The Economic and Technological Aspect
Society's economic structure cannot be ignored if
music is to be analyzed. The musical genres of the
agricultural sector differ from those of the Bedouin
or the industrial sectors. For example, in an agricultural
society, music, in the form of agricultural songs,
is part of the work itself. This is not applicable
to a purely industrial society. Also, as the sea plays
a major role in the economy of the Sultanate, there
are several musical genres that are related to the
different aspects of life at sea, such as reaching
the shore, living on board ship, sailors' work, entertainment
on board etc.
Trade also plays an important role in enriching the
interaction with other cultures. Oman, for example,
was a leading country in the frankincense trade in
ancient times. It had trade relations with Iraq, Egypt,
Greece and the Romans between 700 and 300BC. There
had also been marine merchant trading between East
Africa and the northern coasts of the Indian Ocean.
Also there has been continuous trade between Oman
and China since 660AD. Such an interaction contributed
to the creation of many musical ideas and genres in
Economic diversification is a cornerstone of sound
economic growth. Relying on one economic branch alone
always entails a risk. Therefore, the Omani government
paid 'great attention to the necessity of diversifying
and developing sources on national income to the greatest
possible extent in order not to depend on oil as the
sole source of income. The government tries to focus
on other sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, industry
and tourism. Hence, the strategy of diversifying sources
is based on a long-term economic development plan.
This resulted in gradually reducing the oil sector
contribution to the gross national product to a mere
42% in the five-year development plan (1991-95)' Ref:
Wizarat al Ilam (1993, p120).
Compared to many countries in the region, the Sultanate
has the potential to adopt several economic trends
in view of its geographical location and topography.
The diversity of economic trends is also reflected
in its genres (funun).
As the funun are considered the mirror of a society,
it is seen that, during times of economic boom, tangible
artistic advances that reflect the psychological state
of the society are made, and vice versa. In ancient
civilizations, there are no valuable artistic achievements
made during bad times because man is pre-occupied
with earning a living. Fighting hunger or poverty
does not engender artistic innovation or activity.
Technology also plays a vital role in the country's
funun in several ways. For example, the development
of instruments has a direct effect on the advancement
and promotion of the funun. Also, indirect technological
inventions such as recorders have the same effect.
The invention of the compact disc represents a revolution
in the way that music spreads on the popular level.
It also affects some kinds of music which aim primarily
to achieve commercial gain without any consideration
of artistic value.
The development of television and broadcasting equipment
also greatly contributed to the spread of the funun
with the effect that regional arts now know no boundaries.
It is now easy for every individual to hear and watch
the arts of other regions. One can know what is happening
not only in one's own country, but also in the whole
world. All these developments and advances have advantages
and disadvantages as well. Thus, awareness to strengthen
original arts is needed so that they may not disappear
with the strong waves of technological developments
which are aimed purely at commercial gain.
On the other hand, it should not be forgotten that
technological progress helped societies at the turn
of the 20th century to preserve some musical genres
which are now considered to be references to the practical
aspect of music. The present modern equipment has
also enabled us to record events and play them back.
It is also used to preserve the original arts which
were previously doomed to oblivion as soon as society
had no further use for them.