Showing posts with label Maqam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Maqam. Show all posts

Tuesday, 24 October 2017

Ibrahim al-Haggar (1922 - 2000) & Takht Ensemble - Classical Arab Music from Cairo, Egypt - WDR 1972


Here we present - as promised in our post on Salah Abd al-Hayy - broadcasts by Ibrahim al-Haggar, the great Maqam singer from Egypt. The recordings are from a concert that took place in the framework of a Unesco Festival in Cologne (and also Berlin), probably in 1972. The concert was never broadcast as a whole, but parts of it were broadcast by WDR between 1972 and 1975.
We received these recordings recently from our friend KF. Many thanks to him. He also send us notes on the pieces he had written down back then. See here the corresponding pages as a pdf file.
In the same year a wonderful LP by the same singer and his ensemble was published in the Unesco Collection "Musical Sources" under the title: "Taqasim and Layali - Cairo Tradition". The LP contained only one vocal track, all the others were instrumental pieces. The LP was later rereleased as a CD by the French label Auvidis in their Unesco collection. Now it is available as a download in mp3 and flac formats here. The booklet can be downloaded for free here.

'Ud player Gomaa Muhammad Ali


Thursday, 6 July 2017

Salah Abd al-Hayy (1896-1962) - Lih Ya Binafsaj (Why are you pale?) - LP published in Egypt


Salah Abd al-Hayy was the last outstanding Egyptian singer of classical Arabic music as it was performed around the turn of the century by great singers like Yūsuf al-Manyalāwī (1847-1911), his uncle ‘Abd al-Ḥayy Ḥilmī (1857-1912) and Sayyid al-Ṣaftī (1875-1939). During his lifetime Egytian music went through quite drastic changes, personified by the famous Om Kalthoum. Salah Abd al-Hayy seems to have been the only singer who refused the huge orchestras of the time and stuck to the small classical arab ensemble, the Takht, consisting of 'Ud, Qanun, Ney, violin, and one or two percussionists.
He also stuck to the classic Wasla (Maqam suite) consisting of a metrical introduction, a Taqsim (non-metrical instrumental improvisation on 'Ud or Qanun), a Layali (a great non-metrical vocal improvisation supported by an 'Ud or Qanun) and some metrical compositions at the end.
Unfortunately this music seems hardly to exist since after his death anymore in Egypt, except in a very marginal way. See for example the beautiful piece by Ibrahim El-Haggar here. We will post a broadcast by him in the future.
Here we present an old LP - I have no idea when it was released: maybe in the 1950s or 1960s - with one of his well-known compositions in the Wasla format. The piece covers both sides.
"Born in Cairo to a family of musicians (his uncle was ̕Abd al-Hay Hilmî), he was trained with the Sahbageyya groups and then with the Muhammad ̕ Umar and ̕Ali al-Rashidi groups. He started his career with his uncle’s repertoire. He reached his glory in the middle of the 1920s. His powerful and moving voice made him the last brilliant representative of the Khedivial aesthetics in its improvising dimension. An ardent defender of the takht, he was the first singer broadcasted on national radio in May 1934 without, however, renewing his repertoire."

Around 15 or 20 years ago there existed some (I think 4) CDs by him, manufactured by the Saudi Arabian CD company Sidi. Nowadays one can't find them anymore anywhere.
But in the internet one can find many recordings by him: on all the downloading and streaming sites (Amazon, Deezer, Qobuz (flac format) etc.) and also on YouTube, especially if one puts in his name with arabic letters: صالح عبد الحي 
About the artist see:





A few years ago a wonderful set of four CDs by his uncle Abd Al-Hayy Hilmi was published. It can be obtained from: info@raga-maqam-dastgah.com.


