frets way back then) and for that matter we don't even know enough about EUROPEAN music at that time. Lots of anthropology/musicology/organology cross-disciplinary matters for discussion here. By the way, the lute's ancestry has been traced to pre-Islamic Pakistan; with lutes first going East to China in the 7th Century AD (Pipa) and then Japan (Biwa)- so the Islamic transmission is but one step in a multifaceted Global migration. No one, or no culture, can claim exclusive "ownership". This is just basic groundwork, of course. Your specific musical questions will eventually be answered by the professional lutenists and academic scholars who make this list so rewarding, and worthwhile. Give them a little time, and I guarantee that it will be discussed to death and beyond- at least I hope so, and look forward to it. Dan -- To get on or off this list see list information at [2]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- References 1. mailto:[email protected] 2. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
