Andalusian classical (also called Andalusi music, al-âla in Morocco, gharnati in western Algeria, and malouf in Tunisia) is a suite-based Arab-Islamic art music that crystallized in medieval Al-Andalus and was later preserved and elaborated in the Maghreb. It is organized into long, multi-movement suites known as nūbas (nawba), each tied to a modal family (ṭabʿ) and a set of rhythmic cycles (mīzān).
The repertoire is built on strophic poetic forms such as the muwashshaḥ and zajal, set to finely ornamented, heterophonic textures. Core instruments include the ʿūd (lute), kamanja/violin (often held upright in Maghrebi practice), rebāb, qānūn, and ney, supported by frame drums (ṭār, bendir), goblet drum (darbuga), and riqq. Melodic practice uses maqām-like modal systems with microtonal intonation, rich melodic turns, and measured as well as non-metric improvisation (e.g., istikhbār).
Over centuries, urban scholarly lineages in Fez, Tlemcen, Algiers, Constantine, Tetouan, and Tunis codified distinct schools, preserving nūba cycles, modes, and performance conventions that continue to define the genre today.
Andalusian classical music emerged in the courts and urban centers of Al‑Andalus between the 9th and 15th centuries. Tradition credits Ziryab (d. 857) with systematizing courtly performance, introducing new repertories and a suite concept that later became the nūba. The music synthesized Arab-Islamic modal theory with local Iberian elements and strophic poetry (muwashshaḥ, zajal), developing a refined art music for elite salons.
Following the gradual Christian reconquest of Iberia and the fall of Granada in 1492, Muslim and Jewish Andalusi communities migrated to North Africa. They carried repertories and pedagogies to cities such as Fez, Tlemcen, Algiers, Constantine, and Tunis. There, the tradition adapted to local tastes and instruments while retaining its modal and formal foundations, yielding regionally named schools (al‑âla, gharnati, malouf).
From the 18th to early 20th centuries, scholars and master musicians codified repertoire and practice. In Morocco, Muḥammad al‑Hāʾik compiled the influential Kunnāsh al‑Hāʾik, a canonical songbook for the nūbas. In Tunisia, the Rashīdiyya institute (founded 1934) standardized malouf pedagogy and repertory. Algerian centers (Tlemcen, Algiers, Constantine) refined gharnati and sanʿa traditions, formalizing cycles such as msaddar, btayḥi, derj, inṣirāf, and khlās.
In the 20th and 21st centuries, conservatories, radio/recording, and cultural institutions sustained and revived the tradition. Distinguished orchestras and hereditary lineages continue to teach modal systems (ṭubūʿ), rhythmic cycles (mīzān), and poetic forms, while collaborations and festivals introduce Andalusian classical to global audiences. The music remains a living art in the Maghreb and diaspora, balancing preservation with careful innovation.
