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(More customer reviews)On reflection, what were striking to the book were its clear and concise references elucidating hard and common facts. Standing on its own or as a companion to Moustafa's book Egyptian Harmony, Egyptian Rhythm is well researched and could fit easily into a school or public library for all manner of ages. Vibrant, the book shows a living and breathing culture of the Egyptians, often shown in modern and popular culture as an enslaving race, as a peaceful culture dedicated to the understanding of nature and its laws. Egyptian Rhythm is not just a guide on the `music of the Ancient Egyptians' - though it does certainly covers that - it is a guidebook to music itself not just as a hobby or business but as it relates between oneself and the world. "Rhythm means flow" Moustafa writes, this book explores that flow, the science of nature and of echoing its harmonies.
This book, like others from Moustafa Gadalla continues a tradition of retaining excellent chapter headings and an in depth index. Preface, is followed by explaining a few musical references and their standards and terminology, an Egyptian Dynastical Chronology, and lastly two maps of Egypt and its surrounding countries. Coupled with the text this book has an easy practical application.
The first part of this book - five in total plus appendices, glossary, selected bibliography, and a detailed brake down of notes and sources - explores the cosmology of music by asking of meaning which the Ancient Egyptians saw as the harmony of the spheres. Music like other concepts the Ancient Egyptians held strong to was that it flowed, not just into a sheltered system of memory repetition as it is nowadays, into other facets of their life. Moustafa presents with facts and research how music/spheres influenced their daily, weekly and yearly cycles.
The second part explores at core root beliefs of harmony, its application, representation and symbolism of the practiced musicians of Ancient Egypt. Modern musicians can easily find common symbolism and harmony not just in a purely mathematical/geometrical or memorized form but as it applies beyond the music to certain rhythms in life. The tetrachord, unison, the octave all have meaning beyond their direct musical implementation, and as such every page has an epiphanous quality more so in the hands of a musician than student, though if you're familiar with Moustafa's books the concepts behind the music will not be alien to you.
The third part takes formation of music and rhythm and explains the patterning used in Ancient Egyptian music, from song structure to scale harmony, the `how to?' of how such a culture implemented techniques frequently derived as of coming from Greece and heavily accredited to the Western World. A sceptical mathematician could check Moustafa's research (he clearly provides the maths & harmony) and be left wanting.
Part four clearly shows the vast quantities of instrument types used with the examples of what few instruments are remaining, current numbers have little part in explaining how broad the range of Ancient Egyptians' instruments was. From the Lyre to the Kanun (yes, Canon) Kithara (Guitar) and Clappers, four sections explain the four main groups; Stringed instruments (both open & stop types), Wind instruments, and Percussion instruments. The references to existing instruments and the level of detail researched on each would be hard pressed to find in any encylopedia.
The final part rounds off the implementation of music into daily applied life, in festivals, or simply public activities. Again as with the other chapters, clear illustrations from hieroglyphs and paintings show the Ancient Egyptians not just as drum beating primitive culture, but one that had and still has a high value to their belief and representational performance that exist purely fragmented in our own society's today.
Note should be made of the appendices. A small chapter in itself, Moustafa explores five topics that go to answer critics or academics further on the topic of music and its dilution from Ancient Egypt.
Westerners may have difficulty with agreeing with elements of Moustafa's exploration into music but the quality and consistency of explored facts without a selfish bias makes it impossible to denounce. Whether for musicians seeking meaning behind the concept of sound or for students of Ancient Egypt, or to a friend of family member, Egyptian Rhythm is an uplifting book of a vibrant and diverse culture that has respect and practise with the laws of nature and its observance.
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Discover the cosmic roots of Egyptian musical, vocal, and dancing rhythmic forms. Learn the fundamentals (theory and practice) of music in the typical Egyptian way: simple, coherent, and comprehensive. See the fallacy of present-day musical theory and practice. Review a detailed description of the major Egyptian musical instruments, playing techniques, functions, etc. Recognise the human body as a musical orchestra in tune with the universe. Discover the Egyptian rhythmic practices in all aspects of their lives. This book will make your heart sing.
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