Arabic music

Arabic music called classical and popular music of the peoples of the Arab world: the Maghreb countries and the Maschriq (Egypt, the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq ) and the Arabian Peninsula. To Arab music is secular music as well as religious music.

The world of Arab classical music has long been dominated by Cairo, a cultural center, but also go from Morocco to Saudi Arabia musical innovation and regional styles from. Classical Arab music is very popular among the people, particularly concerns a small number of singers who are known as superstars throughout the Arab world such as the Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum, the Lebanese singer Fairuz, originating from Syria siblings Farid el Atrache and Asmahan, as well as the Egyptians Abdel Halim Hafez Abdel Wahab and Mohammed, some of which are also known as instrumentalists and composers, as well as an actor and film through their music.

Special

Arab music reaches its expressive effect mainly through melodic and rhythmic, less by harmonic mean. The majority of Arab music is linear unanimously, but there is currently ( in significantly increasing degree ) pieces of music, which extensively employ a multi-voice harmonies.

Arabic music has the following characteristic features:

• An Arabic sound system ( maqam ) with its own interval structures (such as the use of quarter-tone steps )
• Rhythmic- temporal structures that arise shaping patterns (at إيقاع / IQA ʿ, Pl إيقاعات / IQA ʿ, or وزن / wazn, Pl أوزان / awzān )
• Heterophony as the dominant musical form in contrast to the mono- or polyphony in European art music
• Instruments that are to be found partly in the Arab world and shape the sound system clearly
• A variety of occasions to solid ( religious or secular nature ) bound forms of music.
• The great importance the singer or the singer in Arab music since the compositions, especially in the (highly predominant ) allow vocal music by European standards a huge scope for interpretation and improvisation
• The prevalence of predominantly smaller ensembles, which are also occupied similar in Arab classical music throughout the culture room

Instruments

Basically between regionally popular musical instruments of the folk music and represented throughout the Arab culture classical Arabic distinguished. According to medieval classifications of musical instruments, the Arabic lute ( oud) enjoys a privileged position, followed other sound instruments and wind instruments; latter because they can produce a sustained sound similar to the human voice. At the lower end of the rank accordingly are drums which are usually associated with folk dances.

The musical instruments are divided into groups of wind instruments, string instruments, percussion instruments. The rababa or Rabab, the spit sounds, one of the most popular musical instruments and indeed to the group of string instruments. It is characterized by a small body - often a half coconut shell with only one string from. There are, however, other forms such as the box shape. It is then referred to as a box spit sounds.

The following ensemble instruments, however, are found throughout the Arab world: in traditional Arabic ensemble instruments such as the oud ( عود / ʿ ūd ), the Qanun Zither ( قانون ), the spike fiddle Kamanǧa, in the folk music of the one-stringed fiddle rababa, as well as the flute nay ( ناي ) played. Arab hot drums generally tbl These include the tambourine Riqq ( رق ) and the drum Darabukka ( دربكة ). In contrast, the traditional Iraqi Ensemble chalghi knows next to the percussion instruments and riqq Darabukka only the two melody instruments jowza, a four-stringed spike fiddle and the dulcimer santur ( سنتور ).

More Arabic percussion instruments are Bendir (frame drum ) and tar ( طار / tar), which find use in both the classical and North African music tradition, such as in popular music.

Since the middle of the 19th century found through contact with the colonial powers and their music culture more and more European musical instruments input in the Arab music like the European violin, cello, double bass, but also accordion, saxophone and finally piano and keyboard, which resulted had that certain maqamat were no longer playable because they are keyboard instruments difficult or impossible to be executed.

Regional folk music

Popular music has evolved differently in different regions of the eastern and the western Maghreb Maschriq. Regional styles of popular music include Algerian raï Today, for example, Moroccan Gnawa, Egyptian al - Jil and Khaleeji from the Gulf States and Sawt ( Sout Sowt ) from Kuwait. They are partially influenced by Western pop music, but partly also of traditional African music.

One of the numerous, independent, traditional styles of music in the Arab world are the poetic Sanaa songs, accompanied by the singer on the lute Qanbus or the copper plate Sahn Nuhasi. Similarly, marked by Sufitraditionen is the music of the village in the Rif mountains Joujouka.

In the Suez Canal region developed in the second half of the 19th century under the seamen and dockers of the ever-popular dance music style Bambutiyya, the leading melodic instrument, the lyre Simsimiyya is supported by the rapid rhythms of several drums and jerry cans.

Arabic music is also very popular in other countries outside the Arab world such as Turkey, Iran and even in Western countries such as France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and also in the United States of America.

Further developments

Today, something like a return takes place on the Arab tradition. But there are also currents of modern composers who consciously try polyphony and European harmony with the Arab homophony (music), in which all instruments play the same melody that link.

It also attempts are observed to develop the Arabic music due to the knowledge of concert music and other musics. From his linking of the different modal characteristics of the eastern and western varieties of Arabic music with complex improvisations Anouar Brahem example, has created a new synthesis. Similarly, this applies to the building on the music of Lebanon and the Jazz Rabih Abou- Khalil, but also for people living in France as a musician Safy Boutella involving elements of Raï and fusion music.

Also Wust el- Balad, the most famous rock band from the Arab world, used in their songs more elements from the traditional Arab music. Acrassicauda, an Iraqi thrash metal band, shows much stronger influence of " western" rock music.