I received the following photos and information from Mr. Daniel O'Donnell of Portland Oregon, following some correspondence concerning Nahat
ouds. Just let me say that it is my opinion (and I'm not so experienced in the oud--but I am a professional artist) that the following oud is one
of the finest works of art I have ever seen. The workmanship and design is simply impeccable. The fine lines of inlay, the extremely fine lines of the
rose, the flawless excecution is a testament to Abdo Nahat (and his sons) and his absolute control of his art. What a treasure this instrument is.
This oud is owned and played by Hamza El-Din. Mr. O'Donnell, who hosted Mr. El-Din at his home, and took the photographs, was kind enough to
share them and the following narrative with me, and which I now present here for your enjoyment. When I saw these photos and narrative for the first
time, I was fascinated. I know there are those here who will appreciate them as well.
Mr. O'Donnell's description of the oud and his story concerning part of it's history:
The fingerboard is light hardwood inlaid into dark hardwood. The area just below the neck-body joint is a slab of mother-of-pearl. The nut is ivory or
bone. The designs found on the in the squares continue on the back of the neck and upon the back of the shell, plus two long strips of mother-of-pearl
culminating in mother-of-pearl traingles. One of the pegs (miftah) was broken and another was replaced at the time I made these snapshots. The pegs
are of ivory, and inlaid with a very dark wood, probably ebony, in a floral design. The back of the shell is inlaid in light wood and ivory in
geometric and floral designs into a very dark brown wood, probably a species of walnut. It was so well joined that I was not able to count the number
of panels accurately, but there appeared to be sixteen, plus the banding strips. The bottom, again with plenty of inlaid wood and ivory. Hamza uses 12
strings and he tunes them D-G-A-D-G-C (typical arabic tuning--Jameel's note). The bridge is small, simple, and ornamented only with an overlay on
the tie-block. The small soundholes (qamarat) are as intricate as the shams, and made in the same manner, i.e a thin veneer of bone or ivory laminated
onto a very dark wood, and then cut out by hand with a jeweler's saw. It is a testament to Hamza's care of this oud that the soundhole has
not endured any damage.
This oud is truly incredible in its beautiful appearance and in its design
and especially in its sound. It may well end up in a museum someday, but
for now Hamza still plays it regularly, and I am very glad he has such a
magnificent instrument for his music. He once told me that he would not
take it with him to any Islamic country beause he was certain they would
seize it as a cultural treasure, so he used another oud for his trips to
places like Sudan, Egypt, and Iraq in past years. It is priceless. The colors are remarkably harmonious. They are all in golden tones of wood,
and aged ivory, and mother of pearl. The shell is of a dark walnut, and the
face has aged to a beautiful golden color. There is no other color in the
inlays except some black ebony. The pegs are of ivory inlaid with ebony.
It is rumored that this oud was made for an amir of Syria. Hamza once told me that he found it in an antique store in southern
California, and it was covered with dust. The owner wanted quite a bit for
it, but recognized who Hamza was, and gave him a discount if he would play
it at his house one evening, and that was how Hamza got it. Rufie conveys a
similar version of the story, that the oud turned up at McCabe's shop in
southern California, and Hamza saw it there and acquired it - Hani Nasr was
with him at the time. One wonders how such a magnificent creation from
Syria ended up for sale in a shop in southern California, perhaps it came
here with some immigrants, who knows. If you know the history of the region presently called Syria and Lebanon,
then you know that after the collapse of the Ottoman empire, the French
assumed political and military control of some of the eastern Mediterranean
lands, and borrowed the English policy of divide and conquer. Divide the
French did, with Lebanon as an intended Christian enclave and Syria as the
Muslim/Druze enclave. Around 1945, when the region gained independence from
French domination, the government of the Syrian portion expelled a number of
Christian families to prevent civil war (in this, they were largely
successful, while Lebanon soon fell into a long civil war). The Nahat
family, which had been making ouds since the late 1800s, relocated to
Brazil. There was no demand for ouds in Brazil, so the senior Nahat did
what a lot of immigrants do, he started a chain of small markets and
businesses to give his children a higher education. He made one oud in
Brazil, and this is the oud that was recently sold from the Netherlands that
you have seen on the web. Altogether, the Nahat family made less than 50
ouds. They actually made, in Syria, a great deal of very elaborate
furniture. Now the Nahat children are grown, and they are lawyers and
professionals, and have no interest in making ouds.
I wonder, somewhere the tools and molds of the Nahat oud workshop may be
gathering dust, waiting for someone to bring them back to life.
