Note in the painting above, that there are inscriptions
on the drum showing Moslem influences in European culture.
While art, music, theatre design, dance, etc. were undergoing a
renaissance in Western Europe during the period referred to as
the Renaissance and Baroque, it would be very narrow minded to
think that advances in art forms were not taking place in the
Moslem world. By Moslem world, reference is to Arabic as well
as Persian cultures as well as to the Ottoman Empire. It has
been pointed out that due to a lack of linguistic understanding,
Europeans had very little contact with the Moslem world (thus
any contact was most often negatively biased). Similarly, people
in the Moslem world had very little contact with Europeans, and
thus viewpoints were biased. Even though a small group of
ambassadors and merchants may have bridged both cultures, these
rare individuals were insufficient in number to support a cultural
exchange. As for "biases", the period of the Renaissance was
accompanied in Iberia, North Africa, and the area around the Black
Sea and the Mediterranian by pogroms, "molerias", etc. - hardly an
ideal opportunity for cultural exchanges
cultural contacts.
Art, music, architecture, ceramics, etc. did flourish in the Ottoman
courts as well as in Arabic courts. There are important questions: Did
the European world influence the Moslem world, did the Moslem world
influence the European world, did both cultures develop independently,
and finally, did both cultures (as well as Persian culture) influence
each other? Experts have their view points. However, there is no question
that the Moslem world was influenced by Persian culture. There is no
question that Dymitr Kantemir (Khan Temir), prince of Moldavia (1673-1723).
Click to see Dimitrie Cantemir.
Married first to Kassandra Cantacuzene, 1682–1713 (Constantinople), then
in 1717 to Anastasia Trubetskaya (Trubetskoy line). Prince Cantemir wrote
the influential history and notation of Ottoman court music.
Contadini, Anna; Norton, Claire; (Eds.), "The Renaissance and the
Ottoman World", Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2013
.
Farmer, Henry George; "A History of Arabian Music to the XIIIth Century",
LUZAC Oriental, London, 1994
.
Feldman, Walter; "Music of the Ottoman Court: Makam, Composition and
the Early Ottoman Instrumental Repertoire", VWB 1996
.
Stone, Caroline; "Flowers from the East", Saudi ARAMCO World,
May/June 2014, pp. 38-43
Music: Suggested CDs
"ISTANBUL", Dimitrie Cantimir, Kitâbu 'Ilmi'l-Mûsîkî 'alâ vechi'l-Hurûfât,
"The Book of the Science of Music" and the Sephardic and Armenian musical traditions,
Hespèrion XXI, Jordi Savall
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