Lebanese pianist Ziad Rahbani, from a concert poster in the 1980s
Although the piano was included in Arabic music since the early 20th century, it was used as a Western instrument to add a classical color to Arabic compositions (e.g. in "al-Siba wal-Gamal" by Muhammad Abdel Wahab, 1939). By Arabic Piano, however, we refer to a piano that's played melodically (without harmony) within the Arabic maqam framework.
The earliest Arabic piano pioneer was the Lebanese Wadih Sabra who played a piano endowed with additional notes (quartertones) during the Cairo Arabic Music Congress of 1932. Later, Lebanese Abdallah Chahine also altered a piano to play quartertones and recorded an album called "al-Nagham al-Khalid" with taqasim in the most common maqamat.
Toward the end of the 20th century, Lebanese musician and playwright Ziad Rahbani recorded many songs and instrumental compositions using an acoustic or electric piano (a Fender Rhodes) to play either maqam melodic lines, or harmony within a Jazz-fusion genre.
Explore other Arabized instruments: