North Africa & Middle East on Music Theory Print

Achaemenid music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Background#

The Achaemenid Empire arose from the conquests of Cyrus the Great, whose familial dynasty was named for their mythical progenitor Achaemenes. At its height, it was the largest empire by that point in history, spanning from the Balkans to Egypt and the Indus Valley. A further source of unification arose from the widespread adoption of Zoroastrianism as set forth by the prophet Zoroaster a few centuries earlier. The empire fell to the conquests of Alexander the Great, whose successors formed the Seleucid Empire. The earliest music in Persia is difficult to pinpoint, due to a paucity of extant records. Persian music has existed since at least BCE of the Elamite period, from when the earliest artistic depictions of arched harps are dated; it is possible that these instruments existed long before their visual depictions. Later surviving instruments include bull lyres from , small Oxus trumpets from , and much later, lutes from BCE, which seem to have been popular with the upper class. Rock reliefs of Kul-e Farah from 1st century BCE include sophisticated Persian court ensembles, in which the arched harp is central.

Al jeel

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

External links#

JSTOR, Rai Tide Rising, Middle East Report, No. 169, Crossing the Line, (Mar. – Apr., 1991), pp. 39–42
Afropop Worldwide, https://web.archive.org/web/20080516040645/http://www.afropop.org/explore/style_info/ID/3/Al%20Jeel/
Afropop Worldwide, https://web.archive.org/web/20020113110538/http://afropop.org/explore/style_info/ID/6/shaabi/
MySpace, Fathy Salama, http://www.myspace.com/fathysalama
Fathy Salama, http://fathysalama.free.fr/gb/gb-biographie.htm
Salome, http://www.orientaldancer.net/guest-stories/guide-arab-music.shtml

Anatolian blues

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

After the 1970s, blues and jazz music became more common and have been started to use with the traditional folk music, Türküs, this has led to the Anatolian blues genre to born in Turkey.

Musicians and musical groups#

Yavuz Çetin
Can Gox
Murat Ertel
Asım Can Gündüz
Evrencan Gündüz ;Groups
Blue Blues Band
Gevende
Eis Ten Polin
Bangkok B.B.
Better Blues Band
Bluesaint Blues Band
Blues-Mobil
Bluestaff
Fötr Blues Band
Kingus Blues Band
Lackawanna Soul & Blues Band
Tarık Değirmenci Blues Band
Sahte Rakı Blues Band
Yiğitcan Sağır Trio

Anatolian rock

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Background (1930s-1960s)#

Anatolian rock has a long history that dates back to the founding of the Turkish Republic decades ago. Atatürk pushed extensive changes to build a national form of music from the early 1930s forward. He believed that music should be based on national and modern foundations and musicians should work on Turkish melodies and make them polyphonic according to the rules of Western harmonic music. As a result, Anatolian folk music began to spread and people began to listen to Anatolian folk tunes instead of Ottoman music. In the 1960s, rock and roll began to be played and rock groups such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Yes, Status Quo and Omega became popular especially in Istanbul. It began to spread and became popular among the elite youth of the city. In Istanbul, high school and university students began forming their own bands and performing covers of rock’n’roll and twist music in 1957. Students who would become famous singers later, such as Barış Manço from Galatasaray High School and Erkin Koray from German High School, performed at an amateur concert they had organized, which is known as the first rock’n roll concert of Turkey. Turkish singers such as Erol Büyükburç began to release English-language cover versions of American songs, as well as their own songs.

Andalusi classical music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Andalusi music was allegedly born in the Emirate of Córdoba (Al-Andalus) in the 9th century. Born and raised in Iraq, Ziryâb (d. 857), who later became court musician of Abd al-Rahman II in Córdoba, is sometimes credited with its invention. Later, the poet, composer, and philosopher Ibn Bajjah (d. 1139) of Saragossa is said to have combined christian music with muslim music to produce a wholly new style that spread across Iberia and North Africa. By the 10th century, Muslim Iberia had become a center for the manufacture of musical instruments. These spread gradually to Provence, influencing French troubadours and trouvères and eventually reaching the rest of Europe. The English words lute, rebec, guitar, and naker derive from the Arabic oud, rabab, qithara and naqareh, although some Arabic terms (qithara, for example) had been derived in their turn from Vulgar Latin, Greek and other languages like Persian. Aḥmad al-Tifāshī (d. 1253) in his encyclopedic work Faṣl al-khiṭāb fī madārik al-ḥ awāss al-khams li-ʾūlī l-albāb () divided the Andalusi musical tradition into four types: nashīd, ṣawt, muwashshaḥ, and zajal. A nashīd was classical monorhyme poem consisting of istihlal ( – a precomposed vocal prelude, probably with instrumental response) and ʿamal ( – a composition combining vocal and instrumental elements). Some of the muwashshaḥāt had lyrics that fit their melodies (sometimes through melisma), while others had improvised nonsense syllables to fill out the melodic line—a practice that survives to the present with relevant sections labeled as shughl ( ‘work’) in songbooks. Moreover, these migrants from the 13th century on encountered ethnic Andalusi communities that had migrated earlier to North Africa, which helped this refined music to take root and spread among wider audiences.

Andalusi nubah

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Form, texts, and performance#

According to tradition, there were initially 24 nubat, one for each hour of the day. Each nuba must have a duration of 1 hour. Lyrics are sung by a soloist or in unison by a chorus, and are chosen from the muwashshah or zajal poetic forms, which are in classical and colloquial Arabic, respectively. An andalusi nubah uses one tab (similar to a maqam, or mode) per performance, and includes several instrumental pieces as well as predominantly vocal pieces accompanied by instrumentation. These differ as to mizan (pl. mawazin) or rhythmic pattern (wazn, pl. awzan). Formally the tempo increases while the awzan simply within each of five sections, called mawazin. The sections are introduced by short instrumental pieces and vary according to region, the name of a section indicating the wazn used: *in Algeria (12 nubah and 4 incomplete): *in Tunisia (13 nubah): *in Morocco (11 nubah): The instrumental ensemble used includes the ud, rabab, Maghreb rebab or rebec, nay, qanun, tambourine, and a goblet drum called darbuka. The instrumentalists also serve as chorus.

Arabesque (Turkish music)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Description and history#

A very small percentage of arabesque is exclusively instrumental. For the great majority of it, a singer lies at the center of the music. Male singers dominated the genre in its early years, but female singers probably predominated during its peak years of popularity. Simultaneously, with the influx of female singers, the sound grew more dancey and upbeat. Suat Sayın is generally considered the founder of the genre. Other well-known older singers are Orhan Gencebay, Ferdi Tayfur, Müslüm Gürses, and Hakkı Bulut. One of the most prolific and commercially successful is İbrahim Tatlıses, who broke all sales records in Turkey in 1978 and continues to turn out popular music to this day. He has maintained popularity in the arabesk scene in recent years through remixing his tracks into dance-friendly club tracks. The pure arabesque album “Acıların Kadını” (tr: woman of pains) by the singer Bergen was the bestselling album in Turkey in 1986 and may be fairly labelled one of the classic albums of the genre. Bergen had several other hit arabesque albums during the 1980s. Other singers include Ebru Gündeş, Seda Sayan, and Sibel Can. The singers Muazzez Ersoy and Bülent Ersoy designate themselves as modern exponents of Ottoman classical music. Zerrin Özer also made arabesque albums between 1982 and 1988, including her album “Mutluluklar Dilerim,” released in 1984. One of the important names of arabesque musicians who died in 2000 was Ahmet Kaya and another of the names died in 2012 was Azer Bülbül. Another of the important names of arabesque music died in 2017 was İbrahim Erkal. A common theme in arabesque songs is the highly embellished and agonizing depiction of love and yearning, along with unrequited love, grief, and pain. This theme had undertones of class differences in early 1960-70s, during which most of the genre’s followers , mostly working-class to lower middle-class , identified themselves. Turkish composer Fazıl Say has repeatedly condemned and criticized the arabesque genre, equating the practice of listening to arabesque “tantamount to treason”.

Arabic hip-hop

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Before Arabic hip-hop emerged as a separate genre, Arab-Americans were regularly involved in hip-hop in the United States, such as Los Angeles-based producer Fredwreck and Miami-based DJ Khaled. American hip-hop music began to see popularity in the Arab World in the early-to-mid 1990s. Northern African Arabic-speakers in Europe, mostly residing in France, the epicenter of European hip-hop, were the first to begin making the music that constitutes the Arabic hip-hop genre. For example, the Saïan Supa Crew and IAM had Arabic members. This music, a product of the French banlieue’s beur and noir communities, was a blend of traditional American hip-hop, the French styles popular at the time, and Raï, a popular music style from Northern Africa. Groups began to emerge in Palestine in the mid-90s, including popular group DAM. DJ Lethal Skillz was promoting new local groups “such as Aks El Seir” at around the same time. In Egypt, American hip-hop was less popular, but a small buzz led to an emergent b-boy population. In 2004, the first hip-hop show took place there when the RZA, member of the Wu-Tang Clan, performed in the Siag Hotel in Cairo alongside Kinetic 9 of Killarmy, a Wu-Tang Clan affiliate, Cilvaringz (a Moroccan-Dutch, and the first Arab to get signed by an American rap group) and Saleh Edin, an American-Moroccan rapper. It is difficult to establish numbers for albums sold or listenership by demographic in the Arab world due to the lack of reliable statistics. Furthermore, viewership of satellite TV in the Arab world cannot be accurately quantified. However, we can discern popularity through marketing techniques utilized by satellite television providers. According to a 2007 report, “more than 85 percent of urban households in the Arab world have satellite television,” a forum that has expanded to include music channels such as MTV Arabia which " at the time plan ned to offer a hefty dose of mainly western hip-hop and much of the same youth-lifestyle programming MTV beams across the U.S."

Arabic maqam

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Background#

The designation maqam appeared for the first time in the treatises written in the fourteenth century by al-Sheikh al-Safadi and Abdulqadir al-Maraghi, and has since been used as a technical term in Arabic music. The maqam is a modal structure that characterizes the art of music of countries in North Africa, the Near East and Central Asia. Three main musical cultures belong to the maqam modal family: Arabic, Persian, and Turkish.

Arabic music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Pre-Islamic period#

Pre-Islamic Arabia was the cradle of many achievements in the sphere of music, musical theory and the development of musical instruments. In Yemen, the main center of pre-Islamic Arab sciences, literature and arts, musicians benefited from the patronage of the Kings of Sabaʾ who encouraged the development of music. For many centuries, the Arabs of Hejaz recognized that the best real Arabian music came from Yemen, and Hadhrami minstrels were considered to be superior. music. Most historians agree that there existed distinct forms of music in the Arabian peninsula in the pre-Islamic period between the 5th and 7th century AD. Arab poets of that time—called shu`ara’ al-Jahiliyah (Arabic: شعراء الجاهلية) or “Jahili poets”, meaning “the poets of the period of ignorance”—used to recite poems with high notes. It was believed that Jinns revealed poems to poets and music to musicians. The choir at the time served as a pedagogic facility where the educated poets would recite their poems. Singing was not thought to be the work of these intellectuals and was instead entrusted to women with beautiful voices who would learn how to play some instruments used at that time such as the drum, the lute or the rebab, and perform the songs while respecting the poetic metre. The compositions were simple and every singer would sing in a single maqam. Among the notable songs of the period were the huda (from which the ghina derived), the nasb, sanad, and rukbani.

Arabic pop

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Songwriting, recording and distribution formats#

The road to Arab stardom is very different from the one in the Western world. Traditionally, a certain producer creates the full song from music to lyrics, no matter the talents of the performer. Most music is recorded in studios as is Western Pop music. But also several live albums have been popular, such as with Asalah and Egyptian legend Umm Kulthum. Music has been released as single records, later replaced with cassettes in the album format, and by the late 1990s, and 2000s, additionally on CDs. Singles were not released separately, but just airplay is common. By the mid 2010s, they have been increasingly released on streaming services which allowed singles to be released again as soon as they become available. There are no official charts or certifications due to the informal nature of the business and bootlegging. In the mid 2000s, Ringtone charts were occasionally made, but due to bootlegging, they were supposedly highly inaccurate. There are several awards in different countries awarded in different ways according to their organizations. In fact, bootlegging is so common that most bootleggers have their own brands. They are so bold that they usually put contact info on the front of the CDs. Bootlegging is such a major problem that most artists cannot rely on royalties for income. Most of the actual musical income came from ringtone downloads, which was more prevalent than in the West. Other income comes from endorsement deals and live performances. Live performances are mainly brokered through the record label. This includes public concerts, such as at arenas or major media events. However, performances at weddings and private parties are common and well paid, no matter the artist’s level of fame. Music TV channels and music shows such as Arabs Got Talent are popular in the Middle East and North Africa, where some 40 Arab music channels exist. Rotana is the most popular company, running six TV channels, a record label, and a roster of more than 100 of the top Arab pop artists.

Assyrian folk-pop music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Background#

Assyrian folk music claims to be the descendant of the music of their ancient Upper Mesopotamian ancestors that has survived in the liturgical music of the Syriac Churches. Assyrian songs are generally sung in Iraqi Koine, a standard variety of Assyrian Neo-Aramaic. However, older songs mostly had an Urmian dialect and tribal-folk music tend to contain Tyari dialects. Themes tend to focus on longing, melancholy, strife and love issues. Assyrian songs are usually lengthy, tending to be around 5 minutes long on average.

Baladi

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Baladi music and dance#

Baladi means ‘of the country’ and is a style of Egyptian folk dance from the early 20th century which is still very popular. Thus, Egyptian Beledi means ‘of the country of Egypt’. Egyptians have Baladi people, Baladi bread, Baladi rhythms, Baladi music and Baladi dance. Baladi can take the form of traditional songs, often with a verse-chorus structure – some popular examples include “That il Shibbak” and “Hassan ya Koulli”. There is also an improvised musical form in the baladi style.

Balkan brass

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Records show that trumpeters were part of the Serbian army of prince Stefan Vojislav, which defeated the Byzantines in the Battle of Bar on the Rumija mountain in 1042. Together with the drummers, they are mentioned being in the armies of prince Lazar Hrebeljanović and his successors, despots Stefan Lazarević and Đurađ Branković in the 14th and 15th century. During that period, the trumpet was only used as a military instrument. The music’s tradition stems from the First Serbian Uprising led by Karageorge in 1804 (Serbian revolution) when Serbs revolted against the occupying Ottoman Empire, eventually liberating Serbia. The trumpet was used as a military instrument to wake and gather soldiers and announce battles, the trumpet took on the role of entertainment during downtime, as soldiers used it to transpose popular folk songs. When the war ended, the soldiers returned to the rural life; the music became common, accompanying births, baptisms, weddings, the slava (family patron saint day), farewell parties for those joining military service, state and church festivals, harvesting, reaping, and during funerals of family members in the community. As Serbia was liberated from the Ottoman Empire after the Second Serbian Uprising in 1815, Serbian prince Miloš Obrenović formed the band at his court in Kragujevac. As the new state was still under heavy Ottoman influence, the band played oriental music. It was headed by violin and zurna player, Mustafa. He was titled oberlautar (chief singer) or in Serbian, bukadžija, which literally means the “noise maker”. To westernize the state, prince Miloš dismissed Mustafa in 1831 and invited Josif Šlezinger (1794-1870), a musician and composer from Sombor, to form the first military orchestra, with the European instruments, so the trumpet was returned to the orchestras. After the World War I it became the most popular folk instrument, suppressing the previously dominant gaida and violin (in folk music called ćemane). The amateur players were originally taught by the former professional military trumpeters, like Momir Miletić, Momir Subotić and Dojčilo Đukić. The village orchestras were mostly disbanded during the World War II, but after 1945 they were renewed. In time, three schools of brass music developed: eastern (Zaječar, Boljevac), southern (Vranje, Surdulica, Vladičin Han) and western (Užice, Čačak, Požega).

Balkan music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Byzantine medieval music#

Byzantine music (Greek: Βυζαντινή Μουσική) is associated with the medieval sacred chant of Christian Churches following the Constantinopolitan rite. Its modal system is based on the ancient Greek models. The development of large scale hymnographic forms begins in the fifth century with the rise of the kontakion, a long and elaborate metrical sermon, which finds its acme in the work of Romanos the Melodist (sixth century). Heirmoi in syllabic style are gathered in the Irmologion, a bulky volume which first appeared in the middle of the tenth century and contains over a thousand model troparia arranged into an octoechos (the eight-mode musical system) and the whole system of Byzantine music which is closely related to the music of ancient Greece.

