(b Tanta, 1925; d Masqat, 20 Nov 1987). Egyptian musicologist. He studied science in Cairo and at Harvard, taking the doctorate in 1950, concurrently investigating Arab and European music. He began teaching at the Cairo Conservatory and later at the University of Cairo. He took part in conferences on Arab music in 1964 and 1969, his paper on Arabic music scales from the latter being one of his most important essays. In 1983 he was invited by the Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman to carry out field research on Omani music. He became the supervisor of the Oman Centre for Traditional Music in Masqat, compiled a dictionary of Omani music, published posthumously, and in 1985 organized a conference on traditional Omani music. Shawki is one of the major figures of Arab music in the 20th century. His writings are carefully investigated, and are characterized by their scientific approach.
‘al-Nazariyyah al-Sullamiyyah lil-Mūsīqá al-‘Arabiyyah’ [The theory of the scale in Arab music], al-Halqah al-Thāniyah li-Bahth al-Mūsīqá al-‘Arabiyyah (Cairo, 1964), 33–40
Qiyās al-Sullam al-Mūsīqá al-‘Arabī [Measuring the Arab music scale] (Cairo, 1969) [with Eng. summary]
Risālat al-Kindī fi Khubr Sinā ‘at al-Ta’līf [Al-Kindi’s essay on composition] (Cairo, 1969) [with Eng. summary]
Risālah Ibn al-Munajjim fī al-Mūsīqá wa-Kashf Rumūz Kitāb al-Aghānī [Ibn al-Munajjim’s essay on music and melodic ciphers of Kitāb al-Aghānī] (Cairo, 1976) [with Eng. summary]
Mu‘jam Mūsīqá ‘Umān al-Taqlidiyyah [A dictionary of the traditional music of Oman] (Masqat, 1989; Eng. trans., 1994)
CHRISTIAN POCHÉ