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ANDALUSIAN
music traces its origins to Abu Hassan Ali Ben Nafi, known as Ziriab. This famous singer
and composer fled Baghdad in the 9th century following injurious rumours and intrigue
spread by his teacher, Ishaq al-Mawsili, who became jealous of his success.
Andalusian
music is characterised by a complicated musical structure. The lyrics are in
Andalusian dialect "Gharnati" or classical Arabic. The late Cheikh Salah led one of the finest modern orchestras.
Andalusian
music in Real Audio Format
THE AISSAWA,
founded by Sidi Ben Aissa in the 15th century, are perhaps the best known of the
Sufi brotherhoods of Morocco. This Aissawa group, led by Said Kissi,
comprises 16
musicians on bendir, taarija (percussion instruments), raita (small pipes)
and n'far (large one-note trumpets.
More
about Aissaoua [www.mincom.gov.ma]
THE
ANCIENT Berber culture is extrordinarily rich and
diverse, with a variety of musical styles. These range from
bagpipes and oboe (Celtic style) to pentatonic music
(reminiscent of Chinese music) - all combined with African
rhythms and a very important stock of authentic oral
literature.
These traditions have been
kept alive by small bands of musicians who travel from village
to village, as they have for centuries, to entertain at
weddings and other social occasions with their songs, tales,
and poetry.
To hear the sounds and find out more, visit the excellent Azawan
amazigh website, written in English, French and
Berber, which is dedicated exclusively to Berber music. Those
featured on the site include the great Berber singer, Ammuri
Mbark. In the 1970s, with his group Usman, he was the first
one to modernise Berber song - without removing its soul.
There are also excerpts from the latest CD by Markunda Aures
(Algeria), who is noted for her exceptional voice. Walid
Mimoun (Rif, Northern Morocco) will be added shortly.
These artists tend to be
ignored, or given only token recognition, in their own
countries where the Arab-islamic culture dominates.
Born during the turbulent years of the French occupation in the 1950s,
Umalu was exposed early
on to different ethnicities which gave him an appreciation of his multicultural
environment. Later this influenced his approach to music: classical, Flamenco, French, and
African Rai.
Argan
music: "South
Moroccan Motor Berber". Argan is the name of tree that exists widely in the Sousse. Its
fruit provides a delicious and healthy oil. The tree symbolises patience, adaptability to
droughts and "Berberism".
Master
Musicians of Jajouka are a large all-male group who play traditional
music from the Rif mountains near Tangier.
Najat Aatabou became a singer following
a recording of her voice at a family celebration. She has since become a star in her
native Morocco, speaking out against the religious and moral strictures of her family
tradition. See details of her album, Country Girls and City Women.
CHAABI
is Arabic for "popular" - Moroccan pop music. It draws on many aspects of
Moroccan music plus other Arab, African and western styles. The 1970s saw the emergence of
several groups recognised as pop innovators including JilJilala, Nass
El-Ghiwane and Lem Chaheb.
For many years Noujoum Ouazza was
the singer and guitarist for the cult-band Lem Chaheb, who decisively influenced the sound
of the new North-African pop music in the 1970s and 1980s. Today, Ouazza
belongs to the Dissidenten
live-line-up.
CLASSICAL
music is essentially the Andalusian music of the 10th to 15th centuries. It is extremely
complicated in musical structure, and its lyrics are characterised by the strict use of
the Andalusian dialect or classical Arabic. Main instruments used are the tar, a
form of tambourine; sometimes the darbuqa, a funnel-shaped drum made of clay; and
three types of stringed instruments - the rebab, the kemanjah (a violin)
and the 'oud (a lute).
See Arab Gateway for more about
musical instruments.
THE GNAWA people
originally came from the Guinea Empire (today Senegal, Guinea, Mali). During the16th
century, they were deported to North Africa as slaves of rich sultans and integrated this
new culture and religion into their own. The music of the Gnawa is a powerful mixture
of religious Arabic songs and African rhythms, trance music tinged with mysticism. Typical
instruments used in Gnawa are the tbal (loud double-headed-drums) and querqbat
(metal castanets).
More
about Gnaoua [www.mincom.gov.ma]
Global
Ear: Marrakech
Article by Marcus Boon
Gnawa Diffusion:
Like their ancestors, these are nomads of world music.
Hassan
Hakmoun (The Fire Within) cut his teeth in the larger-than-life arena of the
Djema el-Fna in Marrakesh. His style continues the crossroads tradition of borrowing
whatever music blows into the square.
Abdenbi
Binizi: Born in Marrakech in 1963, Abdenbi Binizi received his schooling
in the raucous atmosphere of the Djema el-Fna, among the musicians, story tellers, fortune
tellers, foodstalls, and circus acts.
Sapho: Born in
Marrakesh, Sapho left Morocco at the age of 17 and moved with her parents to Paris,
where after studying at university, her debut album, "Le baladeur du Rex", was
released in 1977.
GRIHA
is a form of popular music, using the colloquial, rather than the classical language.
New songs are composed in this genre; they usually concern love, war, and adventure and
often include topical satire.
MALHUN is a kind of urban, sung poetry that comes from the exclusively masculine
working-class milieu of craftsmen's guilds.
More
about Malhun [www.mincom.gov.ma]
RA'I is one of the most accessible, danceable and
catchy music styles around. It is based on north African rhythms, combined with a solid
bass line, synthesiser and colloquial Arabic vocals.
Popular Ra'i artists
Mara
& Jalal
Ashraf
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