Ballade (classical music)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Origin#

The musical ballade originates in the literary tradition of medieval and early Renaissance poetry. In poetry, the ballade featured a highly structured form, typically composed of three main stanzas with a repeated refrain. This structure allowed poets to weave tales of romance, heroism, and folklore, with Guillaume de Machaut being a key figure in popularizing this poetic style. Additionally, the ballade existed as a courtly dance, marked by its elegance and association with nobility, reinforcing its connection to grand and noble themes. As the literary ballade evolved, its narrative and lyrical qualities inspired composers to translate these elements into instrumental music. By the Romantic era, composers like Chopin began adapting the narrative essence of the ballade, creating expressive piano works that conveyed dramatic arcs and emotional depth without adhering to a strict poetic structure. These musical ballades embraced the storytelling spirit of their literary predecessors, allowing composers to explore narrative through melody and thematic development.

Baqashot

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

The custom of singing baqashot originated in Spain towards the time of the expulsion, but took on increased momentum in the Kabbalistic circle in Safed in the 16th century. Baqashot probably evolved out of the tradition of saying petitionary prayers before dawn and was spread from Safed by the followers of Isaac Luria (16th century). With the spread of Safed Kabbalistic doctrine, and coffee consumption—which allowed devotees to stay awake through the night —the singing of baqashot reached countries all round the Mediterranean and became customary in the communities of Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Rhodes, Greece, Yugoslavia, Egypt, Turkey and Syria. It also influenced the Kabbalistically oriented confraternities in 18th-century Italy, and even became customary for a time in Sephardic communities in western Europe, such as Amsterdam and London. (In Amsterdam the Shabbat service still begins with a small number of baqashot. In London the tunes for one or two of them have been preserved in the literature but the practice no longer exists.) By the turn of the 20th century baqashot had become a widespread religious practice in several communities in Jerusalem as a communal form of prayer. In communities such as those of Aleppo, Turkey and Morocco, the singing of baqashot expanded to vast proportions. In those countries special books were compiled naming the tunes and maqamat together with the text of the hymns, in order to facilitate the singing of baqashot by the congregation. In these communities it was customary to rise from bed in the night on Shabbat in the winter months, when the nights are longer, and assemble in synagogue to sing baqashot for four hours until the time for the morning service. Each country had its own collection of baqashot, and there is often little or no overlap between the collections of different countries. The Moroccan collection is known as “Shir Yedidot” (Marrakesh 1921): unlike in the Aleppo tradition, where the baqashot service is the same every shabbat, the Moroccan tradition has a different set of baqashot for each week. The Amsterdam collection is set out in the first part of Joseph Gallego’s Imre No’am: the contents of this were probably derived from the Salonica tradition.

Berber music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Musical/vocal styles#

Berber music is characterized by its use of folk oral traditions, as well as particular scales and rhythmic patterns, which include pentatonic music and African rhythms. All these elements are combined to form one of the main sources of entertainment in Berber social ceremonies like marriages, as well as verses, tales and songs.

Instrumentation#

The Berber people are spread out over a large part of Africa, but are mostly concentrated in the northwestern region of Africa. They use a vast array of both melodic and percussive instruments. The following instruments are part of their secular and religious dance and song: *Taghanimt, an end-blown reed flute. Used mostly to accompany songs rather than dance, the taghanimt has a rich, breathy texture. *Mizwid, a type of bagpipe; the term literally means “bag” or “food pouch”. *Zukra (Tunisia) or ghaita (Morocco). In both countries, these instruments are combined with several percussive instruments to create large ensembles which may perform at public festivals or similar occasions. *Nafir, a long natural horn, a type of valveless trumpet. This instrument is used mostly as a signaling instrument to send out messages to large groups, although it also has some performance value. *Ginbri (Morocco), a fretless plucked string instrument with a skin stretched over its body on the playing side: the skin has the same acoustic function as the membrane on a banjo. Most ensembles have at least one ginbri, although some have more than one. *Rebab, a long-necked bowed instrument with a large body. Like the ginbri, it is constructed with a skin on the string side. This instrument has only one string, usually of horse hair, and is commonly played alongside the ginbri. *Tabl (), a cylindrical double-sided drum. Although it has a similar usage and spelling to the tabla of India, no direct connection has been found between the two. The qas’ah is a large shallow kettledrum found mostly in Tunisia. Similar to the qas’ah is the Naqqarah, two ceramic kettledrums played simultaneously by both hands. *Bendir (Morocco and Algeria ), a snare frame-drum. A series of bendirs played simultaneously provide the main percussive rhythm for Berber music as the above-mentioned drums are more artistic than bendirs. *Qaraqib, a large metal castanet-like musical instrument. Normally one is held in each hand. These may be used to keep a rhythm or to play their own pattern. *Tende, a drum made with mortar and pestle.

Bulgarian wedding music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

The international marketing of wedding music includes Klezmer, Scottish, and Rom(an) music of Bulgarian roots. Ivan Paparov, the clarinetist, is considered the creator of the genre of wedding music in Bulgaria. In 1974, he established two bands as orchestral ensemble in the town of Stara Zagora in Thrace. He improvised the stylistic and eclectic forms of Narodna muzika, a Bulgarian form which incorporated music styles of Greece, Turkey, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Gypsies. This type of music is unlike concert music and involves participation by the dancers and the wedding party and hence it is “loose, spontaneous and dynamic” in structure. Solos are also part of the music which normally accentuates the final shape of the music. There is significant impact of American jazz (a feature noted in the music of Bulgaria since the 1950s) in the wedding music. Papasov termed this type of music also as of balkanski dzhaz (Balkan jazz). Todor Zhivkov, the autocratic dictator, during the period from 1954 to 1958, in his determination to preserve and promote Bulgarian folk music, took a particularly repressive approach against non-Bulgarian music of gypsy origin, which was the Bulgarian wedding music a genre of music well beyond the concept of traditional music. During his regime, in all official media, it was only folk music which was broadcast and promoted. In view of the external influence in this music the totalitarian regime (Leninist regime) in Bulgaria officially discouraged this music though it was very popular among the public. With the demise of the communist regime in 1989, this music form became even more popular.

Chaabi (Algeria)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

The best known chaabi singers#

The best known chaabi singers are as follows: * El Hadj M’Hamed El Anka * Hadj M’rizek * Amar Ezzahi * El Hachemi Guerouabi * Boudjemaâ El Ankis * Kamel Messaoudi * Abdelkader Chaou * Dahmane El Harrachi * Lounès Matoub

Features of Chaabi#

What distinguishes this Algerian Chaabi are the sounds and poems, which represent sad memories of times gone by, heart-warming and/or romantic emotions, time spent with friends, and other memories, set against a beautiful background of Algeria. It is music that describes the reality of life and even includes tales and stories such as the stories of the prophet Mohamed and the religious. The words create wonderful pictures. Today, hundreds of singers are inspired by Rai music which can be heard all over the world.

Chalga

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Etymology#

The name Chalga is derived from the Turkish word Çalgı, meaning “musical instrument”.

History#

Although it originated in parallel with ex-Yugoslav turbofolk in the 1960s and 70s, contemporary Chalga music first emerged in 1989 after the collapse of the communist regime of Bulgaria, which persecuted musicians who played western or western influenced-styles. The political freedom that came with the fall of the Iron Curtain thus enabled Chalga to emerge and enjoy commercial success as a genre. Many conservative-minded figures in Bulgaria have criticized Chalga for its lyrical themes, often revolving around sexual liberation, youth culture, and glorification of wealth and capitalism, which critics considered morally corrupt. However, in the modern day, most Bulgarians have embraced Chlaga due to its liberal attitudes and alternative subculture, viewing it as an important piece of modern Bulgarian culture. Throughout the Balkans, folk traditions have seen a process of modernization. Chalga has similarities with Greek Laiko and Turkish Arabesque music, a style with similar pop elements, incorporating Turkish music elements and lyrics, mixed with Arab influences due to religious and cultural similarities to between Turkey and the Arab world.

Chanson franco-orientale

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

The genre emerged in early 20th centuries, as French artists began to integrate musical elements inspired by the different cultures of the French colonial empire. Early examples, categorized under the label chanson arabe, include Haia by Paul Lack, and La Bédouine et le Tuba by Charlus (1909). In the 1930s, several artists associated with chanson réaliste, such as Marie Dubas and Nitta Jo, contributed significantly to the genre’s development. Chanson franco-orientale reached a peak of popularity in the late 1950s before gradually declining in visibility in subsequent decades.

Character piece

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

The first appearance of the term “character piece” is in the avertissement (preface) to Marin Marais’s fifth book of viola da gamba music published in 1725. He writes that pièces de caractère are now received favorably by the public, so he has decided to insert many of them. Marais’s pieces such as “La Petite Badinage” and “Dialogue” have descriptive, literary titles, as opposed to the ordinary titles of stylized dances such as the allemande and courante. In German, the term Charakterstück was originally used to denote a broad range of 19th-century piano music based on a single idea or program, although attempts to use musical effects to describe nonmusical subjects are “probably as old as music itself.” Character pieces are a staple of Romantic music, and are essential to that movement’s interest in the evocation of particular moods or moments. What distinguishes character pieces is the specificity of the idea they invoke. Along with invoking these ideas, composers such as Robert Schumann use romantic irony to enhance the depth of their works, creating powerful illusions, “ Music is an evidently art which lifts mankind above life”. Some of these illusions through romantic irony are broken, “this technique exposes an illusion the view that the composition in question came into existence purely spontaneously”, adding color and individuality into the classical mainstream. Many character pieces are composed in ternary form, but that form is not universal in the genre. A common feature is a title expressive of the character intended, such as Stephen Heller’s Voyage autour de ma chambre (“Voyage around my room”), an early example of the genre, or Bruckner’s Abendklänge (“Evening harmonies”). Many character pieces have titles based on literature (Schumann’s Kreisleriana, 1838) or personal experiences (Schumann’s Kinderszenen, 1838). Other character pieces have titles suggesting brevity and singularity of concept, such as Beethoven’s Bagatelles, or Debussy’s Préludes, or casual construction: the title Impromptu is common. Many 19th-century nocturnes and intermezzi are character pieces as well, including those of Chopin and Brahms, respectively. Large sets of many individual character pieces, intended to be played as a single piece of music, were not uncommon; Schumann’s many works of this form (including Kreisleriana and Carnaval) are the best known examples. In the late 19th and twentieth centuries, as piano music became ambitious and larger in scale, the scope of what a character piece could reference grew as well. The New Grove cites Smetana’s “Festival of the Gypsy Peasants” and Sibelius’s “The Oarsman” as examples of this later trend.

Chorale prelude

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Function#

The precise liturgical function of a chorale prelude in the Baroque period is uncertain and is a subject of debate. One possibility is that they were used to introduce the hymn about to be sung by the congregation, usually in a Protestant, and originally in a Lutheran, church. This assumption may be valid for the shorter chorale preludes (Bach’s setting of ‘Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier, BWV 731, for example), but many chorale preludes are very long. It could be the case that these were played during special services in churches or in cathedrals.

Coptic music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Contemporary personalities contributing to Coptic music#

Mikhail Girgis El Batanouny
Adel Kamel
Ragheb Moftah
Ernest Newlandsmith
Nabila Erian
Emmanuel Saad
Abanob Ghobrial

External links#

“The Transmission of Coptic Orthodox Liturgical Music: Historical and Contemporary Forms of Theorization, Translation, and Identity Construction” A PhD dissertation exploring the history and current practice and theory of Coptic music.
“Coptic youth blog” Contains digital music and videos of Coptic liturgies, hymns, songs, and Coptic hymn lessons.
“Coptic Music,” Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia
Complete collection of Cantor Mikhail Girgis El Batanouny’s recordings of Coptic chant from coptichymns.net
DeaconTube - A video learning website for Coptic Orthodox hymns
coptichymns.net coptichymns.net - Sharing the Joy of Coptic Hymns Around the World
copticheritage.org The Official Website of the Heritage of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
Coptic Music, Hymns, and Rites Articles from coptichymns.net
Coptic Music Articles
Coptic Multimedia Archive at Saint TeklaHimanot Church of Egypt Articles
Coptic Orthodox Liturgical Chant & Hymnody and the Ragheb Moftah Collection at the Library of Congress

Desert blues

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Historical background#

The Tuareg people live in a region of North and West Africa that covers large portions of the Sahara across the modern-day national boundaries of Mali, Algeria, Niger, Libya, and Chad, and to a lesser extent, reaching into Burkina Faso and Nigeria. They had been nomadic pastoralists involved in trans-Saharan trade for many hundreds of years. At the turn of the 20th century, the Tuareg were subjected to French colonial rule, after a lengthy resistance movement and defeated rebellion. With the departure of colonial powers in the 1950s and 1960s, the lands inhabited by the Tuareg population were split primarily between the six new countries of Mali, Algeria, Niger, Libya, Burkina Faso and Chad, making them ethnic minorities across the region. For the next few decades, natural resources diminished due to increasing desertification and the Tuareg minorities have since been involved in a series of conflicts and rebellions, creating hardship for the survival of Tuareg people and their culture. In 1973, a major drought forced many of the Tamasheq-speaking people throughout the deserts to reconsider their traditional way of life as nomadic herders. Many took refuge in urban centers across the region, but with many lacking formal education, the Tamasheq were largely unemployed. The term ishumar began to be used describing young Tamasheq. A unique culture began to arise among many of the economically and politically marginalized youths, sometimes rebellious or revolutionary in nature, reasserting a cultural pride. Many young men, including future members of Tinariwen, took employment in a Tamasheq military unit being assembled by Libyan military leader Muammar al-Gaddafi. Besides receiving military training and weapons in the Gaddafi-sponsored camps, many of the young Tamasheq men were also exposed to revolutionary ideas, pan-Africanism, and popular music. In the decades to follow, the Tamasheq were involved in extended episodes of violence and rebellion against the various governments in the region, both as victim and perpetrator. The stories of socio-political unrest have been relayed through music, contributing to and partially shaping the Tamasheq people’s culture and ideals.

Doina

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Origins and characteristics#

Béla Bartók discovered the doina in Northern Transylvania in 1912 and he believed it to be uniquely Romanian. After he found similar genres in Ukraine, Albania, Algeria, Middle East and Northern India, he came to the belief that these are part of a family of related genres of Arabo-Persian origin. He particularly linked the Romanian doina to the Turkish/Arabic Makam system. Bartók’s conclusions were rejected by some Romanian ethnomusicologists, who accused Bartók of anti-Romanian bias. Similarities between the Romanian doina and various musical forms from the Middle East have been subsequently documented by both non-Romanian and Romanian scholars. Until the first half of the 20th century, both lăutari were recorded using a taksim as an introduction to a tune. The taksim would be later replaced by the doina, which has been described as being similar, though not totally identical to the taksim. Romanian ethnomusicologist and musician Grigore Leşe, after performing with a group of Iranian musicians, noticed that the doinas of Maramureş have “great affinities” with the Arabo-Persian music. The doina is a free-rhythm, highly ornamented (usually melismatic), improvisational tune. The improvisation is done on a more or less fixed pattern (usually a descending one), by stretching the notes in a rubato-like manner, according to the performer’s mood and imagination. Usually the prolonged notes are the fourth or fifth above the floor note. The peasant doinas are mostly vocal and monophonic and are sung with some vocal peculiarities that vary from place to place: interjections (măi, hei, dui-dui, iuhu), glottal clucking sounds, choked sobbing effects, etc. Instrumental doinas are played on simple instruments, usually various types of flutes, or even on rudimentary ones, such as a leaf. The peasant doina is a non-ceremonial type of song and is generally sung in solitude, having an important psychological action: to “ease one’s soul” (de stâmpărare in Romanian). Grigore Leşe believes that, while scholars describe in great detail the technical aspects of the doina, they fail to understand its psychological aspects. Doinas are lyrical in aspect and their common themes are melancholy, longing (dor), erotic feelings, love for nature, complaints about the bitterness of life or invocations to God to help ease pain, etc. The doina is an integral component of the archaic Romanian pastoral poem When the shepherd lost his sheep, where it expresses the shepherd’s sorrow and lamentation for his lost flock. Unlike peasant doinas, lăutar and klezmer doinas are usually accompanied and played on more complex instruments (violin, pan-pipe, cymbalom, accordion, clarinet, tarogato, etc.). Also, unlike peasant doinas, lăutar and klezmer doinas are mostly played as an introduction to another tune, usually a dance. In the regions of Southern Romania, Romani lăutari developed a type of doina called cântec de ascultare (meaning “song for listening”, sometimes shortened to de ascultare or simply ascultare). The cântec de ascultare spread to other regions of Romania, with local particularities. Klezmer Doinas are influenced by Hassidic niguns.

