Rabab & Rebec

The rabab and rebec – two instruments whose body is covered with an animal skin – were among the most important string instruments from the 14th to the 16th centuries.

Factsheet

  • Schools involved Bern Academy of the Arts
  • Institute(s) Institute Interpretation
  • Research unit(s) Musical Instruments
  • Funding organisation SNSF
  • Duration 01.10.2019 - 30.09.2023
  • Head of project Thilo Hirsch
  • Project staff Marina Haiduk
    Prof. Dr. Anne Krauter Kellein
  • Partner Ensemble Arcimboldo
    Fraunhofer-Institut für Integrierte Schaltungen
    Geigenbauatelier Schürch
    Institut für musikalische Akustik Wien
    Institute de recherche en musicologie IReMus
    Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien
    Schola Cantorum Basiliensis
    Schule für Holzbildhauerei Brienz
    Universität Bern

Situation

Similar instru­ments are still played in Morocco today. A critical, interdis­ciplinary analysis of the extant historical sources can enable us to draw conclusions about their construction, playing tech­niques, acoustic properties, repertoire and cultural context. All these elements will then be compared with new ethnomu­sicological sources from Morocco. The findings thereby made can help us to reconstruct the instruments and test them in a practical situation.

This project contributes to the following SDGs

  • 12: Responsible consumption and production
  • 17: Partnerships for the goals