Abd Al-Hayy Hilmi (1857-1912) (Vocal) – An Anthology – Une Anthologie, Set of 4 CDs containing 45 recordings + 1 booklet in English, French and Arabic,
CD 1: Odeon 1903-1910 - Dawr - 'ahd el-ekhewwa (7:45), Dawr - gaddedi ya nafsi hazzek (7:15), Dawr - sallemte ruhak (6:56), Muwashshah - ya nahif al-qawam (3:46), Muwashshah - waghak mushriq (3:50), Taqtuqa - 'amara ya'ammura (4:05), Dawr - el-hobbe sabbahni'adam (7:35), Dawr - enta farid fel-hosn (7:00), Dawr - el-hosn ana'eshe'to (10:52), Dawr - fe maglis el-'ons el-hani (6:07), Dawr - bustan gamalak (9:37).
CD 2: Zonophone / Early Gramophone 1906-1909 - Dawr - el-bolbol gani (9:37), Dawr - ahin en-nafs (15:52), Dawr - ana 'a'sha'fi zamani (9:36), Dawr - el-warde fo' wagnat bahiyy el-gamal (12:49), Muwashshah - atani zamani (10:26), Dawr - la ya en (9:01), Mawwal - ya mufrad el-ghid (4:29), Qasida 'ala l-wahda - fa-ya muhgati dhubi gawan (4:26).
CD 3: Late Gramophone (1909-1910) - Taqsim layali, taqtuqa - 'idil-yamin (9:04), Taqtuqa - ya nakhleten fel-'alali (4:38), Taqsim layali, mawwal - ya hadiya l-'is (8:44), Muwashshah - nahat fa-'agabtuha (4:40), Muwashshah - hati ayyuha s-saqi (4:05), Qasida 'ala l-wahda - a-saqiyaya 'a-khamrun fi ku'usikuma (3:55), Taqsim layali, mawwal - la tehsibu inn el-be'ad (4:04), Dawr - el''albe dab es'efini (8:07), Taqsim layali, mawwal - sahi l-gefun (4:18), Mawwal - amr el-gharam (4:03), Taqsim layali, qasida mursala - lla muhayyaka nuru l-badr (8:16), Dawr - min habbak 'awla be-'urbak (6:19), Qasida 'ala l-wahda - a-la fi sabili l-lah (6:26).
CD 4: Baidaphone 1911-1912 - Qasida 'ala-wahda - shakawtu fa-qalat (4:14), Qasida mursala - a-lasta wa'adtani (4:14), Qasida 'ala l-wahda - araka 'asiyya d-dam'i (8:09), Mawwal - sabah es-sabah (4:07), Qasida mursala - 'umri 'alayka tashawwuqan (3:47), Dawr - ma-ahebbe gherak (10:45), Mawwal - ya di 'l-gamal wed-dalal (3:18), Muwashshah - ya laylu 'inna l-habiba wafa & muwashshah - gusnu banin gabinuhu (7:01), Du'a - ye'ish khedewi masr (7:18), Dawr - ya masr' unsek 'al (4:00), Muwashshah - ya akhal el-'en (4:13), Qasida mursala - tih dalalan (4:01), Dawr - maliki ana 'abdak (7:20), AMAR - Foundation for Arab Music Archiving and Research
”Abd al-Hayy Hilmi, a talismanic artist in a non-conformist style of the Arab intellectual and cultural renaissance (the Nahda). At the turn of the 20th century, he was the king of Tarab (music). He was maverick in life, just like the way he sang. His personal versions of the songs that were the most performed are surprisingly outspoken and free, illustrated by immediate compositional improvisation. We present in this box set of 4 Cds, including 45 recordings featuring all the styles Hilmi sang in and which further represent different periods covering all the facets of this great singer’s artistry.
Abd al-Hay Hilmî, a seductive dandy, was the spoiled child of Egyptian high society at the turn of the century. He was noted for his odd manners; he would leave a concert he was hired for if he failed to notice a pleasant looking face, be it male or female, in the audience, and preferred to sing for handsome strangers. An obsessive drinker, he would also use various drugs to reach the state of saltana necessary to unleash his extemporizing creativity. He ended up worn by his excesses, which caused him an angina pectoris, and he died whilst drunken in Alexandria after a feast of sea turtle.
A whimsical character in his life, as well as in his art, he was often summing up the introduction and livening up the composed thread of the melody. He would neglect entire sections so as to privilege one verse, one standstill in a particular modal color to which he added a tragic and hallucinated touch, displaying a wide range of virtuosic effects expressing emotions, shifting from long melodic phrases to a jerky staccato, interrupting the instruments with another dramatic piece of embroidery over the heady main theme. A self-taught artist in learned tradition, Abd al-Hay Hilmî insisted on ignoring the rules. His well-known lack of respect for rhythm and composition made him an easy target for harsh criticism from rigorists who were subjugated by Western patterns with their sanctification of the composer’s role. His passion naturally finds its best expression in mawawil, where non metrical improvisation is the only rule. In this field, he remains unmatchable.
A successful record-selling artist, he was first hired by Zonophone in 1906 cutting his best discs ever inspite of poor technical quality. He then collaborated with the record companies installed in Egypt until his death, often recording the same works many times a year for the British Gramophone, Odeon and Baidaphon. A prodigal sybarite, he would receive from the companies important amounts of money, squander it and then be forced to repay his debts in terms of recordings. This is why, once, he mischievously added at the end of a qasîda rimed curses against the Gramophone Company, that went unnoticed.”