Egyptian hip-hop

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Hip hop originally emerged in the United States in the 1970s and it has influenced the emergence of hip hop music in Egypt. In the early 1990s, hip hop music entered the Arab world and has since then grown into a popular music genre in the region and in Egypt. Palestine can be credited with the first Middle East country to internalize hip hop as they were the first to introduce western styles of music making and beats, thereby creating a discography dedicated to resistance against Israeli settler-colonialism. In regards to Egypt, hip hop music gained traction in Egypt more recently. It was not until the early 2000s that hip hop began to rise in popularity in Egypt. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Egyptian musicians and producers were influenced by the American and Western hip hop music and Egyptian music groups such as MTM (Mezzika Tilakhbat Mukkah), MC Amin, Egy Rap School, and Way Crow Family began to insert hip hop elements in their own music. However, at first, Egyptian hip hop did not grow very fast and the amount of hip hop music that was produced was not extensive because the majority of radiostations were controlled by the Egyptian government which attempted to prevent hip hop music from dominating Egyptian radio. It was not until the rise of the Internet that Egyptian hip hop reached a greater audience and after the rise of social media, Egyptian musicians started to share their music online and as a result, Egyptian hip hop music gained significant popularity in Egypt and in the global context. Andrew A. El-Sayid (OsamaBinRappin) is believed to be the first person to bring hip hop music to Egypt. OsamaBinRappin is a rapper from West Covina, California, and he brought Dr. Dre’s “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang” ft. Snoop Dogg cassette single, and DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince’s “Boom! Shake the Room” red cassette single to Egypt on July 25, 1993. During his visit to Egypt he would play this music for his cousins, and would take the two cassettes on tour throughout his 1-month vacation, to cities such as Alexandria (Agami Beach) and he would eventually these cassettes accidentally with the DJ at ‘Disco 54’ a club downstairs at the hotel. On August 26, while taking a taxi to Cairo Airport with his father and brother, the country of Egypt heard hip hop for the first time on its radio airwaves. The song played was “Boom! Shake the Room.”

Fasıl

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Şarkı#

A şarkı is an art song in Ottoman classical music which forms one of the movements of a fasıl (suite). It is performed with an usul (metric structure). This kind of song is rarely performed today. In modern Turkish, şarkı is the common word for any song, Turkish or foreign.

History#

Starting from the 19th century, the şarkı form began to occupy a more prominent place in musical sections. In the second half of this century, particularly being popularized by Hacı Ârif Bey, it became a dominant form, leading to the gradual neglect of other classical forms over time.

Fijiri

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

External links#

Youtube clip of The Ghalali traditional music and dance group performing a Fijiri song in a village near Muharraq, Bahrain, October 7 2009
Audio samples of Salem Allan and Ahmad Butabbanya on Zeryab.com

Flamenco

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Etymology#

Historically, the term flamenco was used to identify the Romani people (gitanos) of Spain. The English traveller George Borrow who travelled through Spain during the 1830s stated that the gitanos were also called Flemish (in Spanish, ‘flamenco’) due to German and Flemish being erroneously considered synonymous. According to flamencologist Cristina Cruces-Roldán, a year prior to Borrow’s account, there already existed a gitano party in Madrid that was clearly identified as flamenco. This equivalency between gitano and flamenco is also noted by Manuel Fernández y González, Demófilo, and the scholar Irving Brown who stated in 1938 that “flamenco is simply another term for gitano, with special connotations.” Other less successful hypotheses include those of Felipe Pedrell and Carlos Alemendros who state that while the term flamenco is Spanish for Flemish, it is actually synonymous with cantador (professional singer) in reference to the group of Flemish singers brought by Spanish King Carlos I in 1516. Another hypothesis that is not widely accepted is the Arabist theory of Blas Infante, which in his book Orígenes de lo flamenco (Origins of flamenco) presents flamenco as a phonetic deformation of Arabic fellah-mengu (runaway laborer) or was derived from the Arabic terms Felah-Mengus, which together mean “wandering peasant”. For example, in the 1860s-70s this versatility was exemplified through its use to refer to a musical style and a certain aesthetic, manners, and way of life that were perceived to be gitano. At that time, flamenco was not a strict genre but a way of performing music in a gitano-Andalusian style.

Gharnati music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Modes#

The modes (Arabic: طبوع: tūbūb’) that are known in the school of Tlemcen are the following: * Mawwāl (الموال) ** Mawwāl (الموال) ** Dīl (الذيل) ** Raṣd ə-Dīl (رصد الذيل) ** Māya (الماية) * Zīdān (الزيدان) ** Zīdān (الزيدان) ** Raml əl-ʿAšiyya (رمل العشية) ** Mǧənba (المجنبة) * Raml əl-Māya (رمل الماية) ** Raml əl-Māya (رمل الماية) ** Raṣd (الرصد) * ‘Iraq Maṭlūq (العراق المطلوق) ** ‘Iraq Maṭlūq (العراق المطلوق) ** Ḥsīn (الحسين) ** Ġrībat əl-Ḥsīn (غريبة الحسين) * Məzmūm (المزموم) ** Məzmūm (المزموم) * Sīkā (السيكاه) ** Sīkā (السيكاه) * Ǧārkā (الجاركاه) ** Ǧārkā (الجاركاه) * ‘Irāq Maḥṣūr (العراق المحصور) ** ‘Irāq Maḥṣūr (العراق المحصور) ** Ġrīb (الغريب)

Gnawa music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Etymology#

The name Gnawa originated in the indigenous languages of North Africa and the Sahara Desert. According to the grammatical principles of Berber, the term appears as is agnaw in the singular and ignawen in the plura, meaning “black person.” In the Sanhaja language, the term also derives from the root ‘gnw’, meaning “black”. The term Gnawa is transcribed as the words “Knawi” or “Jnawi”, linking its origin to the name Guinea and the historical regions of West Africa. In Berber ‘akal niguinamen’ (singular - ‘aguinaw’) means the ’land of the black men’, historically associated with the Ghana Empire.

Gypsy style

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Characteristics#

Music played in this style can easily be recognized among many other styles. Characteristic elements of the style include: * Instrumentation * The repertoire * The idiom Among these items the last one — the idiom — is decisive: it is mainly the way of playing that determines whether a tune is played in Roma people’s style or not. It is — just like in jazz – not the combination of instruments that determines the style, but its characteristic performance.

Hacha'a

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

The poetry#

Hacha’a poetry, also known as Tajleebah (from Arabic ), comes from the Arabic root j-l-b (ج-ل-ب), meaning “to drag” or “to turn over,” referring to the classic opening line “I turn you over, oh night, a thousand times” (لاجلبنك يا ليلي الف تجليبة). It is composed in the Hazaj poetic meter. The earliest known poet in this style is Hasan al-Alqawi, who composed in the Salah al-Din region in the mid-19th century during the Ottoman period. Hacha’a poetry describes the suffering of love. The audience hand-claps and interjects verbally with “hacha’a” at the end of each verse as a rhythmic refrain, meaning to lie down, in an encouragement to be finally rid of all the suffering by lying down, whether alone or with the loved one.

Hadhrami music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

The tradition of Hadhrami song began to take shape in the mid-19th century. Early pioneers emerged among the Ba ‘Alawi communities in Tarim, Seiyun, and Al-Hawtah, where local musicians first professionalised the art of singing and music. Notable figures during this period include Sayyid Omar bin Abdullah Al-Habashi and Ahmed bin Aidarous Al-Habashi, both of whom played pivotal roles in shaping the region’s musical heritage. In Tarim, Sayyed Abdul Qadir bin Hassan Al-Kaf—popularly known as Saeed—became one of the earliest and most esteemed artists of Hadhramaut. Renowned for his voice, intricate melodies, and mastery of traditional instruments such as the oud and the rebab. The origins of Hadhrami music are said to be deeply rooted in ancient traditions, with its origins tracing back thousands of years to the Aad tribe of southern Arabia, with early myths recounting the legend of Jaradatay Aad—a duo of legendary female singers reputed to be among the first to perform in the Hadhramaut region. Hadhrami musical styles are markedly distinct from those of northern Yemen. According to the ethnomusicologist Jean Lambert, the Hadhrami Dan was virtually unknown in Sana’a until the late 1980s, despite the presence of a significant number of political refugees from Hadhramaut in Sana’a. Lambert argues that this phenomenon reflects a longstanding lack of political and cultural integration between Hadhramaut and the rest of Yemen, even though the region is part of the broader Yemeni cultural sphere. Historically, Hadhramaut maintained extensive contacts with regions such as India, Indonesia, and the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. These interactions contributed to a distinctive musical identity that developed largely independently of northern Yemeni traditions. It was only after Yemen’s unification that many Hadhramis began to more fully recognise a unified Yemeni identity and its attendant political responsibilities. Hadhrami music has been deeply influenced by Sufism. Over the centuries, Sufi chanting in Hadhramaut has served as both a cultural melting pot and a creative incubator for local musical traditions. The proliferation of Sufi religious schools (rabat) helped to preserve and continuously develop this art form, which bears similarities to the Tihami chanting style. In many parts of Hadhramaut, annual festivals—coinciding with occasions such as the Islamic New Year, the Prophet’s birthday, the mid-point of Shaʿban, and the Friday of Rajab—feature religious chanting and poetic recitations. Although some conservative segments of society have historically viewed music as contrary to religious principles, these celebrations have persisted as important expressions of communal heritage and artistic practice. The region is renowned for its vast array of over four hundred distinct rhythmic patterns that vary by locality. These rhythms are closely tied to daily activities and special occasions—from planting and fishing to wedding celebrations. A key musical form in the region is al-Dan, a fixed melodic structure in which the melody precedes the lyrics; in contrast, in other songs the lyrics typically come before the melody.

Intermezzo

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Renaissance intermezzo#

The Renaissance intermezzo was also called the intermedio. It was a masque-like dramatic piece with music, which was performed between the acts of a play at Italian court festivities on special occasions, especially weddings. By the late 16th century, the intermezzo had become the most spectacular form of dramatic performance, and an important precursor to opera. The most famous examples were created for Medici weddings in 1539, 1565, and 1589. In Baroque Spain the equivalent entremés or paso was a one-act comic scene, often ending in music and dance, between jornadas (acts) of a play.

Iranian alternative rock

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

After the Iranian Revolution, rock music became illegal. After Iran-Iraq War, the youth needed some music to protest. In the following years, groups such as Kiosk, Ahoora and O-Hum provided important effects in this style. “Jurassic Park Coalition” is the best-known alternative rock Iranian song released by Kiosk Group. Alternative rock music is not yet recognized in Iran, so the groups that work in this genre continue to operate underground.

Iranian folk music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Introduction#

Folkloric items, such as folk-tales, riddles, songs, and everyday-life narratives, were collected through the discovery and translation of the Avesta, that is a collection of ancient Iranian religious texts. In classical Iran, minstrels (gusans ; ) had a prominent role in the society. They performed for their audiences at royal courts and in public theaters. The modal concepts in Iranian folk music are linked to those of the country’s classical music. Many of Iran’s folk songs have the potential of being adapted into major or minor tonalities, and Iranian singers of both classical and folk music may improvise the lyric and the melody within the appropriate musical mode. Experiments and influences from Iran’s folk music have been incorporated into the musical appearance of tasnif, that is a type of vocal composition in Iranian classical music. Composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries used the folk music of their native countries as a source of inspiration for their compositions. Iranian folk songs were incorporated into musical compositions that were produced within the parameters of classical Iranian modes, combined with western musical harmonies. The poetic meter of do-baytī (“two-couplet”), often sung in the Iranian vocal mode of avaz (music) , is closely associated with Iranian folk tunes. Ru howzi, a musical comedy in Iran’s traditional theater, involves loose paraphrases of stories from Iranian folklore and classical literature that are already known to the audience. The stories contain funny remarks that are improvised and indicate social and cultural concepts. Traditionally, ru howzi was performed on stages made of boards that were covered with rugs and were put on a small pool () in the courtyard. Musical instruments of various sorts are used in Iran’s traditional music, some of which belong to specific groups. Three types of instruments are common to all parts of the country, namely sorna (karnay, zurna), ney (flute), and a doubleheader drum called dohol.

Iranian hip-hop

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Hip hop emerged within Iran in the late 1990s, when a few Iranians started translating American gangsta rap into Persian and spread recordings of these songs on the internet. A little later these individuals would start writing their own lyrics and experimented with producing original tracks. Iranian hip hop originates from the country’s capital Tehran, although a number of experimental works were recorded earlier by diasporan Iranian musicians, particularly in Los Angeles. In the early 2000s, rap music did not enjoy huge popularity yet within Iran and the emerging hip hop scene consisted of a relatively small community of artists based in several Iranian cities. On several occasions, recording studios have been shut down, websites have been blocked, and artists have been arrested. During the Green Movement that erupted after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s disputed 2009 re-election, a widespread crackdown on artistic expression occurred that targeted those who had participated in or supported the protests. Many rappers have since emigrated from Iran. Hip hop dance is also present in underground movements, with few performances having received limited permission.

Iranian jazz

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Early years#

Jazz music emerged in Iran along with the development of western influences into the pop music. One of the pioneers of jazz music in Iran was Alfred Lazaryan, a little-known singer and dancer whose first recorded song made a hit on the Iranian national radio. However, Lazaryan soon gave up singing.

After the 1979 Revolution#

A music group named Ejazz performed the first officially sanctioned jazz music concert in post-revolutionary Iran. They produced jazz fusion, incorporating elements from the indigenous classical music. combines classical Persian poetry with modern jazz and blues. She has established a model to the jazz fusion project that she continues to incorporate in her work. Her best-known work, Drunk With Love, is based on a poem by prominent 13th-century Persian poet Rumi. Pallett, a similarly successful band that was formed in 2009, composes jazz fusion of clarinet, cello, and double bass.

Iranian rock

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Early years#

Rock music was introduced in Iran by the 1960s, together with the arrival of other Western musical genres in the country’s music industry. Iranian rock music was developed by the emergence of artists such as Farhad Mehrad, Kourosh Yaghmaei, The Dangers and Scorpio . It soon grew as a popular musical genre among the young generation, especially at the nightclubs of Tehran and Abadan.

Couchini Restaurant#

The origin of many Iranian rock artists, including Farhad and the Black Cats, is Couchini Restaurant. The restaurant was founded by Vida Ghahremani in the early 1960s. Farhad Mehrad played the piano at this restaurant and was the lead singer of the Black Cats group. He also sings the songs of Ray Charles. The Americans in that area had given Farhad the nickname “Ray Charles of Iran”. Ebi also performed his first performance at Couchini Restaurant. After the Black Cats became famous, they no longer performed at the restaurant. That’s why other groups like Scorpio replaced them. In general, Couchini Restaurant was the most important place to cultivate Iranian rock music.

