But for Mr Savall memorisation is the same as playing on autopilot, and stifles a necessary element of unpredictability.

ECONOMIST: Early music

He developed his skills, through four hours of practising memorisation daily, only after he had passed the ripe old age of 20.

ECONOMIST: Who wants to be a genius?

Muhyiddin said the government gave serious attention to Quranic education, not only on tahfiz (memorisation) but also tafsir (interpretation), ulum (science of) and al-Qiraat (recitation) of the Quran.

UNESCO: Malaysia: learn and benefit from Quran��s miracle