Kitab al-Musiqa al-Kabir

Kitab al-Musiqa al-Kabir (Arabic: كتاب الموسيقى الكبير‎, English: Book of Great Music) is a treatise on music in Arabic by al-Farabi (872-950/951). The work prescribes different aspects of music such as maqamat. According to Seyyed Hossein Nasir and Mehdi Aminrazavi[1]:

“ Morever, he was a master of music theory; his Kitab al-Musiqa al-Kabir (The book on great music), known in the West as a book on Arabic music, is in reality a study of the theory of Persian music of his day as well as presenting certain great philosophical principle about music, its cosmic qualities, and its influence on the soul. ”

The book was translated into Hebrew by Joseph ben Judah ibn Aknin.

References

  1. ^ Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr and Professor Mehdi Aminrazavi. “An Anthology of Philosophy in Persia, Vol. 1: From Zoroaster to ‘Umar Khayyam”, I.B. Tauris in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2007. Pg 135.