Sunday, 2 July 2017

Iraq - Makamat par l'Ensemble Al Tchālghī Al Baghdādī et Yusuf Omar (1918-1987) – LP published in France in 1972


Yusuf Omar was, next to Muhammad al-Qubbanji, the greatest Maqam singer of the past century in Iraq. This singer and especially this recording is the crown of Iraqi Maqam music and Maqam music in general. I discovered this great singer and this great musical tradition with this LP shortly after it was released. It was amongst the very first LPs - I think the second - of Arabic music I have. This LP was later released as a CD with an additional track, unfortunately no longer available for many years.
The scans of the booklet inside this gatefold LP I took from an earlier post of this LP somewhere in the internet. I don't remember anymore where that was.














In 1995 a fantastic double CD was published by Inédit - Maison des Cultures du Monde in Paris. It can be obtained from their website: 
In the booklet to this double CD one can find good information about this tradition and the singer and his musicians. This booklet can be downloaded here.



Tuesday, 27 June 2017

Maqam-Al-Iraqi - Three concerts in Bonn, Cologne and Baghdad broadcast in 1977, 1978 & 1979 by WDR, Cologne, Germany


Here our second post in our series of recordings of the Maqam music of Iraq. Here we have longer Maqam suites which give a much better impression of this great musical tradition.
Many thanks to our friend KF who recorded these broadcasts, made a double CD out of them and created the covers. Many thanks for sharing them generously.






