Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English en
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

The impact of amplification on the practice and aesthetics of the oud between the Arab World and the West

Objective

The oud, or Arab lute, is an instrument whose practices are full of paradoxes. It is both the emblematic instrument of ‘Arab music’ and its avant-garde. It disappeared from Arab orchestras in the mid-20th century, the instrument no longer being audible in the face of the growing number of strings. Yet, many of the most adventurous musicians in the Arab world are oud players, who have succeeded in bringing this instrument back to the forefront of local and international stages.
The objectives of my research project are 1) to describe contemporary practices involving the oud in relation to its amplification, its use in sound reinforced performances and its electrification process, and to link these practices, which are increasingly visible in the Arab world, to the history of amplification in Western countries (mainly the electric guitar, but also the synthesizer); 2) to study the impact of these technologies on oud playing techniques, its sound/musical aesthetic and its organological evolution (lutherie); 3) to fill the gap in anthropological studies on the impact of amplification on the musical soundscape of the Arab world.
The methodology applied will be that of the social sciences (anthropology, ethnography) combined with history (archives) and musicology (musical analysis). The multi-sited fieldwork will cover three areas (North Africa, the Middle East and the Arab diaspora in the West), which will complement the work already done on the European network of Arab oud players (PhD thesis). The results will take the form of four peer-reviewed articles that will be compiled into a book, but also a non-academic dissemination : an online audio podcast series (in English/Arabic) and a digital manual (summarizing the amplification processes discovered during this research which are of interest to countless oud players, in the Arab world and beyond).

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF

See all projects funded under this call

Coordinator

UNIVERSITY OF HUDDERSFIELD
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 260 347,92
Address
QUEENSGATE
HD1 3DH HUDDERSFIELD
United Kingdom

See on map

Region
Yorkshire and the Humber West Yorkshire Calderdale and Kirklees
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

No data
My booklet 0 0