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Tarab (Arabic: طرب, lit. 'enchantment') is a concept of Arab culture that refers both to a heightened state of consciousness, an intensely pleasant experience or an intense state of emotion accompanied by awareness of a musical or poetic performance. Further, tarab has been applied to a style of music and musical performance in which such emotional states are evoked. Similar to the Western notion of ecstasy, tarab is a subjective experience of total involvement of the audience with the musical performance.
As there is no word in any western language that adequately renders this complex concept, scholars of Arab culture have published various descriptions for the emotional effects of Arabic music that have been associated with tarab as a psychological state that defines this kind of artistic musical performance and its reception by receptive audiences.