Esther M. Zimmer Lederberg
Galley Oars: Thole and Loom
The music is Morisco music, found on Iberian Garden, Vol. 1 by
Altramar. The piece is Muwashshah: Mā li-l-muwallah, 1113-1198.
This music takes place at the beautiful gardens along the Guadalquiver, near Cordoba.
This is during the "convivencia" under Alfonso X (El Sabio - The Wise), the time
before Granda fell: when Christians, Moslems and Jews lived at peace with each
other. Muwashshah are songs in poetic form, with instrumental interludes in the
form of Ibn Bājja (Avempace): 1470-1520. This is Morisco art.
The oarsman pulls (or pushes) an oar around the fulcrum ("thole")
so that a heavy object can be moved. In the case of a galley, the
heavy object is water. The "loom" is a part of an oar that acts
as the lever.
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