Medieval music takes the stage in ongoing speaker series

By Jack Sanchez

VCNC reporter

The Ventura College Theater was the site of an evening of “The Musical Traditions of Medieval Islamic Spain” on Feb. 13. The evening featured a speech by Dwight Reynolds, professor of Arabic Language and Literature at the University of Santa Barbara, followed by a musical performance by the UCSB Middle East Ensemble headed by Scott Marcus, professor of music at the university.

“Singers, poets and composers used the words of the Book of Psalms as a way of communicating life in medieval times,” Reynolds said.

The performers of the time were slaves, who were given years of training as singers.          “They didn’t have liberty, although they lived in the palaces of the king,” Reynolds said.

The musical traditions melded the various cultures of the two holy cities of Islam, Medina and Mecca, in the eighth and ninth centuries, Reynolds said. Those two cities are known for their rich musical culture.

“In order to communicate to a larger audience, musical instruments were brought into play, namely the Rebob – a bowed string instrument in the fiddle ancestry – along with the lute and ancient gumbri, spreading throughout the Muslim world,” Reynolds said.

The program explored the richness and longevity of these musical traditions that focused on both threads of continuity in form and style.

Information on the ongoing speaker series at the Ventura College Theater is available by contacting Dr. Farzeen Nasri at 654-6400 ext. 1217 or going to the Calendar of Events on the Ventura College Web site, www.venturacollege.edu.