What it is, what to hear first, and what sits next to it.
The roots of all Arabic music styles lie in Arabic poetry, which dates as far back as Jahiliyyah (the pre-Islamic era). Arab poetry was recited with rhythm and tone, spoken in a highly musical manner, and instruments such as the lute, the drum and the Oud were used. A well-known example of these poets was the 7th century poetess Al-Khansa, who remains the best-known female poet in Arabic literature. These early song-poems were relatively simple compositions. .