Pegbox
Jameel - 8-10-2004 at 07:39 PM
Fingerboard
Jameel - 8-10-2004 at 07:40 PM
Back
Jameel - 8-10-2004 at 07:41 PM
Back-tail end
Jameel - 8-10-2004 at 07:43 PM
Neck
Jameel - 8-10-2004 at 07:44 PM
Zulkarnain - 8-10-2004 at 07:51 PM
AWESOME!!
Raqma--pickguard, shamsiyya
Jameel - 8-10-2004 at 07:53 PM
Shams
Jameel - 8-10-2004 at 07:53 PM
Shams-detail
Jameel - 8-10-2004 at 07:55 PM
Mike - 8-10-2004 at 07:55 PM
Jameel,
Incredible man! I've seen this oud in person about a year ago or so when Hamza el Dinn was performing at the Getty Museum in L.A. An amazing oud.
I also believe Rufi did some restoration work on it. So he's really seen it up close and personal. It's the same oud being played in the
Hamza el Din video in the videos page. Thanks to you and Daniel for sharing my friend.
Take care,
Mikemavrothis - 8-10-2004 at 08:04 PM
Wow, this oud is absolutely perfect! Thanks so much for sharing these pictures Jameel. This oud is what oud dreams are made of man, and we know from
recordings and video that it sounds amazing.
Incredibly beautiful!
Take care,
mavMike - 8-10-2004 at 08:46 PM
Wow! I just finished looking at the oud again, and I had to repost. These detailed photos are incredible. This is beyond spectacular. No superlatives
can really describe the craftsmanship, and the sound is incredible too. I just watched the video again. It is a wonder why we all love this instrument
so much, I guess!
Thanks again guys,
Mike
Interesting history
Elie Riachi - 8-10-2004 at 09:37 PM
I do not mean to hijack the subject of the oud but here is some interesting history regarding the people of the region. According to sources on the
net http://www.thequran.com/News/detail.asp?iData=86&iCat=251&i... the population of the Lebanese in and around Brazil is about 8 million. Where as the population of Lebanon is under 4 million. This site http://www.hamline.edu/cla/academics/international_studies/diaspora... seems to indicate that the immigrants were largely Christian. Interesting, there are more Lebanese outside of Lebanon than in Lebanon.
Here is what this site http://www.la.utexas.edu/research/paisano/EECtext.html has to say about the region's history:
"The area that would eventually become Lebanon was one of the most diverse pockets of the already heterogeneous Ottoman Empire. Its political
integrity dates back to Classical times, when the Phoenicians were a major trading group throughout the Mediterranean world. In and around Mount
Lebanon, the Maronites became a Christian enclave a few centuries before the advent of Islam, and have remained tied to the Catholic Church until the
present day. Besides Maronite Christians, the area harbors several Greek Orthodox populations, particularly in and around Beirut, and naturally a
strong Muslim contingent as well. During the nineteenth century, Maronite leaders regained political autonomy after a series of civil wars that
culminated in the bloody persecution of Christians between 1859 and 1860. With the help of the French, Mount Lebanon achieved autonomous status by
1864, and would remain as such until the end of World War I, when the region became an independent state under French protection. 4"
The oud is B-E-Utifull. The inlay work is so perfect, very flush and no gaps that I can see in the photo. By the way I think the names of the maqams
are written very nicely all around in the second circle from the outer circle of the shams (rose). The outer circle is made of Arabic numbers. Mr.
Hamza is very lucky. and I doubt that the oud would be confiscated in the Arab countries.
Regards,
Elie
Hamza's Nahat
Rufi - 8-11-2004 at 10:56 AM
Thank You Daniel O'Donnell, and Jameel for Posting these Pictures.
I have been corresponding with Daniel and just recieved my copies of the Photos yesterday.
I have Known about this oud for years but The first time I laid eyes on it in person I was shaken down deep in my soul. This is the most beautiful oud
ever made!!!
The craftsmanship is immaculate and the design is elaborate but not over done. It is well balanced and very light weight.
As Mike mentioned I have worked on ouds for Hamza but This one he keeps in perfect shape.
I have never had the honor of working on it and am greatful for it's wonderful condition.
the neck has been reset and the beard is not original. The inlay design on the fingerboard has been cut short alittle where the neck meets the
body.
Hamza is a beautiful Man and a wonderfully talented oud player. He is not flashy but deeply spiritual in the way that he plays. I cannot think of a
better person to own this instrument.
He is very sensitive to the needs of the oud he walks on stage with his oud in it's case, opens the case, begins to play, when he is done the oud
goes directly back in the case and he walks off stage. he uses la bella ou-80a arabic oud strings which are very thin.