Sunday, 25 June 2017

Arabian Music in Baghdad - LP published in Japan in 1980


With this LP we start a series of three posts of the Maqam Music of Iraq - Maqam al-Iraqi. In 2011 we posted already an LP having a recording by the same singer as on this LP here. See here.
Iraqi Maqam is one of the great Maqam traditions. In some respects it has some affinities to the Mugham music of Azerbaijan and to Dastgah music of Iran, but it is for sure through and through Arabic. I discovered this music in the first half of the 1970s with the legendary LP "Iraq - Makamat - L'Ensemble Al Tchalghi Al Baghdadi et Yusuf Omar" which we will post here as the third post in this series. For a long time there were hardly any other recordings available.
Here on this LP - which to my knowledge was never distributed in Europe or the US - we have mainly the lighter and more vivid and shorter pieces which in a performance are played usually towards the end. In the next two posts we will have the serious longer Maqam performances. Here the singer is also accompanied by a Takht ensemble as it is used normally in Maqam music in Egypt and other Near Eastern countries. In Iraq this a more recent development. Normally the Maqam music is accompanied by the Chalghi Al Baghdadi ensemble consistung of a Santour player, a Djoze player and two or three percussionists, as we will have it in the next two posts.
The singer on this LP is Salah Abdel Ghafour (1952-2012). In the 1970s he toured quite frequently also outside of Iraq. In our next post we will have three broadcasts with him from 1977, 1978 and 1979 done by the WDR in Cologne, Germany. 
Later he seems to have turned more into a singer of popular music.
"Iraqi artist Salah Abdel Ghafour was killed in a road accident in the Iraqi city of Irbil on Sunday evening, April 7, 2012. A medical source said the late singer was injured and hospitalized following a road accident, and passed away at the hospital. Salah Abdul Ghafour was born in 1952 in Al Saadiya district in Diyala Province in Iraq. He was of Kurdish origin. Abdul Ghafour applied to the TV and Radio auditions in 1961 via the program "Rukn Al Huwaa" (Amateurs' Corner), he was only 8 years old at the time. He rose to fame by singing the songs of renowned Iraqi artist Nathem Al Ghazali. In 1973, he joined the National Troupe for Folklore Arts, and later became a member of the Iraqi Inshad Troupe. For the next four years, he participated in a number of festivals and celebrations in Iraq and abroad. In 1977, he joined the Institute of Musical Studies as a student, where he specialized in the Iraqi Maqam and in playing the violin. Six years later, he graduated from the institute and joined the Iraqi Musical Heritage Troupe, founded by the late Mounir Bashir, whereby he took part in many Arab and international festivals and concerts. The song he is most famous for is "Helwa Yal Baghdadiya" (Pretty Baghdadi Girl), the music of which was composed by Nathem Naeem. Some of his most popular hits include "Mou Beedaya" (Out of My Hands), music by composer Mohamed Noushi; "Ridt Ansak" (I Wanted to Forget You), music by composer Farouq Hilal; "Kulman Yahin Lahla" (Whoever Yearns for their Family) and "Khasartak Habibi" ( I Lost You My Darling), music by composer Jaafar Al Khafaf. Song artist Salah Abdul Ghafour made more than 30 albums and 300 songs, including the Iraqi Maqam and Iraqi heritage songs. In addition, he had many national and love songs. Many artists performed his songs, the most famous of which is veteran Turkish singer Ibrahim Tatlises, who performed the song "Shlonak Ainy Shlonak" (How are you my love?). Abdul Ghafour's most famous hits include "Helwa Yal Baghdadiya" (Pretty Baghdadi Girl), "Khasartak Habibi" ( I Lost You My Darling), "La Tulomony" ( Do Not Blame Me), "Anta Al Ghaltan" (You Are Mistaken), "Kul Yom Lak Mee'ad" ( You Have a Time Every Day) and "Il'ab Yal Asmar" ( Play You Dark-toned One)." 
From: http://www.alowaisnet.org/en/news/slahairaq.aspx

About Iraqi Maqam music see:

A blog devoted to Iraqi Maqam with many many historical recordings:






Saturday, 28 November 2015

Orifxon Xatamov - MP3-CD from Uzbekistan by the great Maqom master


Orifxon Xatamov (born 1924 or 1925) - his name is given sometimes also as Orif or Arif Xatamov, and both versions can appaer in different spellings - belongs to the Maqom tradition of the Ferghana Valley and was a student of the legendary Jurakhan Sultanov (1912-1977), who was also the teacher of Mamurjan Uzakov. 
Theodore Levin devoted a very beautiful chapter to Orifxon Xatamov in his very interesting book "The Hundred Thousand Fools of God - Musical Travels in Central Asia". Some excerpts from this chapter, named "The Avatar of a Master", which is based on talks with the master in the early 1990s, can be read here. Orifxon Xatamov is depicted here as a master musician deeply rooted in the musical and spiritual (Sufi) traditions of his country.
The recordings here - again from the collection of MP3-CDs which our dear friend Danny brought a couple of years ago from Uzbekistan - are probably from the 1960s to the 1980s and were probably published originally on Melodiya LPs during Sowjet times. There is also a second MP3-CD by him which we will post in the future.
We already posted in 2012 some tracks by him. See here. But the tracks there are all included in and probably taken from these two MP3-CDs.


