Fusion of Afghan and Baroque Music in Australia

Ehsan Azari Stanizai

Throughout history, music has been the highest form of art, expressing human emotions beyond the boundaries of culture, space, and time.

This was evident in the remarkable fusion of sixteenth-century Western Baroque style and twentieth-century Afghan music presented by the Tasmania-based Australian Baroque ensemble and the Geneva-based Ensemble Kabul on the Australian stage. This fusion showcased the universal truth that music can transcend cultures.

The ornate, melodic spirit and passionate romanticism of the Baroque harmoniously blended with the instrumental and vocal, single-horizon melodic flow of modern Afghan music. This harmonious blend was achieved through the exceptional musicianship of both ensembles.

The award-winning guitarist, Rubab player, and composer, Khalid Arman, and vocalist and dazzling Tabla player, Siar Hashimi, collaborated with the Australian maestros of Van Diemen band.

Together, they identified and brought together the common elements of the Baroque style and the popular Afghan modern composers.

The Afghan instruments, particularly the beloved Rubab and vocals, complemented the exotic Western VOB’s gut-string and the nineteenth-century piano composition of Erik Satie. This musical fusion produced a harmonious, romantic vocal and instrumental sound that conveyed the essence of two distant cultures in time and space.

Trained in the Western musical tradition, gifted guitarist Khalid Arman blends Afghan melodic songs with the music of Western Baroque composers such as J.S. Bach and Erik Satie. His unique synthesis showcases his talent for combining the two distinct musical styles. The heart of the performance lies in the selection of songs from Rumi’s prelude to his magnum opus, Mathnawi.

This collection of ecstatic mystical songs and spiritual tales includes the ‘Song of the Reed,’ a central theme in the performance.Rumi, born in Balkh, Afghanistan, in the 13th century, and who passed away in Turkey, which was then under the Eastern Roman Empire, is known as Rumi. Khalid Arman presents a more secular, Western-inspired version of Reed’s song.

 

The song, titled “Everything is Music,” reflects Rumi’s Pantheistic belief, which posits that the essence of the divine is a single, universal substance and spirit, the cause of everything.

The ethereal Whirling Dervishes, a symbol of Rumi’s belief in the spinning of everything from a speck of dust to mountains, oceans, and stars, represent the rapturous reverences of the divine. The healing voice of Siar Hashimi intertwines with the austere, melodious beauty of Nainawaz’s Reed Song. The music of Rubab improvisations reverberates in a gracefully shifting pulse and mode, adding to the overall musical experience.

The spectacular performances of the beloved Afghan Rubab on stages in Hobart, Melbourne, Sydney, and other Australian cities transported audiences to a corner of Afghanistan. The repertoire of Afghan Rubab—an inimitable match to Baroque cross-rhythms, cascading scale motion, and heart-touching ornaments of Gaspar Sanz—captivated audiences. Virtuoso Rubab player Khalid Arman’s recent tour enthralled numerous Australians with his stunning Rubab artistry and the intricacies of Afghan music, showcasing the quixotic Baroque style that linked the emotional attraction of the Kabul Ensemble.

The penetrating wailing and ecstatic joyful sounds of the Afghan Rubab began to attract Western attention. The Spanish ensemble Casa del Mar produced a remarkable fusion of the Afghan rubab with the popular Spanish song “Hijo de la luna,” understanding the Rubab’s far-reaching, cross-cultural appeal and incorporating it into their repertoire. This innovative approach has led to the flourishing of the Rubab in Europe and North America, with Afghan Rubab soloists expanding its reach and captivating audiences with their talent. Some of the finest Western musicians have also embraced the Rubab, adding to its growing popularity.

Khalid Arman further enriched the Rubab’s capabilities by innovatively restructuring its fretboard. His efforts have undoubtedly sparked passion among Westerners and solidified the Rubab’s place alongside the Indian sitar as an iconic national musical instrument. Plato, centuries before, recognised the far-reaching potential of music, stating, “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.”