Ishaq al-Mawsili

Ishaq al-Mawsili (Arabic: إسحاق الموصلي; 767/772 – March 850) was an Arab musician of Persian origin active as a composer, singer and music theorist.^[1] The leading musician of his time in the Abbasid Caliphate,^[2] he served under six successive Abbasid caliphs: Harun al-Rashid, Al-Amin, Al-Ma'mun, Al-Mu'tasim, Al-Wathiq and Al-Mutawakkil.^[1] The caliphs and Abbasid court held him in high regard, and his diverse intellect elevated him to a social status that was highly unusual for musicians of the time.

Taught by his renowned father Ibrahim al-Mawsili, the singer Atika bint Shuhda and the noted lutenist Zalzal, he succeeded his father in leading the conservative musical establishment. This put him at odds with progressive musicians such as Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi and Ziryab, whose style later dominated in popularity. He has appeared in the Maqamat of Al-Hariri of Basra and One Thousand and One Nights. His creation of a comprehensive theoretical system for Arab music, without Ancient Greek influence, would retain relevance into at least the 14th century, when it was championed by Ibn Kurr.