Ziryab - زرياب

Ziryab

Ziryab, whose full name was Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Nafi’, was a freedman of the Abbasid Caliph al-Mahdi. Ziryab, whose nickname means “blackbird,” was a sweet-voiced singer from Mosul with significant contributions to Arabic and Eastern music.
Ziryab was born in Mosul and raised in Baghdad. He secretly studied with Ishaq al-Mawsili until he mastered the art of singing. One day, Caliph Harun al-Rashid asked Ishaq al-Mawsili to bring him a new singer who was skilled in the art. Ishaq brought Ziryab, who asked the Caliph for permission to sing, and the Caliph granted it.
He sang:
“O fortunate king, Harun, people have come to you and created wonders…”
He continued until he finished his performance, and al-Rashid was overjoyed and greatly impressed. He asked his teacher Ishaq to cherish him, but Ishaq was filled with envy and hatred. He threatened Ziryab, giving him the choice of leaving Baghdad or being assassinated. Ziryab chose to leave Baghdad and headed to Andalusia, where the Caliph at the time was Abd al-Rahman II. Ziryab wrote to the Caliph, asking for permission to enter his court. The Caliph responded favorably and welcomed him. After entering the Caliph’s court and becoming part of his entourage, he sang in his presence. As soon as the Caliph heard him, he was captivated, brought him closer, and made him his confidant and one of his closest companions. When Ziryab became famous in Andalusia and settled there, he was nicknamed al-Qurtubi (the Cordoban) because he began his activities in the city of Cordoba. He founded the House of Arts for singing and music, which included his eight sons and two daughters, in addition to a number of other singers. This is considered the first school established to teach the science of music, singing, its methods, and rules.
The musician and singer Ziryab played the role of a cultural ambassador, transferring the best of Baghdad to Cordoba and from there to Andalusia. He alone brought the finest fabrics and most vibrant colors from the caliphs’ palaces to the homes of the nobility. He also brought with him from Baghdad toothpaste, deodorants, perfumes, and aromatic pastes such as scented soap.
The histories of Andalusia dedicate large sections to the legendary figure of Ziryab, attributing to him the elevation of public taste in Andalusia, among both men and women. He was described as a man of refined speech and manners, and his way of speaking and sitting at the table also attracted attention. He ate slowly, chewing, talking, and drinking with elegance. He disliked expressions like “he loves to drink,” “he devours food,” and “he stuffs meat and rice into one side of his mouth.” He placed many napkins on his table—one for his hands, one for his lips, one for his forehead, and one for his neck. He was the first to draw women’s attention to the fact that their napkins should be of different colors and sizes and should also be scented.

Ziryab is considered the reason for the invention of the muwashshah (a type of Andalusian poetry and music) because he popularized a method of singing based on the principles of the Nuba (a musical form), and this method led to the invention of the muwashshah. Ziryab introduced many improvements to the art of singing and music in Andalusia, the most important of which are:
He increased the number of strings on the oud to five, whereas previously it had only four. He introduced many musical modes that were unknown before him. He made the oud plectrum from eagle feathers instead of wood. He introduced the practice of beginning a song with a melody before starting the rhythmic accompaniment. He was also the first to establish rules for teaching singing to beginners, the most important of which are: The beginner learns the meter of the poetry and recites the poems to the rhythm of the tambourine to learn the musical meter. The melody is given to the beginner in a simple form, devoid of any embellishment. The beginner learns ornamentation and vocal embellishments in the melodies with the rhythms after learning the meter, rhythm, and melody. He established foundations and rules for examining beginners before accepting them, which involved the beginner sitting in a high place and then being instructed to sing at the highest pitch of their voice, gradually descending to the lowest pitch. In this way, he could determine the range and sweetness of their voice.
Ziryab brought two methods of singing and music from Baghdad to Al-Andalus:
The method of singing according to the principles of the Nuba (musical suite)
The method of applying the musical rhythm to the poetic rhythm.
Ziryab added a string to the oud.
In Al-Andalus, Ziryab added a fifth string to his oud, an invention of his own, as the oud had always had four strings according to the old tradition. He added another string in the middle, giving his oud a more refined sound and greater versatility. He also invented the oud plectrum made from eagle feathers in Al-Andalus, instead of the thin wooden one. Ziryab excelled in composing melodies, to the point that it was rumored that jinn were teaching him; and this is not surprising, as he inherited this belief from his teacher Ishaq al-Mawsili, who inherited it from his father Ibrahim al-Mawsili and his uncle Abu Lamama.
His method of training singers:
When Ziryab wanted to teach a student, he would instruct them to sit on a round cushion. If the student had a weak voice, he would instruct them to tie a turban around their stomach, because this strengthens the voice by preventing it from having too much space in the chest when the sound comes out of the mouth. If the student was unable to open their mouth, or if they habitually clenched their teeth when speaking, he would instruct them to put a piece of wood three fingers wide into their mouth, keeping it there for several nights until their jaws loosened. Ziryab is credited with teaching the female slaves of his time to sing and play the oud, including Ghizlan and Hunaida, and also Manfa’a, who was renowned for her exceptional beauty. Abd al-Rahman was captivated by her, so Ziryab gifted her to him, and she gained favor with him.
In short, Ziryab did not only introduce musical arts and various forms of singing to Andalusian society, but he also brought with him aspects of the civilized life that the people of the East enjoyed. He was thus one of the most important factors in the cultural exchange between the eastern and western parts of the Islamic world during that era.
His death
He died in Cordoba in 230 AH, corresponding to 845 CE.
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