Haydar’s ‘New Words to Old Tunes: Genres and Metrics of Lebanese Zajal Poetry’ Now Available

New Worlds to Old Tunes: Genres and Metrics of Lebanese Zajal Poetry by professor Adnan Haydar was published Feb. 6 online by Open Book Publishers. New Words to Old Tunes introduces the rich tradition of Lebanese oral poetry, offering an in-depth study and analysis of its metrics and genres.

Haydar presents a novel framework for the proper scansion of meters and emphasizes the previously overlooked roles of musical and poetic stress. It details nearly 20 zajal genres, including popular songs that use zajal metrics, and integrates musical notations and web-streamed audio links to enrich the reader’s experience.

By presenting both theoretical analysis and practical applications, the book not only contributes to the academic study of Lebanese and Arab oral traditions but also supports broader efforts to preserve and disseminate this cultural heritage through digital humanities. While previous works have been largely descriptive or focused on specific poets, this book provides a detailed analytical approach to zajal metrics and their musical dimensions.

This rigorous and comprehensive study will be of interest to scholars working on oral traditions, folklore studies, ethnomusicology, cultural studies and oral-formulaic poetry traditions throughout the Middle East and beyond.

This story also appeared in the University of Arkansas News publication.