Tradition and modernism. The case of Arab music

This article provides an overview of concepts and attitudes of Arab modernists concerning their learned musical traditions as they appear in official educational and media institutions. The emphasis is placed on representational differences between the traditionalists and the modernists. Those differences concern especially the use that modernists make of the term "music", of the role of the musician, the use of transcription and the mode of performance: large orchestra, choir and the limited role of improvisations and of the soloist. It is this particular tendency to use composites of Near Eastern music and Western elements to which "Arabic Music" refers.