Al-Kindi and Music Therapy

 

Al-Kindi and Music Therapy

Not only as entertainment, the art of music in the golden era of Islam developed so rapidly. At that time Islamic scientists, call him Alkindi, have used music as an alternative treatment, which in today's modern era is often referred to as music therapy.

History records that Alkindi lived around the year 185-265 H/801–873 AD. He lived in the heyday of Islam in Baghdad when the caliphate was controlled by the Abbasid dynasty. In classical Islamic literacy, his name may be better known as a medical expert who was appointed a teacher and physician to the Caliph kingdom, as well as an Islamic scientist who is an expert in philosophy or also a famous astronomer.

However, not much literature mentions that he was also a famous Islamic musician of his time. He was a genius in playing the lute, al-Kindi was the first to make a note explaining how to make the lute with very accurate measurements.

He also created the chords of the music he played. Perhaps one of the most important legacies of al-kindi in music science is that he was the first to create musical melodies using the letters of the alphabet.

This is as stated by Zaskariya Yusuf, the pentahqiq of the Alkindi book entitled Risalah Fi al-Luhun wa al-Naghmi. In this book, Al-Kindi explains the composition of the harp, melody and chord, and how to play the lute in great detail.

Not only that, thanks to Alkindi's intelligence and ability in the fields of medicine and music, he was also able to find medical values ​​in music. R Sound mentions in his writing entitled "The Arab Contribution to the Music of the Western World" that since the 9th century AD, Al-Kindi has made music as a health therapy tool.

At that time, he tried to cure a child who was completely paralyzed through music therapy. "He was the first Islamic philosopher to make music for health therapy," he said.

Al-Kindi is also the only scientist who shows and explains, one of them in his book Risalah Fi al-Luhun wa al-Naghmi , regarding the relationship between astronomy and music which according to him can be known through the relationship between harp strings and the causes of astrology. "This is what distinguishes him from other scientists of his time and subsequent times, such as al-Farabi and Ibn Sina and Saifuddin Al-Armawi," explains Guettat Mahmoud in his writing entitled "La Musique classique du Maghreb .