RomanIslam Guest LectureMusic in the Roman and Islamic Empire

24 April 2024

Photo: © Heidemann

Sound and Music are the most subtle and distinct way a culture and a religion in particular identifies. The communal act of singing and listening to melodies of the extraordinary is something which invites into a community and pulls it together. The Roman culture and Christianity and Islamic culture and Islam have their distinct soundscapes. Nevertheless they are based on the same cultural continuum. Different traditions melt together. Singing and music is preeminent for the Christian identity. In Islam music has often had an ambivalent function (liturgy without music or only in recitation), but instrumental music became a mathematical exercise and practical music was enjoyed at court (female singer –slaves) and at any prestigious event, and most certainly among the populace.

The interdisciplinary guest lecture explores these connections and the use and application of Music in the Roman and Islamic world.

We cordially invite you to our guest lecture “Music in the Roman and Islamic Empire" on Wed. April 24, 2024, 5 -7 pm (German time) on Zoom. For registration please contact romanislam@uni-hamburg.de by April 20, 2024.

The format comprises the lectures "What Happened to Ancient Graeco-Roman Music?“ by Dr. Kamila Wyslucha (Austrian Academy of Science)  and "The Functions of Music in Imperial Islam"  by Dr. Yasemin Gökpinar (Universität Hamburg).

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