Other than the beard and neck reset I belive all rest of the oud to be original. The only thing left that has me extreemly interested is the label
inside? I will ask Mr. O'Donnell if he remembers what it looked like.
Thank you Jameel for starting this thread, I am converting my drawings into vector files on the computer so that I can send them to you.
Take care all
This oud should truely humble and inspire us all.
Love RufieJameel - 8-11-2004 at 01:52 PM
Hey Rufie,
Good to hear from you. I agree, the best oud ever. I am very eagerly awaiting your drawings as I am beginning my next oud project. I
hope you can also share some info on bracing--the most important aspect for me. I'm also posting pics of my next project here. It's the top
thread in the Ouds Ouds Ouds forum. Patiently waiting.........Elie Riachi - 8-11-2004 at 04:17 PM
Hi Rufi and Jameel,
Would it be too much to ask to be added to the list for drawings and braces information? Please, pretty please.
Elie
The dream oud!
wfspark - 8-13-2004 at 10:45 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by Elie Riachi
Hi Rufi and Jameel,
Would it be too much to ask to be added to the list for drawings and braces information? Please, pretty please.
Elie
Is that not everyone's dream oud or what? Awsome history and picks Jameel. Verry good work! I
would do anything to see that oud in person. Even if it was for only 30 seconds. Once again, good work Jameel!
William F. Sparksrojaros - 8-21-2008 at 04:30 AM
Hello, I absolutely fell in LOVE with sound of this oud from listening to the recordings, and the sight is beatifull as well - really THE OUD .
Do you know anything about the measurments ba any chance? Length of strings? Length, width and depth of the body?
I still try to figure out wether this amazing sounds depends strongly on the measures or is it more the making?
I'll be thankful for answer!
Best wishes
R.veyselmaster - 8-21-2008 at 10:46 AM
hı jameel thank you very much shape for Nahad picture
its realy very nice oud
best wishesAmer - 8-21-2008 at 02:02 PM
I am honestly speechless!!!
The more I look at Nahhat ouds -in pictures of course- the more I realize how much attention to detail Nahhat used to give when making his ouds!! Look
at those pegs inlays, aren't they the most beautiful pegs ever made?! The inlays on the back of the oud are -as Rufi mentioned- are elaborate,, very
elaborate but not over done.. I'm not a fan of inlays or decorations but this dude sure knew what he was doing!!
Of course, that rosette is my favorite, used the middle part of it (without the maqam names) on the oud I just made with Maurice Shehata!
What was done to the oud when it was last restored? when were these pics taken? before or after?
Thanks Jameel!! Jason - 8-21-2008 at 06:00 PM
Jameel
Do you have these pictures in a higher quality format? I think they would look great in my living room.rojaros - 2-11-2009 at 12:52 PM
Hello Jameel, this oud is the most marvelous instrument...
did you take by any chance any meaurements or plans of the Hamza El Din Oud?
It would be exceedingly interesting to know them to me ...
anyway, thanks for these valiable information and best wishes
Robertaytayfun - 2-11-2009 at 01:57 PM
Hey Jameel
You did it. What can I say. Absolute beauty.
Thank you.JT - 2-11-2009 at 09:16 PM
Hey Jameel,
This oud always blows my mind. Any plans to build an exact replica?
JTJameel - 2-14-2009 at 06:01 AM
Those are the best pics I have.
Joe, I've always wanted to build a replica of this oud, and I've spent a fair amount of time trying to break down the process over the past few years.
Wow. It's been over 4 years since I posted that! Mostly its an issue of duplicating the complex inlays. I've figured out the pattern for the finer
geodesic-style geometric pattern (the other ribbon-style one is easy), but making it in a large quantities is the problem. I won't do it unless it
looks exactly like the original. Some of the pieces are about the size of a toothpick, and they are crisp. Abdo, or whoever did the inlay, was at the
top of his game. Same with the bird and vine pattern, that's extremely fine work just to cut out, and inlaying it is even trickier. I don't see any
filler around the inlay. It's really impeccable. The rosette is doable. I'd love to document this instrument with photos and measurements, but who
knows where it is? I've tried to contact Hamza's widow with no luck.Mrcook - 3-21-2016 at 12:57 PM
Hi, Rufi said that Hamza used La Bella au80a strings, and tuned his oud DGADGC, would anyone recommend these strings for this tuning?Brian Prunka - 3-21-2016 at 02:16 PM
I don't know who Rufi or Hamza are, or why this unrelated comment is on an ancient thread, but the OU80A LaBella set is made for this tuning:
F A d g c' f'
