_El oud_ still remains the popular instrument and shares its popularity with the _kanoun_, which is probably of Persian origin. This _kanoun_ is like a zither, and is specially tuned for every scale. It is said that the Arab spends three-quarters of his life tuning his instruments. Baron Rodolphe d’Erlanger, an Englishman living in Tunis, has spent twelve years studying the ancient Arabian music in order to preserve it, for it is dying out through the arrival of modern European civilization accompanied by phonographs, jazz and radios. Their viols are of real interest because it is claimed that they are the ancestors of the great violin family. These ancestors are of different styles and are called the _rebab_ and _kemangeh_, sometimes played with the bow and sometimes without. They have _kissars_ and _lyres_ and various forms of zithers, besides the _kanoun_. The Arabs’ fondness for strings is proof that they were indeed sensitive and fine, while most of their neighbors liked the drums and brasses much more, showing a lower grade of civilization. By this we do not mean that the Arabs were not fond of their drums, because the drum was one of the chief features of their music. Indeed they had many kinds—the _atambal_ which looks like two kettle-drums hitched together; the _derbouka_ which is really a vase with a skin stretched over the base; the _taar_ like our tambourine; the _bendaair_, an open faced shallow drum, with snares (cords) stretched across inside the head somewhat like our own snare drum; and the _dof_, a squarish drum played with the hands and knuckles like the _taar_, but with the snares. The Hebrews had an instrument like this called the _tof_ or _toph_ and the Persians also had the _dof_ or _duff_. So, here again, you see how one nation affects the other. (Figure 8.) Then they had flutes called the _ijaouak_ and _gosba_ with three or more holes, which they used for sad tunes. Every visitor to a Mohammedan country is introduced to Arab religious music at day-break, noon and sun-down, by the muezzin (priest) who calls the faithful of Mohammed to prayer, from an opening in the tower of a mosque. This call has been handed down to the Mohammedans from a time even before the coming of Mohammed (6th century A.D.). MOHAMMEDAN CALL TO PRAYER [Music: Al-la-ho ak-bar Al-la-ho a-kbar ach ha-dou en-nâ la e-lah ell Al-lah Ach ha-dou en-nâ. Mo-hammed ra-soul Al-lah Al-la-ho-ak-bar lâ e-lah ell-Allah From ‘THE ART OF MUSIC’ ] THE GODS GIVE MUSIC TO THE HINDUS There had been so much conquest and battling in India, that although we know much about Hindu music it is very difficult to tell what really belonged to the Hindus and what was brought to them.