Ziryab

Abu l-Hasan Ali ibn Nafi` (Arabic: أبو الحسن علي ابن نافع; Mosul, Abbasid Caliphate, c. 789-Córdoba, Emirate of Córdoba, c. 857), more known as Ziryab (from Persian زرياب, “blackbird”) was a Muslim poet, gourmet, musician and singer. He achieved great recognition in the Abbasid court in Baghdad, present-day Iraq, as an interpreter and disciple of the Persian musician and composer Ishaq al-Mawsili, although his real revolution took place in Córdoba, where he introduced refined oriental customs in the court of Emir Abderramán II and established one of the first music conservatories in the world.

Biography

Monument to Ziryab in Córdoba, Spain

According to the Encyclopedia of Islam, he was born around the year 790 into a family of mawla of the Abbasid caliph Al-Mahdi. His ethnic origins are disputed; various sources classify him as Persian, Arab, Kurdish, or African.According to Ibn Hayyan, Ali ibn Nafi was called a blackbird (Ziryab) because of his extremely dark complexion, the clarity of his voice, and his sweet nature.

Some Arabic sources indicate that Ziryab was born in Mosul and was educated in the art of music from childhood. During this time, Baghdad was an important center of Islamic music and all sources indicate that he was a disciple of the talented musician Ishaq al-Mawsili (767-850), whom he accompanied around this city. Al-Maqqari relates that the two appeared before Caliph Haroun al-Rashid, who was greatly impressed by the young musician, sparking his mentor's jealousy, forcing him to leave Baghdad. However, earlier and more reliable sources indicate that he left after the death of the Caliph al-Amin in 813, at the beginning of al-Mamoun's reign.

Ziryab first traveled through the region of Syria before moving to Ifriqia (Tunisia), where he resided for a time at the Aghlabid court of the emir Ziyadat Allah (r. 816-837) in Kairouan. Ziryab began to have problems with the emir, although he was invited by the Umayyad emir al-Hakam I to move to Córdoba. When he arrived in 822, al-Hakam had just passed away, although his heir Abderramán II renewed his offer of invitation, Ziryab settled in Córdoba and the monarch offered him a palace and a monthly rent of two hundred dinars.. In the Cordovan court he became a well-known character and was considered the arbiter of elegance for the Arab rulers. He influenced the clothing, cuisine or furniture of those around him and introduced innovations for both social and musical use. Al-Maqqari declares that "there was never, before or after him, a man of the profession more loved and admired than him."

Family

According to lbn Hayyan, Ziryab had eight sons and two daughters. Five of these children were related to the world of music and achieved great popularity, keeping her father's conservatory open.

Innovations

Music

His musical innovations also had a strong influence. According to the Arabist Emilio García Gómez, with Ziryab the oriental melodies of Greco-Persian origin entered al-Andalus and would be the basis of a good part of the later traditional music of at least part of the Iberian Peninsula. He added a fifth string to the lute and replaced the wooden plectrum (a piece that is held by hand and that strikes the strings) with another made either with nails, a beak or the barrels of eagle feathers. Likewise, he also dyed the strings with colors that symbolized the Aristotelian humors, the fifth string representing the soul.

According to al-Tifashi, Ziryab seems to have popularized an early song-sequence, which could have been a precursor of the nawba (originally a simple performer "twirled" to perform before the emir), or the Andalusian nubah, originating from al -Ándalus and which is currently considered the classical music of North Africa.

Abderramán II was a great patron of the arts and Ziryab had great freedom for his creations. He established one of the world's first music conservatories in Córdoba. This school incorporated female and male students who became very popular among the aristocracy. According to Ibn Hayyan, Ziryab evaluated them with tests, if the student did not have great vocal ability, for example, he would put pieces of wood in their jaws to keep their mouths open or tie a rope around their waists so they could breathe easily. particular. In this way, all the students had to sing as high as they could and maintain the note to observe their lung capacity.

Gastronomy

Ziryab became an arbiter of fashionable gastronomy, "revolutionizing local cuisine" by introducing new fruits and vegetables such as asparagus, requiring dishes to be served on leather tablecloths, and establishing the menu as three separate courses: soup, the main course and dessert. He introduced recipes from Baghdad cuisine (one of the recipes is preserved today with his name: the Ziryabi). He also established the use of crystal glasses for drinks, which were more effective than metal. This claim is corroborated by writings that confirm that he cut large crystal goblets.Before his arrival, food was served on trays directly on the table, as was the case in Ancient Rome. In addition, he is credited with the invention of meatballs, in order to be able to eat a piece of meat neatly while performing other tasks.

Fashion and hygiene

Ziryab started the fashion of wearing a certain type of clothing according to the weather and season, as well as suggested different outfits for mornings, afternoons and evenings. Henri Terrasse, a French historian of North Africa, commented that some clothing found in Morocco follows the Ziryab label, according to the summer and winter style.

He also created a new type of deodorant to prevent bad odors and promoted morning and evening baths with the aim of emphasizing personal hygiene care. In addition, it is believed that Ziryab was able to develop a kind of toothpaste that became popular throughout the Emirate of Córdoba. Its ingredients are unknown, although some references describe it as "functional and pleasant-tasting".

According to al-Maqqari, before the arrival of Ziryab, at the court of Córdoba, both men and women wore shoulder-length hair without bangs. Ziryab made straight bangs to the eyebrows fashionable, “new short hairstyles leaving the neck, ears and eyebrows exposed.” He also popularized shaving and new haircuts for men. Royalty used to wash their hair with rose water, but Ziryab introduced the use of salt and scented oils to improve the condition of the hair. Some sources allege that he opened beauty salons to the public for the women of the Cordovan elite, although there is no record in early references.

Ziryab was considered a "great trend setter of his time", creating trends in clothing, hairstyles and hygiene. His students took these fashions throughout Europe and North Africa.

Tribute

The city of Córdoba is home to numerous dedications to this musician, such as the Monument to Ziryab, the Córdoba Professional Conservatory of Music, known as “Músico Ziryab”, the Ziryab Choir, which was established in 1993, and even a street bears his name. Guitarist Paco de Lucía dedicated an entire album called Zyryab to him in 1990.