Perspectives of Polyphony in Edward Said's Writings‪.‬

As a child, Edward Said attended a recital by Umm Kalthoum. He was greatly puzzled and disturbed by it, and missed above all counterpoint, to which he was used because of his early familiarity with Western classical music. Later in his life, he re-evaluated Umm Kalthoum's art. It would play a fundamental role for him in the formation of alternative ways of listening to Western music, emphasizing elaboration rather than development. In itself, her music functioned as a 'contrapuntal voice' to Western practices in Said's maturation as a listener and as a thinker. The article concentrates on polyphony, with its constitutive practices of counterpoint and harmony, as a key concept in the interpretation of Said's reflections on music, and a metaphor for humanistic emancipation. I. An Early Experience: Umm Kalthoum and a 'Lack of Counterpoint' (1)