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Edward Powell
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FORMS of Arab music
I want to write something more detailed about my current understanding of these FORMS, and question I have... but in 5 minutes I must rush off to see
a concert at the Opera house in Cairo.
basically I would like some help in understanding these different forms... and if anyone can share some youtube links with concrete examples of
these forms - that would be amazing.
I know there are the instrumental forms semai, and bushraf, and longa. . . . . but what is a mystery to me are the various forms of vocal music.
Like DAWR for example.... I've been recently told that this is the most serious vocal form and you never find it anymore today. . . .
THANKS!
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katakofka
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Hey Ed
Arabic singing forms can be classified into 4 categories (probably more but those that I could count)
1-Muwashahaat
2-Dawr
3-Mawaal
4-Taktuka
the first, el muwashahaat we mentioned elsewhere in other posts
al Dawr, it's a form that resembles al Muwashahaat. Al dawr was developed mainly by Egyptian musicians like Sayyed darwish. Usually it's a complicated
singing form.
Al mawwal, it's a kind of free vocal improvistion, no measures or rhythms
Al Taktuka, the most popular form. It's usually have the following structure: beginning- part-1, back to the beginning, part-2, back to the beginning
(refrain, couplet, refrain sorry my french is better than my English )
Below you find some examples from different web sources
Dawr
1-ana haweet wentaheet
http://www.sawari.net/torath/folk/ana_haweet.mp3
sung by souad mhammad in here but you see the Satus of sayed darwish in the begining of the video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTfKqxdLLjQ
2-Dawr "ana esheqt"
http://www.sawari.net/torath/folk/ana-esheqt.mp3
3- Sabah fakhri does some Dawr from time to time, repeating old ones. Emta al hawa in 3 parts on youtube below originally for Om kaltum (music
zakariyya ahmad)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0fK56CmHg8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQy0k8DPdN8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBoHeDpTQig&feature=related
DAwr Sibuuni ya naas, also orignally for Om kaltum (music for Zakariyya ahmad)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMsG1u-LEWA
This resembles a Dawr, the song that makes abdel wahaab popular, Ya Garata alwaadi
http://www.sawari.com/torath/torath/Top/1/yajarat-alwady.mp3
Mawwal.
Wadih al safi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4289VtAwvEo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GC4Altx5zM
Karawaan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynMqgedF6WU
Eliya Bayda
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUrZre-2IHA
Lotfi Bushnaak
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jppOedo4_II
Taktuuka
Farid el atrashe
http://www.sawari.org/torath/5/Khatam-A-Sabro.mp3
http://www.sawari.com/torath/torath/Top/1/eshtaqtellak.ram
Farid used to add a Mawwal within the taktuka as seen in estaqktellak
Abdel wahaab
http://www.sawari.com/torath/torath/Top/1/yajarat-alwady.mp3
http://www.sawari.com/torath/mb3/abdulwahab/lelt-elweda.mp3
http://www.sawari.com/torath/mb3/abdulwahab/khay.mp3
Zakariyya ahmad
el ward gamiil
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odD8JCd48RQ&feature=related
Ya salaat azzeen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVAMDqc9GvA&feature=related
Saleh abdel hay,
leeh ya banafseg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sugMjGAiWGM&feature=related
hope this would help
Best
Souheil
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Edward Powell
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Souheil!
This is great! ...my last email check for the day - - - 2am here... I'm off to dreamland :-)
I'm going to check all this out tomorrow first thing.... THANKS SO MUCH!!!
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JT
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Dont forget Qasidah and Monologue, but these are vocal forms to do with poetic forms as musical.
JT
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Owain-Hawk
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Katakofka, thats some nice music, thanks!! Edward, you'll have a lot of pleasure listening to that! Here is some more music from Adbdel Wahab...
http://lyle.smu.edu/~saad/abdelwahab/
"Below is a brief description of the different styles:
Qadeem: songs before 1928.
Mawwal: traditional arabic mawwal that starts with
Ya Leil Ya 3ein.
Dawr: traditional arabic dawr with choir interaction.
Moursal: this form does not have a clear dominant
melodic theme but it is based on a mode like etudes
in classical music. It is not mawwal because it
contains progressive melodies specially towards the
end. Two of the songs in this style contain choir
harmony. Some of the songs are characterized by the
absence of a traditionally present rhythmic pattern.
Khafeef: this style contains songs that are
composed of a number of parts separated by a single
melodic phrase that gets repeated. It conforms to the
taktouka form in traditional arabic music.
