Munir Bashir

Munir Bashir (, Syriac: <big>ܡܘܢܝܪ ܒܫܝܪ</big>)<span dir="ltr"> (1930 – September 28, 1997) was an Syriac musician in Iraq and one of the most famous musicians in the Middle East during the 20th century and was considered to be the supreme master of the Arab maqamat scale system.

He created different styles of the Arabian short scaled lute, the oud. He was one of the first middle eastern instrumentalists known to Europe and America. Bashir’s music is distinguished by a novel style of improvisation that reflects his study of Indian and European tonal art in addition to oriental forms. Born in Iraq, he had to deal with numerous disruptions of violent coup attempts and multiple wars that the country went through. He would eventually exile to Europe and become noticeable first in eastern nations such as Hungary and Bulgaria.

Life

Early life

Munir Bashir was born in Mosul, situated in northern Iraq. His father Abd al-Aziz and his brother Jamil had good reputations as oud-soloists and vocalists; Jamil...
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