Music Sound

Qur'an reading is the reading (tartil, tajwid, or taghbir) aloud, reciting, chanting, or singing of portions of the Qur'an. Though not considered music by Muslims, when sung the style is of its own musical genre and structurally similar to secular Arab music. Even if what he or she produces sounds more like a song than a recital, the performer is called muqri' , tālī, murattil, or mujawwid, or "reciter" (Touma 1996, p.153-154).

Reading and even singing must be done according to rules of pronunciation, intonation, and caesuras established by Muhammad, though first recorded in the eight century CE, the most popular reading being that of Ibn Hafs. As in secular Arabic music, musical performance may include the presentation of a full maqam, however qur'an reading may be based on one to three tones only. Similarly, each melodic passage centers on a single tone level, but the melodic contour and melodic passages are largely shaped by the reading rules, creating passages of different lengths whose temporal expansion is defined through caesuras. Skilled readers may read professionally for mosques in cities. The mandatory introductory and final phrases are always restricted to the first tone of the maqam row. (ibid, p.154-155)

The Qur'an is marked with twenty-six symbols, circles, rectangles, dashes and letters, some in color, written above, below, or beside the letters of the alphabet and that do not resemble cantillation marks. These indicate the pronunciation of consonants, whether the blending of neighboring or adjacent consonants is allowed, and where recitation pauses and caesuras are forbidden and possible. (ibid, p.155)

Source

• Habib Hassan Touma (1996). The Music of the Arabs, trans. Laurie Schwartz. Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press. ISBN 0931340888.

External links

• Explanation of Tajweed
• Pronunciation diagram, in Arabic
• Example of Quran recitation - Surah Maryam (Chapter Mary) Flash