Qaseed: these are obviously poems; however, not
every poem belongs to this style. Except maybe for
Al Hawa Wal Shabab which I included in this style,
all of the songs in this style are similar in their
composition.
Jadeed: this style contains songs that were made
during and after 1933, the year when Abdelwahab
started composing his movie songs.
Watani: these are political, national, and arab
national songs."
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Edward Powell
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cool!
unfortunately I can't get the Sawari clips cuz I can't read Arabic. . . .
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Edward Powell
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Thanks all, especially Souheil... last night I went thru ALL of those posted clips... and am making some progress.
This is turning into an enormous task and will take me a while to digest and comment - - -
thanks - and happy listening!!!
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Owain-Hawk
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I too would like to thank Souheil, it must have took some time to dig those out and post them. Thank you!!
By the way Edward, check out 'Mala El Kasat' in the Qadeem section, it's just such an amazing Arabic song (in Rast).
http://lyle.smu.edu/~saad/abdelwahab/qadeem.html
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Edward Powell
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Owain-Hawk
Katakofka, thats some nice music, thanks!! Edward, you'll have a lot of pleasure listening to that! Here is some more music from Adbdel Wahab...
http://lyle.smu.edu/~saad/abdelwahab/
"Below is a brief description of the different styles:
Qadeem: songs before 1928.
Mawwal: traditional arabic mawwal that starts with
Ya Leil Ya 3ein.
Dawr: traditional arabic dawr with choir interaction.
Moursal: this form does not have a clear dominant
melodic theme but it is based on a mode like etudes
in classical music. It is not mawwal because it
contains progressive melodies specially towards the
end. Two of the songs in this style contain choir
harmony. Some of the songs are characterized by the
absence of a traditionally present rhythmic pattern.
Khafeef: this style contains songs that are
composed of a number of parts separated by a single
melodic phrase that gets repeated. It conforms to the
taktouka form in traditional arabic music.
Qaseed: these are obviously poems; however, not
every poem belongs to this style. Except maybe for
Al Hawa Wal Shabab which I included in this style,
all of the songs in this style are similar in their
composition.
Jadeed: this style contains songs that were made
during and after 1933, the year when Abdelwahab
started composing his movie songs.
Watani: these are political, national, and arab
national songs." |
Yes! Great!
...but what happened in 1928 to shift the music so much??
Are there any clips to show these FORMS/STYLES??
thanks!!
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Owain-Hawk
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Sorry, but what do you mean 'shift' the music so much?
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Edward Powell
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Why is the QADD song only existing before 1928? Why did it disappear in 1929?
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Owain-Hawk
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Ah yes, I actually don't know! I know no more than you, I'm also learning about Arabic music in general, I just wanted to share that website with
you... However, I think perhaps Qadeem means 'Songs before 1928' and not a particular rhythm or form.
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Edward Powell
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Souheil sent me some scores of DAWR, and I found it interesting that there is a BASS LINE written along with the main melody. I never saw this before
in MODAL music, where there is more than ONE SINGLE LINE WRITTEN. Of course cello players tend to simplify what they do to make it sound more
fundamental and supportive. . . . but I never knew that these lines were actually written. When did this practice begin?
Of course these "bass lines" are not counterpunctal and counterpoint does not truly exist in traditional middle-eastern music. . . .
But anyway now listening to example of DAWR on the WAHEB site (which is GR8, by the way) I can hear that there is definitely a main melody and a bass
line under it.
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Edward Powell
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This MOURSAL style/form is amazing... there is no repeating theme at all! It is like a long written improvisation... wow!
Just imagine if some POP singer would do something like THIS TODAY!?? It really shows how degenerated things have become. . . .
...for my ears this MOURSAL form seems to come the closest to what I could call "classical" music. It seems to me that as soon as you have short
repeating themes you are already in the area of pop...
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Owain-Hawk
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Cool, I'm glad you enjoy it. I agree with you, it would be great if modern musicians used this style, but it seems they don't, however listening on
the Radio I heard some pop singers in (I think it was) Syria still use the old Maqams and Rhythms.
By the way, could you post those Dawr scores?? Thanks.
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Edward Powell
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This Abdel Waheb site is really great and is exactly what I need to help me hear the specific differences in forms and styles!
Does anybody know of a site which similarly showing OK's music in this way - broken down into styles??
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Owain-Hawk
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http://almashriq.hiof.no/egypt/700/780/umKoulthoum/Songs/
There is a list of 'Mode' and 'Genre' lower down on the page.
