Like As the Lute

Synopsis

Based on a British Council tour of the Middle East by the lutenist Anthony Rooley and the soprano Emma Kirkby the film demonstrates the relationship between Arabic and European Renaissance music. Rooley is seen with a lute maker in London and an ‘ud maker in Cairo, exchanging ideas with an Egyptian ‘ud player, Abdel Moneim Arafa, and in discussion with Dr Samha el Kholy of the Cairo Conservatoire about attempts within the Middle East to keep their music alive. There are performances of music by Dowland, Spinancino and Capirola and by the ‘ud player George Michel and El Hefay Ensemble of the Arab Music Institute in Cairo.

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Medium

Film; Video; Film. 16mm. sd. col. 37 min. Videocassette. Standard formats. col. 37 min.

Technical information

Black-and-white / Sound

Year of production

1979

Availability

Hire

Uses

Undergraduates.*

Subjects

Music

Keywords

Egypt; lute music

Credits

Director

Leszek Burzynski

Producer

Brian Eastman

Distribution Formats

Type

Film

Format

16mm

Production Company

Name

Picture Partnership Productions

Sponsor

Name

Arts Council of Great Britain

Phone

020 7973 6455

Fax

020 7973 6581

Address

London
SW1P 3NG

Name

British Council, Press & Public Relations Department

Distributor

Name

Arts on Film Archive, University of Westminster

Notes

Arts on Film Archive offers on-line access to a large range of films on art produced in the United Kingdom since the 1950s, and is a unique record of British and international post-war art, as well as of documentary film-making in the UK. In its first phase, the archive offers a complete database and an on-line video streaming of all 450 films made by the film department of Arts Council England between 1953 and 1998 and several films produced till 2003 by the dance Department of ACE. The collection is only available streamed to ac.uk domain addresses.