Iraqi maqam

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Famous maqam singers#

There are many Iraqi maqam singers including: * Ahmed al-Zaidan * Rashid al-Qundarchi * Muhammad al-Qubanchi * Hussein al-A’dhami * Najm al-Shaykhli * Hassan Khaiwka * Hashim al-Rejab * Yousuf Omar * Farida Mohammad Ali * Abd al-Rahman Khader * Hamed al-Sa‘di * Nazem Al-Ghazali * Filfel Gourgy * Affifa Iskandar * Mulla Hasan al-Babujachi * Rahmat Allah Shiltagh * Khalil Rabbaz * Rahmain Niftar * Rubin Rajwan * Mulla Uthman al-Mawsili * Jamil al-Baghdadi * Salman Moshe * Yusuf Huresh * Abbas Kambir * Farida al-A‘dhami *Maeda Nazhat

Israeli hip-hop

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Although Native Hebrew hip hop gained popularity only during the 1990s, stemming from global influences, traces of it could be found during the mid-1980s. Yair Nitzani, then a member of the Israeli rock group, “Tislam”, released an old school hip hop parody album under the name “Hashem Tamid”. In 1995, the Beastie Boys toured Israel and were interviewed by Quami de la Fox (Eyal Freedman) on Galgalatz, the Israeli Army’s radio station and most popular radio station of that time. After the interview, Quami de la Fox created a Hebrew parody of their song “So What’cha Want” to promote their tour in Israel. Later that year Quami de la Fox collaborated with DJ Liron Teeni, also a host on the Galgalatz station, to produce Esek Shachor (Black Business) – the first all hip hop radio show in Israel. Playing a mix of Hebrew, Arabic and English hip hop, by 2000 Esek Shachor “was the most popular program on Galgalatz and today remains a leader in Israel’s hip-hop world.” Israeli listeners initially rejected their music. Chemi Arzi, one of the band members, recalls, “‘They said you just can’t rap in Hebrew; it doesn’t sound good.’” Shabak Samech continued to produce Hebrew-language rap songs in efforts to promote this new style of Hebrew and Mediterranean hip hop. The band was initially marginalized due to the belief of Israeli DJs that their audiences would be lost, but they eventually reached success. While Israeli hip hop may be seem to have common underlying themes with US hip hop and they share the main elements of hip hop, mainstream hip hop in Israel tends to deal mainly with the situation in the country, spirituality, or politics. Israeli rappers talk about more personal issues such as the struggles of growing up in Israel. Most Jewish Rappers tends to disregard the political situation between Arabs and Jews, yet they refer frequently to the economic situations in the country. Since 2001, with the rising of new Hip Hop acts, most issues are dealing with creation, essence of Hip Hop, street culture, drugs, hedonism, etc. Some of the songs also gear towards more religious themes since many of the rappers are Jewish or Muslim. Israeli hip hop has such a motivational theme behind it that local governments support the Hip Hop movement that has exploded among Israeli youth. The government has even supported Hip Hop groups who travel to other countries, viewing it as a good outlet for the rest of the world to view them through. Israeli Hip Hop is creating several positive movements among the people of the country that will continue to grow and become even more popular. Some of the things the Israeli rappers rap about can tend to be controversial as well. As far as media exposure of artists who address real issues like child abuse or the future of the state of Israel is concerned, Israeli artists seem to have the same problems getting heard as artists in America; they address current issues but don’t get much attention from the radio stations that play popular music or television stations. Before Hip Hop was considered a genre in Israel, pop and disco music were the only genres being played on the radio. When Hip Hop songs started becoming popular, the radio stations refused to play them. They felt that Hip Hop didn’t make people feel good so they would not play it. The songs spoke of everything from terrorism and religion to children speaking up about abuse in their home. And as far as the ongoing conflict between the Arab population and the Jewish population, hip hop music seems to document this more accurately from various viewpoints than any other popular music or news medium in Israel. Even the conflict between Arab and Israeli rappers is documented in films such as Channels of Rage which showcases Subliminal and an Arab-Israeli named MC Tamer Nafer whose friendship ended due to political tension.

Israeli rock

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

1960s#

Israel’s initial attitude towards rock music was mixed, with the genre gaining popularity amongst the youth but receiving condemnation from the press and government, most notably in 1965 when the minister of education Hanoch Rinot prevented the funding for a possible concert in Ramat Gan by The Beatles, labeling their music as holding “no artistic value”. Israeli musicians of the time believed that it was a fad that would soon pass. The first Israeli rock bands began performing in the mid-1960s in nightclubs and discos, first in Ramla and later on HaMasger Street in Tel Aviv. These bands mainly performed cover versions of popular rock songs by bands like The Beatles and The Shadows. Rock culture, in the social and political sense, was nowhere in sight. The High Windows, The Lions (aka The Lions of Juda), The Styles (aka Uzi and the Styles), The Fat and the Thins, The Blue Stars, The Goldstars, The New Stars, The Generals, The Monks, The Spiders, The Electric Stage, The Seventh Radiance, and The Sing-Sing. In the euphoria that followed the Six-Day War, the performing groups of the Israel Defense Forces rose in status with a steady stream of songs about victory, bereavement and loss. Rock became part of the alternative music scene that was played mostly in clubs such as “Hakarish” and “Calypso”, formerly known as drug dens. Near the end of the decade rock and roll gained legitimacy. Western musicians arrived in Israel, and influences of the pop revolution permeated local culture. Some of the local bands added English musicians to their ensemble, creating several new bands that were based on the original rhythm bands. In the second wave of rhythm bands, three main bands led the local rock scene. The first was The Churchills, which consisted of five musicians including Canadian singer Stan Solomon, and British guitarist Robb Huxley. These were the most creative of the Israeli rock bands; they played innovative combinations of psychedelic rock mixed with Mediterranean Arab music. In 1970 the Israeli composer Noam Sheriff initiated a concert played by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and The Churchills, and their shared work with Arik Einstein, Oshik Levi and other artists from the mainstream Israeli pop music scene granted the Israeli rock scene a public stamp of approval. The second band, The Lions, was considered to be the first Israeli band to experiment with reggae music. The third prominent Israeli band of those years was the supergroup Uzi and the Styles, created by the former lead singer of The Fat and the Thins, Uzi Fox. The band’s varied style was derived from British pop and American soul music and was characterized by the compound-rich processings of wind instruments that resembled Blood, Sweat & Tears, Chicago, etc. By 1969, Arik Einstein had taken The Churchills under his wing as a backup band, and with their help he would record the groundbreaking album “Poozy”, which is often considered the mainstream breakthrough of the genre. The followup to the album would be the first of several fruitful collaborations with Shalom Hanoch with “Snail” and “Plastilna” both in 1970.

Kanto (music)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Terminology#

Italian opera and theater had a profound effect on Turkish culture during the early 20th century. The terminology of music and theater derived from Italian. In the argot of the improvisational theater of Istanbul the stage was called sahano, backstage was referred to as koyuntu, backdrops depicting countryside as bosko, the applause as furi, and the songs sung as solos or duets between the acts and plays were called kanto. As was the case with their Italian counterparts, the Turkish troupe members played songs and music before the show and between the acts to pique people’s interest and draw in customers. Kanto were based on traditional eastern makam but performed with Western instruments.

Khaliji (music)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Bahrain#

Hala Al-Turk
Hanan Redha
Hind Al-Bahrinya
Ali Bahar † (Al-Ekhwa Band)
Ahmed Sultan (Sultanies Band) - Bandari + Khaleeji

Kuwait#

+Aziz
Bashar al-Shatti
Nawal El Kuwaitia
Shams

Saudi Arabia#

Abdul Majeed Abdullah

United Arab Emirates#

Ahlam Al-Shamsi
Hussain Al Jassmi
Mehad Hamad
Shamma Hamdan
Eida Al Menhali
Ahllam (Persian + Arabic Khaleeji)
Hamdan Al-Baloshi
Shahad Al-Bastaki
Mehrshad (Bander Abbas-born Emirati Artist)

Egypt#

Amr Diab
Angham
Tamer Hosny

Lebanon#

Diana Haddad
Nawal El Zoghbi

Morocco#

Ibtissam Tiskat
Jannat
Saad Lamjarred

Tunisia#

Saber Rebai
Thekra

Yemen#

Abu Bakr Salem Belfkih

Lăutărească music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Lăutărească and traditional pastoral music#

Romanian traditional music consists of two major branches: professional lăutărească music and traditional pastoral music. Traditional pastoral music is characterized by instrumental pieces in a tempo rubato, primarily performed on wind instruments such as the tilincă, fluier, caval, bucium, and others. The vocal repertoire includes the doinas, bocets (funeral songs), and colinde. This tradition is primarily preserved by shepherds, but also by other peasants, for whom music is an integral part of their daily life and domestic culture. It is typically performed in a domestic setting or at small gatherings, rather than at festive events. The repertoire is usually limited to a few melodies. Instruments are typically handmade and may vary in design, while ensemble performances are very rare. Lăutărească music is performed by professional musicians, known as lăutari, who are predominantly of Romani origin, although musicians from other ethnic groups are also present. Moldovan prince and scholar Dimitri Cantemir described wedding traditions in 18th-century Moldova, noting: “they invite musicians, who are scarcely ever not Gypsies”. Similar patterns were observed in Wallachia, though in Bukovina, Banat, Maramureș, and Transylvania, Romanian musicians played a more prominent role. According to Romanian ethnomusicologist Speranța Rădulescu, approximately 80% of Romanian lăutari are of Romani origin. Lăutari earn a living by playing at weddings, christenings, and funerals in both Romanian and Romani communities, playing a crucial role as intermediaries in ritual processes. They typically perform as part of musical ensembles known as tarafs and use more complex instruments compared to traditional pastoral musicians. Tarafs predominantly feature string instruments, including the violin, cobza, cimbalom, and double bass, along with wind instruments such as the nai and cimpoi. In the 20th century, the accordion also became a key instrument. In Moldova, brass bands () are also popular among lăutari, with notable examples such as . There is no strict stylistic boundary between the two branches of Romanian traditional music. Lăutari, for example, often incorporate shepherd melodies into their repertoire. The officially promoted folk music, broadcast on television and radio, represents a formalized and adapted version of both traditions.

Lied

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Terminology#

For German speakers, the term “Lied” has a long history ranging from twelfth-century troubadour songs () via folk songs () and church hymns () to twentieth-century workers’ songs () or protest songs (). The German word Lied for “song” (cognate with the English dialectal leed) first came into general use in German during the early fifteenth century, largely displacing the earlier word gesang.

Late Middle Ages or Early Renaissance#

The poet and composer Oswald von Wolkenstein is sometimes claimed to be the creator of the lied because of his innovations in combining words and music. The late-fourteenth-century composer known as the Monk of Salzburg wrote six two-part lieder which are older still, but Oswald’s songs (about half of which actually borrow their music from other composers) far surpass the Monk of Salzburg in both number (about 120 lieder) and quality.

Liwa (music)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

References#

https://web.archive.org/web/20080203142429/http://www.arab.net/uae/ue_music.htm
http://www.alshindagah.com/may/dances.htm
Africans in the Persian Gulf
Video of Liwa in Kuwait
(en) Poul Rovsing Olsen, “La Musique Africaine dans le Golfe Persique”, Journal of the International Folk Music Council, Vol. 19, (1967), pp. 28–36
(fr) Maho Sebiane, « Le statut socio-économique de la pratique musicale aux Émirats arabes unis : la tradition du leiwah à Dubai », Chroniques yéménites, 14, Numéro 14, 2007 .
(fr) Maho Sebiane, “Entre l’Afrique et l’Arabie : les esprits de possession sawahili et leurs frontières”, Journal des africanistes, 84-2 2014, 48-79.
(en) Maho Sebiane, Beyond the leiwah of Eastern Arabia Structure of a possession rite in the longue durée, Música em Contexto, Brasília Nº. 1 (2017): 13-44
(fr) Maho Sebiane “Nuisances et chaos des Vents. Expressions de l’agressivité dans un rite de possession en Arabie orientale”, Cahiers d’ethnomusicologie 33, 2020: 113-131
Liwa and Tanbura from Africa to Bahrain, Part 2, Al Waqt newspaper, 21 Feb 2009

Mahraganat

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

The origins of mahraganat (mahragan songs) lie in the popular (aka sha’bi or shaabi) neighborhoods and streets of Egypt. In 2006–7, wedding DJs began combining shaabi music and electronic dance music with influences from reggaeton, grime and rap. In 2011, the Revolution began and the genre reflected the political turmoil as DJ Figo, released his first big single entitled “Ana Baba, Y’lla” Initially, mahragan received no airplay on radio or television and spread online by means of such sites as YouTube and SoundCloud. Like mulid (a different sub-genre of sha’bi music) it is dance music, not meant for sitting and listening. Mahragan street performances inspire wild, sometimes acrobatic dancing, combining hip-hop moves with raqs baladi (Egyptian folk dancing). In 2014, mahragan DJ Souissy signed a record deal and artists such as EEK (which is purely music without lyrics) brought the genre to the mainstream in Egypt. By summer 2014, mahraganat had become popular throughout all of Egypt. Outside of Egypt, the genre was popularised by alternative culture magazine Audio Kultur and the Cairo Liberation Front. Dance music blog Generation Bass also helped introduce mahraganat to European audiences. In 2014, a group of mahragan DJs toured the Netherlands. The genre was considered vulgar by some older and more conservative Egyptians. This is because of the social status of the performers and fans, the controversial topics and style of lyrics, use of obscenities, and personal style of the mahragan fans. In 2016, Nagham FM radio station banned maharagan songs from its programs, citing that they did not “match Egyptian customs and traditions”. However, television shows and music producers moved to cash in on the new trend, signing certain artists, such as Oka & Ortega, who have performed more widely since 2013 and recorded some commercials, and many hit songs. On Valentine’s Day 2020, a concert was held in Cairo Stadium featuring many stars, and Hassan Shakoush, a leading Mahraganat singer, was also invited to the concert alongside his Mahraganat co-singer, Omar Kamal, where they performed their superhit, Bent El-Geran (The Neighbor’s Daughter). In light of this event, there was some momentum on social media criticizing what they called a lack of age appropriateness of parts of the lyrics such as using many Egyptian street slurs and slang words, which some other artists considered as deviation from Egyptian values. Moreover, criticisms were frequently referring to one other explicit line in their hit song stating “I drink alcohol and smoke Weed”. However, the singers reacted by releasing a video where they claimed that what happened was an inadvertent mistake, and that they aren’t advising youth to switch to alcoholism or get drunk. In the video, they apologized and explained that the wrong version was played even though another version had already been recorded where the explicit line was altered. Shortly after, the Egyptian union of musicians decided to ban Mahraganat music in Egypt and to deny Mahraganat singers their memberships, including actor and Mahraganat performer Mohamed Ramadan.

Malhun

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Origins#

The mǝlḥun first emerged as a pure literary creation, as a poetic genre today known in Morocco under the name of “qasida” (meaning “poem”) (Arabic: القصيدة) or “zajal” (Arabic: الزجل). It developed in the Tafilalet oases of southern Morocco in the fifteenth century before it spread to other parts of the Maghreb. The Mal’aba of Al-Kafif az-Zarhuni (ملعبة الكفيف الزرهوني) is considered to be the oldest known form of the Malhun, dating back to the Marinid dynasty era (14th century). The Mal’aba describes the union’s attempt of the Maghreb by the sultan Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Othman. Written in Moroccan Arabic, it represents the origins of the modern Malhun. Ibn Khaldun mentions it at the end of his Muqaddimah as one of the main lyrical epics of the art called “Mala’ib” (ملاعب).

Manele

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Early references to the terms manea and manele appear in Romanian texts from the late 18th and early 19th century, during the period of Turkish suzerainty over the Romanian principalities, as a genre of dance music brought by Roma from Istanbul. In the 1960s a type of lăutarească manea appeared, by adding texts to the geampara, a type of lăutaresc genre of Turkish origin. The modern manele originated in the 1980s and early 1990s as translations and imitations of Turkish and Arabic songs. A well known Romanian manele singer, Adrian Copilul Minune traces it to a genre known as “turceasca” (Turkish). The genre has been rocked by accusations of plagiarism a number of times, with manele singers adapting popular songs from Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and Turkey, without giving due credit. The accusations increased especially after the hit “De ce mă minți” (“Why are you lying to me?”) proved to be a mere cover of Despina Vandi’s song “M’agapas”/“Ah kardoula mou”. Further plagiarism accusations surrounded a well known manele singer’s track called “Supărat” (“Upset”) which was proven by third parties to be plagiarized from a Croatian song (Umoran by Jasmin Stavros). Although this song was not technically a manea, it furthered the controversy surrounding this music genre and Romania’s image. Most radio and television channels or media boycott manele music.

