Música andalusí “Calbi arabi“ (Anónimo)

The sustained presence of Islam created a peculiar and unique Middle Ages in the Iberian Peninsula. Eight long centuries witnessed a divided Spain (not to mention two additional centuries of Morisco presence on Spanish soil) marked by a constant fight between Christianity and Islam. In spite of an atmosphere of constant conflict and belligerence, the period was relatively peaceful, enriched by mutual cultural influence. Without this mix of cultures, we would have missed many singular cultural wonders. The Christians initially lived under Muslim rule. Many of them decided to adopt the Muslim religion: the so-called adopted (Arab: muwalladin; Spanish: muladíes). The rest remained faithful to their own religion but were inevitably influenced by the Arabic culture of their rulers. The word mustarib, literally ’would-be Arab’, denoting this condition, is the origin of the generic term Mozarab. The Reconquista, or reconquest of Spain by the Christians, saw Toledo’s recapture in 1085, followed b