This MP3-CD contains 5 folders named CD 1 to 5. The first two folders are contained in the download part 1 and folders 3 to 5 in part 2.


Only today (2nd of december 2015), when I listened to the complete MP3-CD again, I realized that I forgot to post the last part of this CD. There are two more folders on it named CD 11 and CD 13. Both can be downloaded here as part 3. CD 13 is by other singers in the same tradition: tracks 1 to 7 by Ismoilon & Mukhamadon Xotamovlar and tracks 8 to 16 by Beknazar Dustmurodov. Maybe two sons and a disciple of Orifxon Xatamov.


Wednesday, 1 October 2014

Özbekiston Ajoyib San'at Ustalari - Ciqarish 32 - Masters of the art of Uzbekistan - Part 32 - LP published in Uzbekistan


Re-edition - published probably in the 1980s or early 1990s - of some beautiful recordings from 1966 and 1967 by Makom singers F. Baratova, accompanied by a traditional ensemble, and N. Boltayev, accompanying himself on Tor (Tar - a long necked lute) plus A. Ismailov on Doira (a frame drum).





Thursday, 3 May 2012

Ochilxon Otaxanov - Another great Master of Maqam Music from Uzbekistan


Here for the listening pleasure of the few enthusiastic visitors of our Uzbek posts another great master of the Maqam music of Uzbekistan. I guess he belongs - like Orifxon Xatamov - to the Maqam tradition of the Ferghana Valley. I downloaded these (and many more) recordings a while ago from some Uzbek websites and put them for myself on CDs. Here we offer one of these CDs. These recordings are probably from the 1960s, 1970s or 1980s and were probably published originally as Melodiya LPs during Sowjet times. The cover picture above does not correspond to the content. If I remember right I downloaded the picture about 10 years ago and it looks like the cover of a cassette. 

01 Barno Kelib (5:00)
02 Chapandozi (7:32)
03 Dastingdan (3:46)
04 Deganim Shu (3:18)
05 Dilrabolardan (6:01)
06 Dilraboni Axtarib (5:00)
07 Etmasmidim (5:22)
08 Ey Falak (7:02)
09 Farg`onacha (6:17)
10 Husayni Navo (7:38)
11 Keldim (6:54)
12 Keldiyu Ketdi (7:11)
13 Mubtalo Bo`ldim (4:09)

Monday, 4 July 2011

Mamurjan Uzakov (1904-1964) - Vol. 1 - Cassette from Uzbekistan



Legendary singer from Uzbekistan 
representing the Maqom tradition of the Ferghana Valley
Tarona Records 2000
From older records


Tuesday, 21 June 2011

Ahmed Şahin (Ney & Vocal) - Hoş Sada - Örnek Ezanlar (Samples of Adhan) - Cassette from Turkey


Turkish cassette which gives samples of Adhan
(call to prayer) in different Maqams, preceded by
instrumental improvisations in the same Maqams.

M. Emin, A. Şahin & K. Korucu (Vocal)
A. Şahin (Ney), F. Karakaya (Kemençe), Ö. Özel (Tanbur)

Introduction:
The Call to prayer (Ezan, arabic: Adhan), which invites the Muslims into the Mosque for prayer (Salah), is since centuries a very important part of Turkish Islamic culture.
The call to prayer, which is done five times every day, was performed each time in a different Maqam.
In selecting the Maqam for the call attention is paid to the fact that certain times of the day have an effect on the human soul.
So the human being tastes at different times of the day different melodies of the call of prayer which gives nourishment to the soul.
Mehmet Ali Bakirci


Saturday, 18 June 2011

Mamurjan Uzakov (1904-1964) - Vol. 2 - Cassette from Uzbekistan


Legendary singer from Uzbekistan 
representing the Maqom tradition of the Ferghana Valley
Tarona Records 2000
From older records



Download

9.9.2015 - Just came across the covers of the original LP on cdandlp