Marfa (music)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Origin#

Marfa is a Yemeni Arabic word used for the kettledrum. Due to the Hadhrami people’s influence on the culture of the Ethiopian Siddis, the word marfa became a symbol of the music played using the kettledrum. Kettledrums are replaced with Handi kettledrums

Forms#

Marfa music is created from three different musical rhythmic beats also called teen maar taal. The music is performed only by men, whereas dances and jiggling are common among both men and women. Popular marfa rhythms include: * sewari * bamb sheklah * ya abu bakar-ya abu salah * salaam almukallah * jumbali zimbali * benazeer benazeer * ahlan wasahlan

Mawwal

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Etymology#

Mawwal is an Arabic word that means “affiliated with”, “associated with,” or “connected to”. The verb is waala (). It is measure 3 of the root verb “Walia” (), which means to follow, be affiliated with, support, or sponsor. Originally the verbal noun has a Yaa in the definite form but it loses it when the word is indefinite.

History#

There are many preferences regarding the origin of the mawwal, one of these is the one al-Suyuti attributes it in the book Sharh al-Muwashah to the era of Harun al-Rashid. When he insisted on his concubines to eulogize his minister, Jaafar al-Barmaki, after his brutality against him, then a concubine named al-Mawlia, from which “mawwal” is derived, was the one who eulogized him. Another preference is Safi al-Din al-Hilli in his book al-Mawwal al-Baghdadi in which he attribute it to the people of Wasit in Iraq. Also, Safi al-Din al-Hilli says that the mawal is from the simple sea sounding on the base of the wide sea, and the mawal continued in this way until the eighth century AH, when the mawwal appeared using the Iraqi dialect of the vernacular and the subsequent branching of the mawal in the eleventh century into three other types, namely The quatrain and The lame and Numani.

Mizrahi music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Background#

Mizrahi Jews who immigrated from the Arab countries have, over the last 50 years, created a unique musical style that combines elements of Arabic, Turkish, and Greek music. This is not to be confused with the New Hebrew Style, as the Mizrahi style is more spontaneous. After World War II, many Jewish families made Aliyah to the new state of Israel, founded in 1948. The Muzika Mizrahit movement started in the 1950s with homegrown performers in neighborhoods with a high concentration of Jews from Arab countries who would play at weddings and other events. They performed songs in Hebrew, but in an Arabic style, on traditional Arabic instruments—the oud, kanun, and the darbuka. In the 1960s, they added acoustic and electric guitar to their sound and so their sound became more eclectic. Vocalists usually decorated their singing with trills, and delivery was often nasal or guttural in sound. Intonation was typically Western, however; singers did not use the quartertone scales typical of Arabic music. Into the 1980s synthesizers and electronic instruments made their debut in Mizrahi music. The first Mizrahi artist of this era was the Moroccan-born Jo Amar, who through the 1950s and 1960s made several albums and songs contributing to the genre, mostly influenced by Moroccan music. Another notable if foreign artist that helped contribute to the young genre was Aris San, who helped popularise Greek music in Israel in the 1960s and 1970s with his distinct rock style on traditional Greek songs. Lyrics were originally texts taken from classic Hebrew literature, including poems by medieval Hebrew poets. Later they added texts by Israeli poets, and began writing original lyrics as well. An example is the song “Hanale Hitbalbela” (Hannale was confused), sung by Yizhar Cohen. The lyrics are by the modern Israeli poet and lyricist Natan Alterman, to a traditional tune. Singers also translated childhood favorites from Arabic to Hebrew and added electronics and a faster tempo.

Music of Egypt

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

The ancient Egyptians credited the goddess Bat and the god Ihy with the invention of music. The cult of Bat was eventually syncretised into that of Hathor because both were depicted as cows. Hathor’s music was believed to have been used by Osiris as part of his effort to civilise the world. The lion-goddess Bastet was also considered a goddess of music in ancient Egypt.

Neolithic period#

In prehistoric Egypt, and chanting were commonly used in magic and rituals. Rhythms during this time were unvaried and music served to create rhythm. Small shells were used as whistles.

Music of Jordan

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Traditional Jordanian musical instruments#

Jordanian music has a diversity and a range of components that make it a popular art. Over the centuries music has evolved and so did its instruments. Jordanian music comes with a variety of instruments. * Flute/reed pipe known as Shababa * Mizmar * Mijwiz * Arghul known as Yarghul * Oud * Tablah * Rebab * Bagpipes known as Gerbeh * Riq * Daf * Simsimiyya, found in the port city of Aqaba and the southern desert

Music of Lebanon

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Traditional music in Lebanon#

Traditional Lebanese music shares influences with nearby countries including Syria and Egypt. Beirut music also features similarities with Bedouin tradition as well as folk music from Lebanon’s more rural regions. The capital’s secular music was heavily shaped by the Ottomans and music guilds offering some form of protection to artists despite Lebanese society’s view of them coming from a lower status. Lebanese folk music features Aramaean, Byzantine and later Islamic styles of music found across the Levant, with significant religious influences. Key features include poetic and rhythmic tunes that have a typically unison melody sung solo or with a group. Zajal poetry is considered one of the most well-known forms of traditional music in Lebanon as well as other styles like ma’anna, a part of the melismatic and syllabic music type, and qarrâdi known for its charming village feel. These music styles are often paired with dabke and feature a range of popular instruments in Lebanon. Nahda Music (1885-1940), translating to “Arab Renaissance” is attempted to be revived through Tajdīd min al-Dakhil translating to “Renewal from Within” which is an effort in preserving traditional music that has gained support in Lebanon after 2009. Supported by the Music Institute at Antonine University and the Arabic Music Archiving and Research (AMAR) Foundation, the group was centered on recovering Nahda performances, styles and instruments. Specifically, they have collected music records, reels and wax cylinders from across the Middle East including Lebanon in an effort to preserve traditional music.

Music of Mauritania

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Instruments#

Traditional instruments include an hourglass-shaped four-stringed lute called the tidinit and the woman’s kora-like ardin. Percussion instruments include the tbal (a kettle drum) and daghumma (a rattle).

Types of Mauritanian music#

There are three “ways” to play music in the Mauritanian tradition: *Al-bayda - the white way, associated with delicate and refined music, and the Bidan (North African Moors) *Al-kahla - the black way, associated with roots and masculine music, and the Haratin (Sub-Saharan Moors) *l’-gnaydiya - the mixed or “spotted” way Music progresses through five modes (a system with origins in Arabic music): karr, fagu (both black), lakhal, labyad (both white, and corresponding to a period of one’s life or an emotion) and lebtyat (white, a spiritual mode relating to the afterlife). There are further submodes, making for a complicated system, one to which nearly all male musicians conform. Female musicians are rare and are not bound by the same set of rules.

Music of Morocco

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Aita#

Aita ( “call, cry or lament”) is a popular Bedouin musical style that originates from the countryside of Morocco, especially the Atlantic plains—areas such as Doukkala-Abda, Chaouia-Ouardigha, and Rehamna.

Amazigh folk music#

There are many varieties of Berber folk music and dance, such as Rif, Atlas, Chawia, and Canaria.

Ahwash#

Ahwash (, ) is a collective musical form associated with Amazigh communities in southern Morocco, particularly around Ouarzazate, the Dra’a Valley, and Sous. Ahwash involves dance, singing, poetry, and percussion.

Music of Palestine

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Pre-1948#

In the areas now controlled by both Israel and Palestine, multiple ethnic groups and religions have long held on to a diversity of cultures. Mandatory Palestine population with Arabs (including urban and rural Muslim classes, Arab Christians, Druze and Muslim Bedouin) constituted the largest group, followed by Jews (including Sephardim, Mizrahim and Ashkenazim), Samaritans, Circassians, Armenians, Dom and others. Wasif Jawhariyyeh was one oud player, famous for his post-1904 diary.

Music of Saudi Arabia

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Ardah#

Ardah, a type of folkloric dance, is the most popular dance in Saudi Arabia, and also the national dance. It is performed with two rows of men opposite of one another, each of whom may or may not be wielding a sword or cane, and is accompanied by drums and spoken poetry. Najdi ardah is the most common variant of ardah in Saudi Arabia. It is also the most practiced and highly televised male folkloric dance in the entire country. The Saudi government changed its name to ‘Saudi ardah’ in the 21st century. However, there are numerous variations of ardah distinct from Najdi ardah throughout the country, notably in the regions of Najran, Asir and Jizan.

Music of Syria

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Characteristics of Syrian music#

Syria borders the Mediterranean sea and is located in the Levant. This area has been culturally influenced by many conquests and geopolitical activity. The multiple influences and sweeping conquests have created many of the cultures to share particular practices or traditions. Music of the Middle East has a predominantly monophonic nature. This is more clearly understood as the music not having multiple melodies or harmonies playing. There can be a rich texture created if multiple instruments playing the same melody with slight variations or rhythmic ornamentations. Ethnomusicologist Bruno Nettl describes this as more common style of music texture known as another style of texture which he calls parallel polyphony which consists of a singer improvising a melody and an instrument following behind with the that same melody. Many of the tones played are played as an interpretation of the music from the player, rather than the music notation or song. This gives the player the freedom to bend or mold the notes causing an improvisational effect on the structure of the music. This results in a personal interpretation of the players feelings towards the song. This causes an effect that connects the performer with the audience which can create a feeling of ecstasy in the listener. Compared to western music, this may be similar to a solo produced by a player during a song or a rendition of a song that keeps the same form but is changed slightly creating an effect that is predictable enough to the listener while revealing new variations of the song. This style of song in Syrian music creates a feeling of excitement for how the musician will play the upcoming sections.

Music of Thrace

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Types of dances#

Chelebinsko (Chain Dance of the Gentlemen): is a choreography by Belco Stanev with great music in an interesting meter. It’s 9/8 divided : 2 3 2 2. In the vocal part, the steps are exactly on the meter: QSQQ, but in the instrumental refrain, half a bar is added 2 3 (QS). The steps are in 2 2 2 3 (QQQS) and the missing half bar 2 2 (QQ) is added at the end so that is missing (mathematically).
Izgryala E Mesechinka (The moon has risen): A beautiful song from Northern (Bulgarian) Thrace that has inspired many choreographies, all of them with extensive arm work that is typical in dances from this region.
Jambolsko Paidushko: Pajdusko/Paidushko Horo/Baiduska, is a group of dances usually danced in a 5/16 or 5/8 (Q S) rhythm and found in a large area spanning Serbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Greece, and beyond. It resembles the “aksak” (Turkish for limping) rhythmic system. Its various forms reflect local preferences. This one is from the Jambol region in Northern (Bulgarian) Thrace, and was first introduced in the United States by Dick Crum.
Krivo Sadovsko Horo (Twisted chain dance from Sadovo, Northern Thrace): is a very fast dance, in a 13/8 rhythm, this dance has many versions.
Pazardzhishka Kopanitsa: Pazardzhik Kopanitsa from Pazardzhik, Northern Thrace.
Pravo Trakiisko Horo: Pravo Trakiisko Horo (Straight Thracian chain dance) is from Northern Thrace. It has very little in common with the simple Pravo Horo (straight chain dance). It’s a challenging choreography by a performing group that was brought down from the stage.
Sedi Donka (Donka is sitting): One of the most unusual musical patterns in Bulgaria, Sedi Donka is in 25/16 meters. It is subdivided 7+7+11, which in turn can be subdivided 3 2 2, 3 2 2, 2 2 3 2 2.
Trakiiska Rachenitsa: Trakiiska Rachenitsa is a highly stylized rachenitsa from Northern Thrace with much arm work.
Trite Pati: Trite Pati (the three times) is a dance from Northern Thrace. Like some other Thracian dances, it is also danced in Western (Greek) Thrace. It has many similarities with stis treis dance from Manastir villages and Kavakli (Topolovgrad). Stis treis is the Greek version of the dance and it’s mentioned below.
Kuluriastos: Kuluriastos is a Greek dance from Western Thrace. It has a slower Zonaradikos part, and a faster part where the beginning of the line loops into the center and back out again. It’s a lot of fun to dance this, especially if the dancer is near the beginning of the line. As with many Greek dances, it can be danced to multiple songs.
Sfarlis: Sfarlis is a beginner’s dance from Western Thrace.
Troiro: A fast dance from Northern Thrace, from the Boyalik villages. It is one of the most difficult Greek dances of Thrace. Many Bulgarian dances from Northern Thrace have “cousins” (very similar dances) in Western (Greek) Thrace, and this is one of them: a Greek dance that sounds and feels Bulgarian.
Dostlar Bizim Halaya: This is a rom dance from Eastern (Turkish) Thrace. It is a reminder of the so-called “tsigansko horo” (gypsy chain dance), but the dances are not at all alike.
Hassapia: an ancient dance that simulates a stealth approach on any enemy camp, from beginning to victory. The hassapia dance has been dated back to Hellenistic times, before the time of Alexander the Great whose soldiers brought it to Macedonia. It is a warrior’s dance in which the movements represent the noiseless approach on the enemy camp, the encounter, the fight, and the victory. This dance is done in a circle using a shoulder hold. A similar dance called “kasapsko horo” (butcher’s chain dance) is performed in Bulgaria.
Kallinitikos: performed by three people (either two men and one woman or two women and one man), named after the kalines, or friends of the bride during her wedding, who escort her to the church performing this dance. Kallinitikos is a dance done by groups of three people: a man in the middle and two women at his sides or a woman in the middle and two men at her sides. The dance is named after the kalines, the bride’s girlfriends, who do this dance as they escort her to the church. Performed in Western Thrace.
Kouseftos: derived from kousevo (to run in the Ancient Thracian language), performed, not in a circle, but in the form of a labyrinth Kouseftos, with its characteristic quick running steps, takes its name from the word kousevo in Ancient Thrace which means to run. It differs from other Thracian dances in that, instead of being danced in a circle, its dance progression takes the form of a labyrinth. Performed in Western Thrace.
Mandilatos (Sygkathistos): a couples dance performed at weddings. Mandilatos is a couples’ dance which takes its name from the mandilia or handkerchiefs that the dancers hold while dancing. This dance is done at weddings as the guests escort the bride or the best man to the church. During the procession, some guests hold a mirror which symbolizes the purity of the bride and others hold brooms which symbolize her housekeeping ability. This dance is performed in Western Thrace. A similar dance called “rachenitsa” (from “raka” - an arm) is performed in Northern Thrace.
Stis tris: a slow but swift dance. Stis Tris means “in threes.” Each dance set is composed of three parts of four steps each. The arms are held down and move in a synchronized motion with the steps. This dance is performed under different names in Northern Thrace and Western Thrace. It has many similarities with Trite pati and technically they are versions of the same dance, one Greek and one Bulgarian.
Sygkathistos: performed as the bride and groom are escorted to and from the church during weddings. Syngathistos is a free style couples dance that is danced as the bride and groom are escorted to and from the church. The bridal party also dances as they display and exchange gifts with the bride and groom, particularly gifts of handkerchiefs and head scarves. This dance is performed in Western Thrace.
Xesyrtos: a circle dance with men performed at the front of the line. Xesyrtos is a circle dance in which the men dance at the front of the line, followed by the women, and do variations to the dance step with characteristic slaps, jumps, and kicks. This dance is performed in Western Thrace.
Zonaradikos: a circle dance in which the participants (usually men) hold each other’s belts. It is one of the primary dances of Western Thrace, where a variety of dance moves are performed. The Zonaradikos is dance in which the participants hold each other by their belts or zonaria (hence the name Zonaradikos). The three variations of the basic movements are: paties or stomps, monopatia or single stomp, and psalidia or scissors; usually followed by the koulouriastos or curling. A similar dance called “na poyas” (for belt) is found in Northern Thrace.
Dousko Zonaradiko-Tsestos: Dousko is the zonaradiko of Northern Thrace. Tsestos is the dance that comes after dousko and they are danced together. Tsestos is a challenging twelve-step dance from Northern Thrace, also known as Eastern Rumelia (today’s Bulgaria) that is performed by both men and women. It begins as a moderate tempo dance with very limited dance figures (this part is named Dousko, the steps are almost the same as in the Zonaradiko dance). As it unfolds, the men come in the front and they clutch each other by the belt (zonari). At this point, the dance becomes very swift and intense and consists of a plethora of dance figures. Its origins can be traced to an ancient Greek dance, Pyrihios, which is a twelve-step dance too. Bulgarian Trakiisko Pravo Horo has many similarities with Dousko Zonaradiko Tsestos.
Paydushko (Baiduska, Pajdusko, Pajduska, Payduska): a very aggressive dance, usually performed by men. It is associated with fierce and intense dance moves. Performed in all three regions of Thrace: Northern (Paidushko Horo), Western (Baiduska), and Eastern (payduska). The dance has some differences between regions.
Halay: Halay is a famous dance in the Middle East. It is a symbol of the tempestuous way of life in its place of origin, Anatolia. It is a national dance in Armenia and Turkey. The traditional form of the Halay dance is played on the Zurna, supported by a Davul. The dancers form a circle or line while holding each other by the little finger. From Anatolia, the Halay has spread to other regions, such as Armenia and the Balkans.
Karsilama: a dance found in both Western and Eastern Thrace.