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Edward Powell
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Owain-Hawk
Ah yes, I actually don't know! I know no more than you, I'm also learning about Arabic music in general, I just wanted to share that website with
you... However, I think perhaps Qadeem means 'Songs before 1928' and not a particular rhythm or form. |
MAQAMWORLD describes QADD as a light pop song originating in ALEPPO, usually love songs but were originally religious.... they say nothing about
1928.
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Edward Powell
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Owain-Hawk
old Maqams and Rhythms.
By the way, could you post those Dawr scores?? Thanks.
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what are the OLD MAQAMS and RHYTHMS???
I think Souheil mentioned that it would not be legal to post those scores on the net, therefore he kindly sent them to me as an email.
THANKS SOUHEIL!
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Owain-Hawk
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By old I just meant, instead of just playing Western Minor on electric Guitar all the time, somtimes they add in a bit of Hijaz on Violin and use
rythmes like Muwashahat or local tribal rythmes.
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Edward Powell
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OH MY GOD!!!!
...looks like my RSI (sore hands from too much oud practice) will recover, because these GREAT sites are offering fantastic INFO.
Wow, it even lists MAQAM, FORM, COMPOSER, YEAR, and title translation!
Too bad you can't download the entire song.
They say OK has 280 songs. . . . but many of these are 45 minutes long!!! It is quite misleading to call them a "SONG". A 'song' is usually 5
minutes max! I was told that OK's epic songs which are about 45 minutes actually repeat quite a lot and in fact contain about 15 minutes of
non-repeating material. . . so wouldn't it be more accurate to say that she has 280X3 (!) "songs"???
But not ALL of her songs where long epics. Does anyone know approximately what percentage of her repertoire are these long epics? ...and when did she
shift to the long epic style? ...and finally, once she shifted to the long epics, did she ever return to the short piece style?
I was reading that she used to perform in CAIRO on the first Thursday of every month... so I guess this means that she had several composers
continuously composing for her, and each month she would sing a totally new, fresh, and very comprehensive 45-60 minute show!
In fact, this is just like making a totally new and complete full ALBUM/CD every month!! NON-STOP!! ...incredible!
Of course, this was quite a highly organised and almost industrial entertainment enterprise.... she had a whole team working for her... well paid
full time orchestra fully trained and prepared with all the new material --- new composition ready and waiting each month --- all she had to do was
learn the new material each month.... but still, wow, she must have worked incredibly hard!
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Edward Powell
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Owain-Hawk
By old I just meant, instead of just playing Western Minor on electric Guitar all the time, somtimes they add in a bit of Hijaz on Violin and use
rythmes like Muwashahat or local tribal rythmes. |
yes, this NAHAWANDIZATION is a true catastrophy...
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Owain-Hawk
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I just mean it's good when modern Arab pop singers use traditional instruments instead of using electric guitar all the time...
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Masel
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Great topic. I'm in a hurry but before I go I will make a few short comments. When I have more time I might be able to add more information.
Qadeem in arabic simply means ancient. A friend of mine travelling in egypt told me that when she explained the owners of the cassette shops that she
is looking for old egyptian music they would call it qadeem. I think again (like with the arabic maqam thread you started) you should look at it
through the eyes of an avarege egyptian, not a european musician - meaning that qadeem probably just refers to the songs from "back then", that
changed as all music changes with time, and not a specific musical genre, but maybe I'm wrong. In 1928 by the way was the first (and only?) convention
of arabic music, organized by the french of course, which many people feel had a very negative affect on arabic music because it was contrived to fit
24 tone scales and other theoretical practices that only the europeans were concerned with. I guess this also changed many things about the way songs
were written and played.
I heard it used to take O.K.'s orchestra two weeks to learn each new song (in her modern period with the longer songs). I guess they had the budget
and public support for this. But as always the truth is less exciting (though more enlightening) than the mystery it stands behind - the practice of
large orchestras and long songs lasting an hour or more is actually borrowed from western opera, which probably came to the middle east through
colonialism, the same way you can hear french chanson influences in some lebanese music. Egypt was the center of entertainment for the arab world,
with the large cinema industry and radio shows helping to spread this new practice.
p.s. there did of course exist suites that would take all night to play like turkish fasil, iraqi maqam, or north african nuba/malhoun, but these were
more traditional and in general the modern revolutionizers of arabic music - Oum Kulthum, AbdelWahab, Farid...- did not play the older styles anymore
(whether they knew how to or not is another question).
Yaniv
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katakofka
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Hey guys, there was no effort in posting all those links. The only concern was what music should I post to really give good examples of the different
forms. I am glad that you find those links useful
cheers
Souheil
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