A Most Fascinating Journey! It has long been recognized that there are only three major areas of human endeavor which produce prodigies: music, chess and mathematics. This does not occur by happenstance. There are links on many levels. Now, for the first time, Music and Chess – Apollo Meets Caissa examines the yet unexplored relation of chess to music. Mathematics is a main common denominator, a fact that is highlighted accordingly. The thesis of this extraordinarily researched book is that chess is art in itself. It can create art and is strongly related to mathematics and music. As becomes clear, this relationship has already been introduced by some legendary players such as Mikhail Tal and Vladimir Kramnik . Great artists such as John Cage, Marcel Duchamp and Arnold Schönberg, to name but a few, have also been fascinated by the very same idea. Surprisingly, this has not been explored in detail so far – only some sporadic articles exist, by authors specializing in either music or chess. There are chapters that address issues which are specialized in chess and music, while others cover related issues of general, social and artistic nature. Music and Chess – Apollo Meets Caissa can be appreciated by readers who have a good, general, though non-specific background, in both fields. That is, no technical knowledge of music is required, with the only prerequisite to fully appreciate the text being the understanding of standard chess rules. The text could be equally enlightening to students of music or mathematics, as an added intellectual insight into these two disciplines. The text is supplemented by many chess diagrams, charts, and over 50 full-color images. So, turn on the music, set up chessboard, get out the calculator and let the author take you on a most fascinating journey that is Music and Chess – Apollo Meets Caissa.

There is often a tendency within Muslim circles to claim that there is unanimity of opinion supporting an outright prohibition concerning music and chess. The existing literature available in English tends to only show a very partial and at times skewed reading of the scriptural evidences. In order to broaden the discourse upon this issue, we hereby present for the first time in English, Ibn Hazm's critical analysis of this topic. Ibn Hazm was famous for his rejection that there is any clear or authentic textual prohibition relating to music or playing chess. In his unique inimitable style, Ibn Hazm critically assesses the textual evidences upon this issue, from the Qur'anic verses to the reported Prophetic statements.

Often discussions relating to the Islamic ruling upon music and chess purport to show that there is unanimity of opinion regarding its prohibition. To broaden the discourse on this point, we hereby present for the first time in English, a complete translation of Ibn Hazm's critical analysis of this issue. Famously, he argued that the body of evidence is neither soundly established nor conclusive to support a prohibition. The issue (Mas'ala) is formally titled as: 'Sales Concerning items of Amusement' and appears in the book of sales from his acclaimed work fiqh (jurisprudence), al-Muhalla bil'Athar (The Adorned Treatise). The Renascence Foundation is an independent not-for-profit organisation. We are not affiliated to any government or governmental institution. Our mission is to help revive, reinvigorate and stimulate contemporary Islamic thought by presenting in English key works and principles that have for too long laid dormant and neglected.

If one man can be credited with creating the language of rock 'n' roll it is Chuck Berry. In the early 1950's he was just an ambitious Nat "King" Cole imitator gigging in St Louis, but ten years after moving to Chicago and cutting is first hit, "Maybelline", in 1955, he built a catalogue of classics that inspired the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and every rock musician since. Meanwhile his Chicago rival Bo Diddley, the earthiest and arguably the most exciting of the rock 'n' roll performers, was reminding us that this music was just a step away from the blues. Although he was raised in Chicago, his music was a bizarre, electric version of the blues of his birthplace, Mississippi. Between them Chuck and Bo caused a revolution in Chicago blues, hitherto largely unknown to white America and the mass market. Both were signed to Chess Records, established by Eastern European immigrants, the Chess brothers, who provided the shop window for Chicago bluesmen, while also conforming to a now all-too-familiar pattern, as white entrepreneurs exploiting black talent. Chess Records both examines the subject of exploitation within the record business and celebrated the music of two unique and important artists and the extraordinarily fertile blues environment out of which they grew.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.