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Belinda Sykes delves into Arabic influences on music of the Iberian Peninsula - connections, parallels and differences between the various secular repertoires of medieval Spain.

The musical and poetic forms that developed in Muslim Spain are some of the most important, pioneering and influential of the Arab world. They probably influenced the music of medieval Europe and the Middle East, and have formed the basis for one of the most enduring traditions of classical Arabic music surviving today. As Europe struggled to emerge from its Dark Ages, the Arabian empire was enjoying a golden age. Al-'Andalus ('land of the vandals' in the Arabic tongue) was its westernmost territory and was an outstanding melting pot of culture. The Jews and Christians of Muslim Spain, like their oriental counterparts, lived in comparative peace and tolerance alongside the conquering Arabs. Their cultural convivencia led to a great flourishing of philosophy, mathematics, sciences, architecture, decoration, craftsmanship, the arts, fashion, attention to diet and hygiene, etiquette, diplomacy, international communications and free trade. The programme will include songs by the Andalusian Sufi poet - Ibn al-'Arabi, the Spanish-Hebrew poet Todros Ibn Abulafia, and the daughter of Cordoba's Caliph Wallada Bint al-Mustakfi.