Listen to#

Ancient Greek Bagpipe (Askaulos) Improvisation by Giannis Pantazis
Pazardjishka kopanitsa
Krivo sadovsko horo
Paydushko horo
Alexander and the King (Thrace) (feat. Vangelis Dimoudis)
Izgryala e mesechinka
Yambolsko Trite Puti
Eleftheria Arvanitaki - Do sta lianohortaroudia (Zonaradiko)
Pajdusko (Balkan Guzeli)
Tricked by the Birds (Thrace) (feat. Vangelis Dimoudis)
Pajdusko (Balkan Guzeli) - Turkish Lyrics
Alan Cayirlari
Musical Travelogue with Domna Samiou in Thrace, Evros
Trite Puti
Mandilatos(Mandra)
Hijaz Mandilatos(Hicaz Mandra)
Kazım Koyuncu - Tabancamın Sapını(Mandilatos-Mandra havası)
A Bre Suluman Aga
Dousko Zonaradiko-Tsestos Greek Dance

Music of Tunisia

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Malouf#

Malouf is played by small orchestras, consisting of violins, drums, sitars and flutes. Modern malouf has some elements of Berber music in the rhythms, but is seen as a successor to the cultural heights reached by Muslim Andalusia. Malouf has been called “an emblem of (Tunisian) national identity” https://web.archive.org/web/20050325204236/http://www.worldmusiccentral.org/article.php?story=20030421192920196 . Nevertheless, malouf can not compete commercially with popular music, much of it Egyptian, and it has only survived because of the efforts of the Tunisian government and a number of private individuals. Malouf is still performed in public, especially at weddings and circumcision ceremonies, though recordings are relatively rare. The term malouf translates as familiar or customary. Baron Rodolphe d’Erlanger is an important figure of modern Tunisian music. He collected the rules and history of malouf, which filled six volumes, and set up The Rachidia, an important conservatory which is still in use.

Muwashshah

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

While the qasida and the maqama were adapted from the Mashriq, strophic poetry is the only form of Andalusi literature known to have its origins in the Iberian Peninsula. Andalusi strophic poetry exists in two forms: the muwaššaḥ: a more complex version in Standard Arabic with the exception of the concluding couplet, or the kharja, and zajal: a simpler form entirely in vernacular Arabic. Ibn Sanāʾ al-Mulk (d. 1211), author of Dār aṭ-ṭirāz fī ʿamal al-muwashshaḥāt (), wrote the most detailed surviving musical description of the muwashshaḥ. He wrote that some of the muwashshaḥāt had lyrics that fit their melodies (sometimes through melisma), while others had improvised nonsense syllables to fill out the melodic line—a practice that survives to the present with relevant sections labeled as shughl ( ‘work’) in songbooks.

Orchestral song

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

What was effectively song with instrumental accompaniment – the cantata and the aria – had been part of music since the early baroque. Beethoven and Schumann too had occasionally provided instrumental accompaniment to some songs. Full orchestration, to enable a song to “hold its own” in a 19th-century concert environment, developed from the 1840s. Among the earliest experiments with orchestral song are those of Liszt who orchestrated several of his songs in the 1840s but did not publish them. Liszt also had the operetta composer August Conradi orchestrate his Le juif errant and Jeanne d’Arc around 1848, but these too were neither published nor performed. Long after Berlioz’ publication of his orchestrations of Les nuits d’été in 1856, Liszt finally published his own orchestration of Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher, as a dramatic scene for voice and orchestra in 1874. The form was brought to fruition by Mahler, to the extent that it is difficult to say where Mahler’s symphonies end and where his symphonic songs begin.

Ottoman music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Naming conventions#

The naming conventions of the Ottoman’s Empire’s classical tradition are the cause of significant controversy, as naming schemes proposed by governments often place significant importance on the “nationalization” of music, resulting in contradiction. It is known that the Ottomans did not often distinguish between different musical traditions, calling them all by the name musikî, ultimately from Ancient Greek mousiké. This naming convention broke down during the Westernization of the Ottoman Empire, as Western cultural norms and practices were slowly integrated into the empire. The resulting dichotomy between Western and Ottoman classical music was referred to as alafranga and alaturka (European and Turkish) by the Ottoman elites. However, as the Ottoman Empire collapsed, new terms were employed for the Ottoman tradition, forming the current naming convention of Ottoman music. The controversies fueled by these changes are often further aggravated by an uncertainty of periodization; according to researcher on Middle Eastern music Owen Wright, starting from late 17th century, Ottoman music differed from its predecessors to such an extent that “if the two were juxtaposed, we would need to speak of musical diglossia.” Walter Zev Feldman, another researcher on Middle Eastern music, has therefore claimed that a uniquely Ottoman style emerged no earlier than the 1600s.

Parthian music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Background#

Due to a paucity of surviving records, it is impossible to create a thorough outline of the earliest music in Persia. Music has existed in Persia since at least BCE of the Elam period, from when the earliest artistic depictions of arched harps are dated; it is possible that these instruments existed long before their visual depictions. Later surviving instruments include bull lyres from , small Oxus trumpets from , and much later, lutes from BCE, which seem to have been popular with the upper class. Rock reliefs of Kul-e Farah from 1st-century BCE, include sophisticated Persian court ensembles, in which the arched harp is central. By the Achaemenid Empire (550–330 BCE), still relatively few records survive. Some speculation and anecdotal evidence suggests the presence of female choirs, as well as the emergence of the gōsān poet-musician minstrel tradition, which would be central in Parthian music. The Parthian Empire was a major political and cultural power of ancient Iran, existing from BCE to 224 CE. At its height, its territory covered modern-day Syria to India, and the Caspian Sea to the Persian Gulf. It is often remembered for its rivalry with the Roman Empire, but compared to its Western opponent, relatively little information is known. Native Parthian textual sources are very minimal, and the primary official records which still exist are Parthian coinage. The few known Parthian texts are usually from the more Western regions, generally written in cuneiform using the Aramaic or Greek language, and less often in Latin, Parthian or Hebrew. Much information about the Parthian Empire comes from foreign commentators, particularly Greeks and Romans—though there are accounts of Parthian history before 141 BCE, though this is extremely limited. These accounts are often inaccurate and heavily biased, which has led to a long held view of the Parthians as “uncultivated and as barbarians”. Such a perspective has long prevented the serious study of Parthian culture; the historian Leonardo Gregoratti noted that “The Parthian Empire, a state lasting for five-long centuries, has recently emerged slowly from the shadow of history to regain its cultural and historical identity”. Evidence for Parthian music is somewhat limited, but via the visual arts, archeological evidence, as well as both Parthian and foreign texts, numerous trends of the period can be observed.

Persian traditional music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

The history of musical development in Iran dates back thousands of years. Archaeological records attributed to the Elam in the southwest and of Oxus in the northeast, demonstrate musical traditions in prehistoric times. Little is known about the music of the classical Iranian empires of the Medes, the Achaemenids, and the Parthians. However, an elaborate musical scene is revealed through various fragmentary documents, including those that were observed at the court and in public theaters and those that accompanied religious rituals and battle preparations. The history of Sasanian music is better documented than the earlier periods, and the names of various instruments and court musicians from the reign of the Sasanians have been attested. Under the Sasanian rule, modal music was developed by a poet-musician of the court named Barbad, who is remembered in many documents. He may have invented the lute and the musical tradition that was to transform into the forms of dastgah and maqam. He has been credited to have organized a musical system consisting of seven “royal modes” (), 30 derived modes (), and 360 melodies (). Iran’s academic classical music, in addition to preserving melody types attributed to Sasanian musicians, is based on the theories of sonic aesthetics as expounded by the likes of Iranian musical theorists in the early centuries of after the Muslim conquest of the Sasanian Empire, most notably Avicenna, Farabi, Qotb-ed-Din Shirazi, and Safi-ed-Din Urmawi. During the late Qajar and the early Pahlavi eras, numerous musical compositions were produced within the parameters of classical Iranian modes, and many involved western musical harmonies. The introduction and popularity of western musical influences in the early contemporary era was criticized by traditionalists, who felt that traditional music was becoming endangered. It was prior to the 1950s that Iran’s music industry was dominated by classical musicians. In 1968, Dariush Safvat and Nur-Ali Borumand helped form an institution called the Center for Preservation and Propagation of Iranian Music, with the help of Reza Ghotbi, director of the National Iranian Radio and Television, an act that is credited with saving traditional music in the 1970s. The “Radif of Iranian music” was officially inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009, described as “the traditional repertoire of the classical music of Iran”.

Peşrev

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Etymology#

In Ottoman Turkish, peşrev combines a New Persian loanword, piš “before, ahead” and the native term rev, “that which goes”. coming to mean “that which comes first”.

Structure#

Peşrevs are composed of movements called hane (lit. “house”), at the end of which there is always an unchanging particle introducing the teslim (lit. “handing in”) mülazime (lit. “that which is inseparable or constant”), i.e. the refrain. Peşrevs are named after the Turkish makam used in the first hane and usually end with this makam; in Turkish classical music theory, they are said to be “bound” to this makam. There are always modulations to other makams in the hanes that follow the first hane, but with the refrain (teslim), the piece always regains the principal mode. At the end of each hane, a pause is made on the strong degree of its makam, forming a semi-cadence. This is called a yarım karar or nim karar (lit. “semi-decision”). Peşrevs usually have 4 hanes, yet they occasionally have 2, 5 or 6. In principle, they comport rather large usuls, yet peşrevs with shorter rhythmical patterns do exist. One rule that is never transgressed is that this usul may not be a compound meter of the family aksak. Some peşrevs, called batak or karabatak, are organized as to instigate a form of question-and-answer between instruments. If the hanes are to be marked with A, C, D, E and the teslim with B , the regular structure of a peşrev would be A+B/C+B/D+B/E+B, thus always ending with the teslim. For some, the teslim is also the first hane; therefore they have the structure: A/B+A/C+A/D+A.

Pontic Greek music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Cultural role#

When Pontian refugees came from the Pontos to Greece in the 1920s, they brought traditions of music and folklore with them. Between the 1950s and the 1980s, Pontian clubs used music, dance, and folklore to portray themselves as both patriotic Greeks and as a distinct group unto themselves. At the time, Pontian singers tended to censor songs with Turkish verses in order to assimilate into Greek society. In the 1980s, as the original generation of Pontian refugees began to die off, Pontian musicians focused on remembering the original refugees and their experience. Musicians began to openly perform Pontian songs with Turkish verses, such as “Tsambasin.” A , or , is an important form of social get-together for Pontians in the 21st century, describing “a banquet where music is the main activity.” gatherings feature music, including , or “tabletop melodies.” Tablemates go back and forth, singing original or remembered rhyming couplets to one another. The couplets are in iambic meter or trochaic meter. The provides instrumental support. The goal of a performance is to express emotions through the use of remembered verses, and to share these feelings with one’s community. Couplets may be used to communicate sorrow, to express longing, or to flirt. Scholar Ioannis Tsekouras argues that gatherings first emerged among refugees as ways to discuss their memories of genocide and deportation.

Qudud Halabiya

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Qudud Halabiya originated in al-Andalus. However, it was formed as a musical genre in the Levant, mainly in the city of Aleppo. It was developed by the musicians in Aleppo, based on secular, folk and religious songs. During the 20th century, Qudud Halabiya further developed and popularized by many Aleppine musicians including Omar al-Batsh (1885–1950), Abdul Qader al-Hajjar (1917–1993), Bakri al-Kurdi (1909–1978), Bakri Rajab (1910–1979), Sabri Moudallal (1918-2006), Sabah Fakhri (1933-2021), Mohammad Khairy (1935-1981), etc. Contemporary Qudud Halabiya performers include Mohammad Qadri Dallal, Shadi Jamil, Nihad Najjar, Hamam Khairy, Shahd Barmada, Nadya Manfukh, Subhi Toufic, Ahmad Azrak etc.

Raï

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Origins#

Raï is a type of Algerian popular music whose origins in the port city of Oran go back to the 1920s. Raï later emerged as a major genre of Algerian popular music whose early development was shaped by cheikhs and cheikhas and later by younger singers called cheb or – for women singers – chebba. The lyrics often address social, religious, and cultural change. Following a long period of marginalization, the genre spread internationally through Algerian migration to Europe, eventually gaining global recognition and becoming associated with the world music market. Raï ran counter to accepted artistic and social mores and appealed to young people who sought to modernize the traditional Islamic values and attitudes. Regional, secular and religious musical traditions, melodies, and instruments were blended with Western electric instrumentation. Raï emerged as a major world music genre in the late 1980s. In the years just following World War I, the Algerian city of Oran (known as “little Paris”) was a melting pot of various cultures, full of nightclubs and cabarets; it was the place to go for a bawdy good time. Out of this milieu arose a group of male and female Muslim singers called chioukhs and cheikhates, who rejected the refined, classical poetry of traditional Algerian music. Instead, to the accompaniment of pottery drums and end-blown flutes, they sang about the adversity of urban life in a raw, gritty, sometimes vulgar, and inevitably controversial language that appealed especially to the socially and economically disadvantaged. The cheikhates further departed from tradition in that they performed not only for women but also and especially for men. The music performed was called raï. It drew its name from the Algerian Arabic word (‘opinion’ or ‘advice’), which was typically inserted—and repeated—by singers to fill time as they formulated a new phrase of improvised lyrics. By the early 1940s Cheikha Rimitti el Reliziana had emerged locally as a musical and linguistic luminary in the raï tradition, and she continued to be among the music’s most prominent performers into the 21st century. In the early 20th century, Oran was divided into Jewish, French, Spanish, and Native Algerian quarters. By independence in 1962, the Jewish quarter (known as the Derb), was home to musicians like Reinette L’Oranaise, Saoud l’Oranais, and Larbi Bensari. Sidi el Houari (the old quarter where Sidi El Houari has his shrine) was home to Spanish fishermen and many refugees from Spain who arrived after 1939. These two areas had active music scenes, and the French inhabitants of the city went to the Jewish and Spanish areas to examine the music. The Arabs of Oran were known for al-Andalous, a classical style of music imported from Southern Spain after 1492. Hawzi classical music was popular during this time, and female singers of the genre included Cheikha Tetma, Fadila D’zirya and Myriam Fekkai. Another common musical genre was (‘Bedouin’) or (‘Western’), which originated from Bedouin chants. Bedoui consisted of Malhun poetry being sung with accompaniment from guellal drums and gaspa Flutes. Bedoui was sung by male singers, known as s, who were dressed in long, white jellabas and turbans. Lyrics came from the poetry of people such as Mestfa ben Brahim and Zenagui Bouhafs. Performers of bedoui included Cheikh Hamada, Cheikh Mohammed Senoussi, Cheikh Madani, Cheikh Hachemi Bensmir and Cheikh Khaldi. Senoussi was the first to have had recorded the music in 1906. French colonization of Algeria changed the organization of society, producing a class of poor, uneducated urban men and women. Bedoui singers mostly collaborated with the French colonizers, though one exception from such collaboration was Cheikh Hamada. The problems of survival in a life of poverty were the domain of street musicians who sang bar-songs called zendanis. A common characteristic of these songs included exclamations of the word and variations thereof. The word implies that an opinion is being expressed. In the 1920s, the women of Oran were held to strict code of conduct. Many of those that failed became social outcasts and singers and dancers. They sang medh songs in praise of the prophet Mohammad and performed for female audiences at ceremonies such as weddings and circumcision feasts. These performers included Les Trois Filles de Baghdad, Soubira bent Menad and Kheira Essebsadija. Another group of female social outcasts were called , who were known for their alluring dress, hedonistic lyrics, and their display of a form of music that was influenced from meddhahates and zendani singers. These cheikhas, who sang for both men and women, included people such as Cheikha Remitti el Reliziana, Cheikha Grélo, Cheikha Djenia el Mostganmia, Cheikha Bachitta de Mascara, and Cheikha Ouachma el Tmouchentia. The 1930s saw the rise of revolutionary organizations, including organizations motivated by Marxism, which mostly despised the earlier generation of raï singers. At the same time, Arabic classical music was gaining huge popularity across the Maghreb, especially the music of Egypt’s Umm Kulthum. When first developed, raï was a hybrid blend of rural and cabaret musical genres, invented by and targeted toward distillery workers and peasants who had lost their land to European settlers, and other types of lower class citizens. The geographical location of Oran allowed for the spread of many cultural influences, allowing raï musicians to absorb an assortment of musical styles such as flamenco from Spain, gnawa music, and French cabaret, allowing them to combine with the rhythms typical of Arab nomads. In the early 1930s, social issues afflicting the native population in the colony, such as the disease of typhus, harassment and imprisonment by the colonial police, and poverty were prominent themes of raï lyrics. However, other main lyrical themes concerned the likes of wine, love, and the meaning and experiences of leading a marginal life. From its origins, women played a significant role in the music and performance of raï. In contrast to other Algerian music, raï incorporated dancing in addition to music, particularly in a mixed-gender environment. In the 1930s, Raï, al-Andalousm, and the Egyptian classical style influenced the formation of wahrani, a musical style popularized by Blaoui Houari. Musicians like Mohammed Belarbi and Djelloul Bendaoud added these influences to other Oranian styles, as well as Western piano and accordion, resulting in a style called bedoui citadinisé. Revolt began in the mid-1950s, and musicians which included Houari and Ahmed Saber supported the Front de Libération National. After independence in 1962, however, the government of the Houari Boumédienne regime, along with President Ahmed Ben Bella, did not tolerate criticism from musicians such as Saber, and suppression of Raï and Oranian culture ensued. The number of public performances by female raï singers decreased which led to men playing an increased role in this genre of music. Meanwhile, traditional raï instruments such as the gasba (reed flute), and the derbouka (North African drums) were replaced with the violin and accordion.

Rumba flamenca

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Rumba flamenca was primarily influenced by guaracha, an uptempo style of vocal music which originated in Havana’s musical theatre. Some elements from Cuban rumba were also incorporated, although minor, despite the name. Although unlikely, both guaracha and Cuban rumba might have been influenced by flamenco earlier in the 19th century. Guarachas can be traced back to the Spanish jácaras, thus justifying the classification of rumba flamenca as a cante de ida y vuelta.

Sama'i

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

References#

The Music of the Ottoman Court - Walter Feldman
Sufism, Music and Society - Swedish Research Institute
Makam - Karl Signell
Meaning in Turkish Musical Culture - Eugenia Popescu-Judetz

External links#

many pieces of Ottoman sheet music
many of the most common usul

Sanaa (music)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Origin and meaning#

Sanâa or san’a means “musical mastery”, This is the specific name attributed in Algeria to the Andalusi nubah of Algiers, to be distinguished from the Gharnati of Tlemcen and the Malouf of Constantine. However, the sanâa of Algiers shares many similarities with the Gharnati of Tlemcen. The schism between them occurred by 1946, with the creation of the Arab-Andalusian classical orchestra of Radio d’Alger.

Modes#

The sanaa musical system is a modal system, based on sixteen modes (الطبع: Ṭabʿ, الطبوع: pl. tūbūb’) which are divided into two main groups : principal modes, defined on the basis of seven istiḥbār (vocal and instrumental semi-improvisations), and derived modes. # Istiḥbār Mawwāl : ##* Mawwāl (الموال) ##** Dīl (الذيل) ##** Raṣd ə-Dīl (رصد الذيل) ##** Māya (الماية) # Istiḥbār Zīdān : ##* Zīdān (الزيدان) ##** Raml (الرمل) ##** Mǧənba (المجنبة) # Istiḥbār Raml əl-Māya : ##* Raml əl-Māya (رمل الماية) ##** Raṣd (الرصد) # Istiḥbār al-‘Iraq : ##* ‘Iraq (العراق) ##** Ḥsīn (الحسين) ##** Ġrīb (الغريب) ##** Ġrībat əl-Ḥsīn (غريبة الحسين) # Istiḥbār Ǧārkā : ##* Ǧārkā (الجاركاه) # Istiḥbār Sīkā : ##* Sīkā (السيكاه) # Istiḥbār Məzmūm : ##* Məzmūm (المزموم) The French musicologist, Jule Rouanet, added other modes considered as lost : * Asbaʿayn (الاصبعين) * Ḥsīn Aṣīl (الحسين الاصيل) * Ḥsīn Ṣabā (الحسين صبا) * Ḥsīn ʿUšəyrān (الحسين عشيران) * Iṣbahān Kabīr (الاصبهان الكبير) * Iṣbahān Ṣaġir (الاصبهان الصغير) * Rahāwi (الرهاوي) * Raml əl-ʿAšiyya (رمل العشية) * Māya Fāriġ (الماية الفارغ) * ʿUššāq (العشّاق)

Sasanian music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Music in Sasanian Iran#

The history of musical performance in Sassanid Iran is however better documented than earlier periods. This is specially more evident in the context of Zoroastrian ritual. Because happiness, laughter and festivity was cherished in Zoroastrianism, entertainers like jesters and musicians were highly esteemed. They maintained a central role in daily court assemblies. Stability and prosperity in the empire was reflected in the activities of jesters, clowns and musicians. By the time of Khusro Parviz, the Sassanid royal court was the host of prominent musicians. In general the period of Khosro Parviz reign is regarded as a “golden age of Iranian music” and himself is shown in a large relief at Taq-e Bostan among his musicians and himself holding bow and arrows and while standing in a boat amidst a group of harpists. The relief depicts two boats and the whole picture shows these boats at “two successive moments within the same panel”.

Sawt (music)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

It is said that sawt was established in Kuwait by the poet, composer, singer and oud player Abdallah al-Faraj (1836-1901/1903). The Bahraini historian Mubārak al-‘Ammārī believes that sawt was known in Kuwait before 1766, and in Bahrain since 1783.

Description#

Sawt is a complex form of urban music, originally performed on the ‘ud (plucked lute) and mirwas (a drum), with a violin later supplementing the arrangement. Two men perform the dance, which is called “Zaffan”. Al-Sout is performed only at night gatherings of men. It is called “Samra” (nightly chat). Sawt also contains a special type of clapping called sherbaka, which means “intertwined,” and is usually performed by spectators only on Arabic and Levantine scales. The poetry used in sawt is usually classical Arabic poetry, or khamini poetry, which is similar to mushah, but with scales characteristic of ancient Yemeni poets and their local language. Most Arabic and Levantine sawts end with a fragment called Tawshih, which is the beginning of the end of the sawt and can be lyrical or musical only. Tawshih also contains improvised rhythms, and some end it with a specific melody to finish the sawt. Some sources indicate that the history of the art of sawt began before the advent of Abdullah al-Faraj, and that it is related to the sound singing that was prevalent in the Abbasid era, as Ahmed Ali notes in his book Music and Singing in Kuwait. As for Mubarak al-Omari, in his book “Muhammad bin Faris: The Most Famous Sawt Singer in the Persian Gulf”, points out that sawt arrived in Bahrain from Kuwait in 1766.

Sephardic music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Sephardic music has its roots in the musical traditions of the Jewish communities in medieval Spain and medieval Portugal. Since then, it has picked up influences from Morocco, Greece, Bulgaria, and the other places that Spanish and Portuguese Jews settled after their expulsion from Spain in 1492 and from Portugal in 1496. Lyrics were preserved by communities formed by the Jews expelled from the Iberian Peninsula. These Sephardic communities share many of the same lyrics and poems, but the melodies vary considerably. Because so many centuries have passed since the expulsion, a lot of the original melodies have been lost. Instead, Sephardic music has adopted the melodies and rhythms of the various countries where the Sephardim settled in. The Greek and Turkish traditions are fairly close. The Moroccan or “western” Sephardic traditions are not that close to the eastern/Greek/Turkish traditions. These song traditions spread from Spain to Morocco (the Western Tradition) and several parts of the Ottoman Empire (the Eastern Tradition) including Greece, Jerusalem, Armenia, the Balkans and Egypt. Sephardic music adapted to each of these locales, assimilating North African high-pitched, extended ululations; Balkan rhythms, (for instance in time); and the Arabic maqam mode. The song traditions were studied and transcribed in the early twentieth century by a number of ethnomusicologists and scholars of medieval Hispanic literature. From around 1957 until quite recently, Samuel Armistead (UC Davis) with colleagues Joseph Silverman and Israel Katz collected Judeo-Spanish songs from informants in North America, Turkey, the Balkans, Greece, North Africa, and Israel. The digitized recordings, with transcriptions and information about song type, are available on the website Folk Literature of the Sephardic Jews, now permanently hosted by the University of Illinois Library. The early 20th century saw some popular commercial recordings of Sephardic music come out of Greece and Turkey, followed by recordings from Jerusalem and other parts of the Eastern Tradition. The first performers were mostly men, including the “Turks” Jack Mayesh, Haim Efendi and Yitzhak Algazi. Later, a new generation of singers arose, many of whom were not themselves Sephardic. Gloria Levy, Pasharos Sefardíes, Flory Jagoda the Parvarim, and Janet & Jak Esim Ensemble are popular Eastern Tradition performers of this period. Gerard Edery, Savina Yannatou, Stefani Valadez, Françoise Atlan, Marlene Samoun Yasmin Levy and Mara Aranda are among the new generation of singers bringing a new interpretation to the Ladino/Judeo-Spanish heritage and, in the large case of Levy and Edery, mixing it with Andalusian Flamenco. Opera singer and actor David Serero sings Ladino and Sephardic songs which he often includes in theater classics such as Merchant of Venice and Othello. The Jewish Community of Thessaloniki Choir was founded in 1995 by members of the community. The choir was founded in the hope that the musical tradition that their ancestors took with them when they were expelled from the Iberian Peninsula 500 years ago would be preserved and revived. The research of its conductor Kostis Papazoglou on Sepharadic music from the medieval tradition (songs like “Tres Ermanikas”) and later as the music evolved resulted to a CD, produced by Minos EMI, with the participation of the Codex Ensemble, under the title " En la mar ay una torre." Today, this choir has 25-30 members of different ages. Its conductor Kostis Papazoglou, is an experienced and distinguished music teacher, soloist, and orchestras conductor, who has given concerts all over Greece as well as in Israel (Tel Aviv), Skopia, Vienna, Salzburg, Bulgaria (Sofia), Russia (St. Petersburg), Egypt (Cairo at the inauguration of the rebuilt Ben Ezra Synagogue),Turkey (Istanbul in the Ashkenaz Synagogue on the occasion of Jewish Culture Week), and Hungary (in the Great Budapest Synagogue).

Shaabi

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Mahraganat#

The most recent new development to come out of Cairo’s Shaabi scene is mahraganat () music, also known as “electro-shaabi” in the West. However the performers use mahraganat (meaning a big, loud, messy event; and a festival) to distinguish themselves from sha’bi. The best-known artists in this genre are Felo, Oka Wi Ortega, Sadat, Figo, Alaa 50 Cent, Shehta Karika, and Islam Chipsy (although Chipsy does not associate him with mahraganat, as his music is more instrumental).

Shamstep

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Siguiriyas

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Cante and structure#

The lyrics of siguiriyas deal with tragic themes such as imprisonment (e.g., Calabosito Oscuro sung by Juanito Valderrama) the death of a loved one and death in general (e.g., Si Acaso Muero sung by Camarón De La Isla), love, and religious ideas. The oldest forms of siguiriyas were performed without musical accompaniment, akin to tonás. The more modern forms are accompanied by the guitar, where the nuances of the cante make it one of the most difficult styles to accompany and interpret. Traditionally, the verses of siguiriyas are constructed of two short 6 syllable lines, followed by a longer 11 syllable line, then ending with another 6 syllable line, the rhythm being provided by the syllables of the words. In a majority of siguiriyas “Ay” is typically sung to introduce and emphasize the lyrics and is sung as a melisma across many syllables.

Symphonic music in Iran

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Ali-Naqi Vaziri, one of the most prominent and influential musicians of the late Qajar and early Pahlavi periods, established a private music school in 1924, where he also created a school orchestra composed of his students, formed by a combination of the Iranian instrument of tar and some western instruments. Vaziri then founded an association named Music Club (), formed by a number of progressive-minded writers and scholars, where the school orchestra performed concerts that were conducted by himself. The Tehran Symphony Orchestra () was founded by Gholamhossein Minbashian in 1933. It was reformed by Parviz Mahmoud in 1946, and is currently the oldest and largest symphony orchestra in Iran. Later, Ruhollah Khaleqi, a student of Vaziri, established the Society for National Music () in 1949. Loris Tjeknavorian, a celebrated Iranian Armenian composer and conductor, composed Rostam and Sohrab, an opera with Persian libretto that is based on the tragedy of Rostam and Sohrab from prominent medieval Persian poet Ferdowsi’s epic poem Šāhnāme, in over two decades. It was first performed by the Tehran Symphony Orchestra at Tehran’s Roudaki Hall in December 2003.

Symphonic poem

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Background#

While many symphonic poems may compare in size and scale to symphonic movements (or even reach the length of an entire symphony), they are unlike traditional classical symphonic movements, in that their music is intended to inspire listeners to imagine or consider scenes, images, specific ideas or moods, and not necessarily to focus on following traditional patterns of musical form such as sonata form. This intention to inspire listeners was a direct consequence of Romanticism, which encouraged literary, pictorial and dramatic associations in music. According to the musicologist Hugh Macdonald, the symphonic poem met three 19th-century aesthetic goals: it related music to outside sources; it often combined or compressed multiple movements into a single principal section; and it elevated instrumental program music to an aesthetic level that could be regarded as equivalent to, or higher than opera. The symphonic poem remained a popular composition form from the 1840s until the 1920s, when composers began to abandon the genre. Symphonic poems are thought to bridge the gap between different modes of expression. Much research has been done on the semiotic relationship between symphonic poems and their extra-musical inspiration, such as art, literature and nature. Composers used many different musical gestures to evoke a non-musical concept. Some musical gestures appear to be literal representations of their non-musical counterparts. For example, Sergei Rachmaninoff uses an uneven 5/8 time signature throughout The Isle of the Dead in order to suggest the rocking of a boat. In Richard Strauss’s Death and Transfiguration, the composer uses the orchestra to mimic the sound of an irregular heartbeat and labored breathing. Other musical gestures capture the essence of the subject on a more abstract level. For example, In Franz Liszt’s Hamlet, Liszt portrays the complex relation between Hamlet and Ophelia by juxtaposing a somber motif that is harmonically inconclusive (Hamlet) against a tranquil and harmonically conclusive motif (Ophelia), and developing the music from these principles. The musicologist Mark Bonds suggests that in the second quarter of the 19th century, the future of the symphonic genre seemed uncertain. While many composers continued to write symphonies during the 1820s and ’30s, “there were a growing sense that these works were aesthetically far inferior to Beethoven’s…. The real question was not so much whether symphonies could still be written, but whether the genre could continue to flourish and grow.” Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann and Niels Gade achieved successes with their symphonies, putting at least a temporary stop to the debate as to whether the genre was dead. Nevertheless, composers began to explore the “more compact form” of the concert overture “…as a vehicle within which to blend musical, narrative and pictoral ideas.” Examples included Mendelssohn’s overtures A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1826) and The Hebrides (1830). However, Franck did not publish or perform his piece; neither did he set about defining the genre. Liszt’s determination to explore and promote the symphonic poem gained him recognition as the genre’s inventor. The idea of the symphonic poem, was a new musical concept for Liszt. He wanted a new way to engage the audience. The symphonic poem invented by Liszt had the main theme heard at the start of the piece, then develop through thematic transformation, never leaving behind musical coherence.

Syriac chant

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Historical setting of Christian chant#

Historically, Syria has had a long attachment to Christian chant. Due to geographical locations, modern day Syria was one of the first areas to be exposed to Christendom brought by the early disciples of Christianity from Jerusalem. Syrian chants have been spread throughout regions of the world by Syrian immigration. This diaspora has brought many of the Syrian liturgical traditions to both neighboring and distant countries. The movement of a people, forced or unforced, establishes a desire to bring their culture with them. The Christian chants of Syria have remained thus far as oral traditions and have been passed down through the generations, who have kept loyally to their faith and culture. Ethnomusicologist Dorchak discusses the use of culture as a means to strengthen and resist culture loss when threatened. A culture attacked and marginalized throughout its history will rely greatly on its cultural values/ principles. This oral transmission of religious chants present in Syrian culture is signet of a culture strengthened by marginalization and diaspora. The cause for the majority of Syrian diaspora is due to geopolitical and religious conflicts. Syria has been a place of conflict due to its rich resources and geographical placement bridging Europe to North Africa as well as the many different religious beliefs present within the Middle East. Since the introduction of Christianity and the first Syrian chants, Syrian culture has been confronted by such empires as * the Roman Empire prior to the conversion of Constantine; * the Persian Empire’s conquest in 611; * the Islamic conquests led by Mohamad prior to his death in 632, A.D.; * the Shi’ites and the religious persecution of rural regions of Syria, home to previous Islamic conquest; the conflicts of the crusades and the Islamic forces of the Middle East. * The main expulsion of Syrian Christians was during the Ottoman rule in the Levant and the massacres that took place in Damascus. These historical events provide sufficient context to why Christian Syrian chant may have remained an oral culture and is lacking in historical or archeological sources. There may have been a musical notation system invented for Syrian chant but is no longer known of as it lost through the many conquests Syria has faced. The most recent diaspora has led to Syrian refugee camps throughout the Middle East and the destruction of Syrian cities and villages, along with architecture and culture.

Syriac sacral music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Syrian hymnody#

To the general considerations of hymnody and hymnology must be added some bearing particularly on the structure and liturgical use of hymns (), exclusive of poetical homilies or discourses (), which belong to the narrative and epic class, while the hymns are lyrical. The chief basis of Syriac metre is fixed number of syllables of the verses, without distinction of long and short syllables, as in several modern languages. Verses of all lengths from two to twelve are known, but the metres most used in hymnody are dodecasyllabic verses of twelve syllables formed of three equal measures (4+4+4), heptasyllabic verses of seven syllables formed of two measures (4+3 or 3+4), and pentasyllabic verses of five syllables also formed of two measures (2+3 or 3+2). These verses may be employed alone or grouped in strophes, the latter form being most frequent in hymns composed of verses of five and seven syllables. A strophe is generally composed of equal verses, but it sometimes happens that the first of the last verse is in a different measure from the other verses of the strophe. All the strophes of a hymn are usually of the same construction. Besides variety of metre and division into strophes, the Syrians prior to the ninth century knew no other artifice than the arrangement of acrostic poems. The acrostic played an important part, in Syriac hymnody and its use, especially the alphabetic acrostic, seems to have been introduced in imitation of the Psalms and the Lamentations of Jeremias. Sometimes the acrostic is linear, simple when each verse begins successively with one of the twenty-two letters of the Syriac alphabet, multiple, when two, three, or more verses begin with the same letter without, forming strophes; sometimes it is strophic, when each strophe is marked by a letter of the alphabet. This letter may be only at the beginning of the first verse or it may be repeated at the beginning of each verse of the strophe. introduced in imitation of the Psalms and the Lamentations of Jeremias. There may be two or more successive strophes beginning with the same letter, each letter regularly marking the same number of strophes throughout the poem, which thus consists of forty-four strophes, of sixty-six, or of any other multiple of twenty-two. The verbal acrostic is more rare. The name of Jesus Christ, of Mary, or the saint in whose honour the hymn is composed serves to form linear or strophic acrostics. St. Ephraem signed some of his poems with his acrostic. From the ninth century the influence of Arabic poetry made itself felt in Syriac hymnody, especially by the introduction of rhyme, this manner of marking the final stroke of a verse had been hitherto unknown, the rare examples held to have been discovered among older authors being merely voluntary or fortuitous assonances. But the Syrians made varied use of rhyme. There are poems in which all the verses have the same rhyme as in the “Kasida” of the Arabs. In others, and these are more numerous, the verses of each strophe have a single rhyme that is not the same for all the strophes. In others the verses of a strophe rhyme among themselves, with the exception of the last, which repeats the rhyme of the first strophe like a refrain. In acrostic poems the rhyme is sometimes supplied by the corresponding letter of the alphabet; thus the first strophe rhymes with a, the second with b, etc. There may also be a different rhyme for the first two measures and for the last. These are the most frequent combinations, but there are others. Most ancient Syriac hymns, e.g., those of St. Ephraem, Narses and Balai, although composed for one or two choirs, were not originally intended for liturgical use properly so called but addressed as much to the laity as to clerics, and date from a period when the codification of harmony was not yet regularly established. The result of adapting these hymns to liturgical offices was that they underwent various modifications: * In the assignment of authorship—the Syrian Jacobites and the Maronites in adopting those of Nestorian origin either suppressed the name of the author or substituted the name of one whom they considered orthodox, most frequently St. Ephraem * In revision, those too long were shortened and heterodox expressions were modified—thus the term “Mother of Christ” was replaced by “Mother of God”, etc. * In general arrangement, especially by the addition of a refrain when there was none in the original. Thus a hymn by St. Ephraem, the acrostic of which forms the name “Jesus Christ”, begins with the strophe: Jesus Our Lord the Christ Has appeared to us from the bosom of His Father; He has come to deliver us from darkness, And to illumine us with his resplendent light. It was preceded by the following distich, which forms the refrain: Light is arisen upon the just And joy for those who are broken-hearted. Likewise a hymn of Narses on the Epiphany begins: Error like darkness, Was stretched over creatures; The light of Christ is arisen And the world possesses knowledge. Its refrain is the following distich: The light of the appearing of Christ Has rejoiced the earth and the heavens. Syriac Hymns do not occur only in the Office that correspond to the Roman Breviary; the Syrians also made use of them in various liturgical functions, such as funeral and marriage celebrations. Simple hymns without refrain are called teshbuhte (glorifications); the name cala (voice) is given to the hymns in which each is preceded by a sentence (metrical or not) expressing a thought in conformity with that of the strophe. It is in a manner an invitation from the first choir to which the second replies by strophe, e.g.: First choir: Open to me the gates of justice. Second choir: Open to us, Lord, the great treasure, (strophe of four verses). First choir: And I will enter to praise the Lord. Second choir: At the gate of thy mercies (etc., strophe of four verses). Sometimes the strophes are interspersed with versicles from the Psalms. The hymns in the Syriac Office, which conclude the part known as sedra and replace the short prayers of the Nestorian Office, are called ba’utha (prayer, request). Most hymns of this class are in pentasyllabic verses and are the work of the poet Balai (d. about 450). They show great simplicity of thought and language and consist of two strophes, generally of six verses each, sometimes of four, as for example: During forty days Moses fasted on the mountain: And with the splendor of its light His countenance shone. During forty days Ninive fasted: And the Lord was appeased, And annulled the sentence. Instead of the occasionally occurs a metrical composition called (stairs), which are factitious arrangements of verses borrowed from various sources and arbitrarily arranged by those who co-ordinated or revised the offices, and are of no assistance in the study of Syriac hymnody. The is less frequently replaced by the augitha, a canticle in the form of a dialogue that recalls the “Victimae paschali” of the Roman Missal. All the poems of this kind known to us are of Nestorian origin, and are probably the work of Narses. They are uniformly constructed with an introduction and a dialogue; the introduction is composed of from five to ten strophes of four heptasyllabic verses; the dialogue between two persons or two groups of persons contains forty four strophes (twenty-two for each interlocutor) similar to those in the prologue and forming an alphabetic acrostic. These compositions of rather lively measure are stamped by a certain grace. The subject is adapted to the liturgical feast of the day; thus in the canticle for Christmas, the dialogue is between the Blessed Virgin and the Magi; for the Annunciation, between Gabriel and Mary; for the feast of Syrian Doctors, between Cyril and Nestorius, etc. These three kinds of hymns correspond to the three subjects that form their usual theme, praise, prayer, and instruction, but as has been said the last-named was chiefly imparted by the . Extensive study of Syriac hymnody would show whether there is any relationship between it and Byzantine hymnody, which hypothesis has had as many opponents as defenders; but this study is an undertaking fraught with difficulties, owing to the small number of documents published in satisfactory condition. Indeed, the knowledge of hymns supplied by editions of the liturgical books of Catholic Chaldeans, Syrians, or Maronites is inadequate for the reasons indicated above. The works of St. Ephraem, which contain a large number of them (authentic or apocryphal), have not been critically edited. The Nestorian Breviaries, which have most faithfully preserved the ancient texts, have never been printed and manuscripts are rare, while the collections of hymns apart from liturgical books are few and have not been sufficiently studied.

Tallava

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

Tallava originated in the 1980s and 1990s within the Albanian-speaking areas of Kosovo region, created by the Romani ethnic minority community. The name is derived from Romani tel o vas, meaning “under the hand”, referring to the čoček dance where the hands are waved delicately. Kosovo Albanian refugees of the Kosovo War in North Macedonia had brought their music with them, including Tallava. It has since also been adopted by the non-Albanian-speaking Roma in North Macedonia.

Tarab

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Definitions and descriptions#

The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians defined tarab as “a state of heightened emotion or ecstasy felt by musicians and audience that is central to Arab music performance. Within tarab culture, performer and audience are bound by a “common emotional experience to which both contribute.” Commenting on Arabic music in the US, Kenneth S. Habib noted that tarab “refer s both to the feeling of enchantment or ecstasy produced by captivating music and to such music itself. While tarab refers to musical experience, it is also mutually reinforced in an active performer–audience dynamic, where “performers express themselves musically and audience members respond in affirming ways.” In 2003, Ali Jihad Racy, a musician and professor of ethnomusicology at the University of California, Los Angeles, published his study Making music in the Arab world: the culture and artistry of tarab. He described tarab as “a multifaceted concept that has no exact equivalent in English and refers to both the indigenous music and the ecstatic feeling associated with it.” In Arab culture, tarab represents the deep connection between music and emotional experience. The term, found in medieval writings and still used today, refers broadly to the urban, structured classical music of the Arab Near East. Closely linked to the concept of fann (“art”), tarab can denote both this musical tradition and, more specifically, an older repertoire from pre-WWI Egypt and the Eastern Mediterranean, especially associated with stirring emotional responses. Further, Racy explained that tarab has been described as a “musically induced state of ecstasy”, as “enchantment”, “aesthetic emotion” and “the feeling roused by music”. Accordingly, the ecstasy of tarab involves intense emotional states in the listener, such as excitement, yearning, and timeless delight. It may also induce an altered state of consciousness, such as feelings linked to intoxication, empowerment, inspiration, and creativity.

Tunisian underground music

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Heavy metal#

The most active scene is arguably that of Tunisian heavy metal bands, most notably Myrath, but also Persona, Nawather https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Nawather/3540405982 , Carthagods and Ymyrgar. Most of these bands sing in English and sometimes include Arabic sentences in the chorus of their songs. While several bands compose their own music, many of them perform covers.

Rap#

In contrast to Tunisian heavy metal bands, most Tunisian rappers perform in Tunisian (the local Arabic dialect). The Tunisian rap scene is widely based on self-producing MCs such as Wled Bled Crew (Balti…), T-man (Nizar…), Arab Clan (Karoura…), Warda Crew (Wistar), Zomra (El Castro, A.L.A, ZOUfree, Black T, Djappa Man, Bamboucha), Psyco-M, Vipa, Massi, Katybon, Klay BBJ, Hamzaoui Mohamed Amine, NASTYSH!!T, XIIVI, Wingz, Slim Larnaaout, AMYNE, WELD EL 15, Kamel Zmen, La Masse, BmG ,Samara, Joujma, Tchiggy, BadBoy 7low, JenJoon plus a growing number of music producers such as Dj Killer and Dj Momo.

Turkish makam

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Geographic and cultural relations#

The Turkish makam system has some corresponding relationships to maqams in Arabic music and echos in Byzantine music. Some theories suggest the origin of the makam to be the city of Mosul in Iraq. “Mula Othman Al-Musili,” in reference to his city of origin, is said to have served in the Ottoman Palace in Istanbul and influenced Turkish Ottoman music. More distant modal relatives include those of Central Asian Turkic musics such as Uyghur “muqam” and Uzbek shashmakom. North and South Indian classical raga-based music employs similar modal principles. Some scholars find echoes of Turkish makam in former Ottoman provinces of the Balkans. All of these concepts roughly correspond to mode in Western classical music, although their compositional rules vary.

Turkish music (style)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

History#

An important impetus for Turkish music occurred in 1699, when Austria and the Ottoman Empire negotiated the Treaty of Karlowitz. To celebrate the treaty, the Turkish diplomatic delegation brought a Janissary band along with other performers to Vienna for several days of performances. Although the Janissary sound was familiar in Europe during the 18th century, the Classical composers were not the first to make use of it; rather, the first imitators were military bands. The cultural influence at first involved actual importation of Turkish musicians, as Henry George Farmer relates: :The credit for having introduced this battery of percussion and concussion into Europe usually goes to Poland which, in the 1720s, had received a full Turkish band from the Sultan. Russia, not to be outdone, sought a similar favour of the Sublime Porte in 1725, Prussia and Austria following suit, and by the 1770s most other countries had fallen under the sway of Janissary Music. The importation of actual musicians was only a temporary phenomenon, and the later custom was to assign the Turkish instruments in European military bands to other performers. Thus, Turkish music in Europe had two connotations—Eastern and military—for 17th- and 18th-century European composers. The Turkish association did not evaporate soon. Even during the 1820s, in planning the last movement of the Ninth Symphony, Beethoven made a note to himself specifically stating that it would contain “Turkish” music. The use of the slang term “Turkish section” to describe the percussion section of an orchestra apparently persisted into modern times. Eventually it became possible to write music with bass drum, triangle, cymbals, and piccolo without evoking a Turkish atmosphere, and in the later 19th century symphonic composers made free use of these instruments. Thus, in the long run, the Turkish instruments are a gift to Western classical music from the Ottoman military music tradition.

Yemeni hip-hop

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Context#

The Yemeni population is one of the poorest of the Arab world and is estimated to have a median age of 18 years. Around 60% of the population are under the age of 25. The Yemeni youth has constantly been related to issues regarding violence, unemployment, the controversial use of khat, participation in radical political groups, and other social problems. On the other hand, it has been a major actor in the latest political transformations and also on the development of a vivid hip hop scenery, facts that aren’t coincidentally associated. The hip hop expressions often contemplates social-political issues and played an important role on the Yemeni Revolution. Thus, the dynamicity of the Yemeni youth has been both the spontaneous generator and the vessel of a large hip hop scene in the country, even though facing lack of institutional support.

North Africa & Middle East on Music Theory Print

Achaemenid music

Background#

Al jeel

External links#

Anatolian blues

History#

Musicians and musical groups#

See also#

Anatolian rock

Background (1930s-1960s)#

Andalusi classical music

History#

Andalusi nubah

Form, texts, and performance#

Arabesque (Turkish music)

Description and history#

Arabic hip-hop

History#

Arabic maqam

Background#

Arabic music

Pre-Islamic period#

Arabic pop

Songwriting, recording and distribution formats#

Assyrian folk-pop music

Background#

Baladi

Baladi music and dance#

Balkan brass

History#

Balkan music

Byzantine medieval music#

Ballade (classical music)

Origin#

Baqashot

History#

Berber music

Musical/vocal styles#

Instrumentation#

Bulgarian wedding music

History#

Chaabi (Algeria)

The best known chaabi singers#

Features of Chaabi#

Chalga

Etymology#

History#

Chanson franco-orientale

History#

Character piece

History#

Chorale prelude

Function#

Coptic music

Contemporary personalities contributing to Coptic music#

See also#

External links#

Desert blues

Historical background#

Doina

Origins and characteristics#

Egyptian hip-hop

History#

Fasıl

Şarkı#

History#

Fijiri

See also#

External links#

Flamenco

Etymology#

Gharnati music

Modes#

Gnawa music

Etymology#

Gypsy style

Characteristics#

Hacha'a

The poetry#