'Omar Naqichbendi - 'Ud - Syrie - Arabesques No. 5 - LP published in France in 1974

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Selim Kusur - Nay - Syrie - Arabesques No. 3 - LP published in France in 1974

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Muhamad Qadri Dalal - Alep - Syrie - Improvisations au Luth - LP published in France in 1986

Here an LP by the well-known master of the 'Ud, well-known through his participation in the famous Al Kindi Ensemble, which toured Europe and other parts of the world extensively and published quite a number of CDs, mostly accompanying legendary singers like Sabri Moudallal, Adib al-Dayikh and Hamza Shakkur. He also has a solo CD released by the Inédit label (see here).

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CONGRÈS DE MUSIQUE ARABE DU CAIRE 1932 - THE CAIRO CONGRESS OF ARAB MUSIC 1932

Here an importent release which might have gone unnoticed by many music lovers. It contains, amongst other jewels, two and half CDs by the great master of Iraqi Maqam Muhammad al-Qubbanji.

CONGRÈS DE MUSIQUE ARABE DU CAIRE 1932 - THE CAIRO CONGRESS OF ARAB MUSIC 1932 - Coffret 18 CD avec livret trilingue français, anglais et arabe de 256 pages - Box of 18 CDs with a book of 256 pages in French, English and Arabic - Sous la direction de Jean Lambert et de Pascal Cordereix, Texte original de Bernard Moussali, Restauration sonore par Luc Verrier, CDs 1 to 10: Egypt, CDs 11 to 13: Mashriq (Near East), CDs 14 to 18: Maghreb (North Africa), LA BIBLIOTHÈQUE NATIONALE DE FRANCE

This box can be obtained from info@raga-maqam-dastgah.com for € 199,00 including postage.

"Le Congrès du Caire de 1932 est un mythe pour tous les chercheurs et les amateurs de la musique arabe en particulier et de la musique en général. Rares étaient ceux qui avaient, jusqu’à cette édition, accès à ces enregistrements. Après un important travail de restauration du son effectué dans ses studios, la BnF, en collaboration avec l’émirat d’Abou Dhabi, et sous la direction scientifique de Jean Lambert (Centre de recherche en ethnomusicologie), publie l’intégralité des enregistrements du Congrès du Caire, authentique document d’archives sonores de plus de dix-huit heures de musique, soit 18 disques compacts accompagnés d’un livret descriptif de 256 pages. 

Le Congrès de musique arabe qui s’est tenu au Caire en mars-avril 1932 a fait date dans l’histoire de la musique au XXe siècle. Première manifestation scientifique d’envergure consacrée à des musiques non occidentales, il a permis la rencontre entre musicologues occidentaux et orientaux. Il est le premier congrès de musicologie à consacrer une part importante de ses travaux à l’enregistrement sonore d’interprétations de référence. C’est dans ce cadre que la filiale égyptienne de la firme His Master’s Voice de la Gramophone anglaise enregistre 334 faces de disques 78 tours, enregistrements non destinés à l'époque à une diffusion commerciale. Quatre-vingt-deux ans plus tard, l’art et le savoir de grands musiciens du monde arabe deviennent accessibles.

Il s’agit de la première manifestation scientifique d’envergure consacrée à des musique savantes non occidentales. Le Roi Farouck d’Egypte avait confié l’organisation au musicologue Franco-Britannique Le Baron Rodolphe François d’Erlanger. Ce congrès du Caire 1932 à fait date dans l’histoire de la musiques du XX siècle."

It is for the first time that the complete recordings of this historical event are published. In the 1990s there existed 5 CDs (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia & Iraq) published by Club du Disque Arabe and a double CD published by Institut du Monde Arabe. These are no longer available for more than 10 or 15 years. This is truly an outstanding publication for lovers of classical Arab music.

Hassan Haffar - Cassette from Syria

Hassan Haffar, who was part of the "Muezzins d'Alep" of our previous post, is one of the most famous Munshidin (singers of religious or Sufi songs) of recent decades in Aleppo, Syria. He toured a couple of times in the west, especially in France, where two CDs were released, and at the Fez Festival. See below one of the CDs.

Our dear friend Danny bought this cassette many years ago in Syria and was so kind to share it with us. Many thanks to him.

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In France this fantastic set of 3 CDs was released in 2009. As always it can be obtained from: info@raga-maqam-dastgah.com

Hassan Haffar (Vocal) - Suites d'Alep - The Aleppo Suites, 3 CDs, CD 1: Suites dans les modes Yekah, Nahawand & Rast (47:27), CD 2: Suites dans les modes Hijaz, Zanjaran, 'Ajam & Sikah (47:14), CD 3: Suites dans les modes Kurd, Bayati, Bastanikar & Nakriz (48:09), INSTITUT DU MONDE ARABE, IMA 321.082-84

With an excellent booklet in French, English & Arabic including the sung poems.

„Hassan Haffar is the soloist in the eleven 'Aleppo Suites' presented here, performing with great freedom of expression. His musical and vocal skills blend introspection and sensuality and these three albums confirm him to be a master of the genre...Muezzin at the Great Mosque in Aleppo, Hassan Haffar was born in the city in 1943. A true craftsman, he was singled out for the quality, precision and strength of his voice. He was the pupil of the hymnodists Bakri Kurdi, Sabri Mudallal and 'Abd Al Ra'uf Hallaq...Accompanied by a chorus made up of his pupils he entrances the listener with the rich fullness of his lower register and the precision of his upper register. His brillant range and vocal power do not, however, exclude a rare subtlety and an exquisite refinement... “

Syrie - Vol. 1 - Muezzins d'Alep - Chants Religieux de l'Islam - LP published 1980 in France

Here a wonderful LP of a group of Munshidin (religious or Sufi singers) from Aleppo, under the direction of the legendary Sabri Mudallal. Amongst them also the wellknown Hassan Haffar. We posted already three recordings by the great Sabri Mudallal (see here). We will post soon one of the many recordings by Hassan Haffar.

This LP was released later also on CD, but is no longer available since many years. A volume 2 was never published.

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Al-Munshid Tawfiq Al-Munajjid - Tafârîd - CD from Syria

We continue here our series of recordings from Syria which our dear friend Danny brought years ago from a trip to Syria. The next couple of recordings will be of Sufi music by some famous Munshidin and their groups. Mostly this "music" is purely vocal, sometimes it is accompanied by frame drums.

The Munshid Tawfiq Al-Munajjid seems to be the most famous and outstanding of the older munshidin. I couldn't find any details about his life or background nor if he is still living. He was one of the two teachers of the famous Hamza Shakkur. His singing is very intense.

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Adib Dayikh (1938 - 2001) - Sa'altak Ya Jabbar - Cassette from Syria

Here one of the many cassettes by the great singer from Aleppo. This one has quite good sound quality, though there are some disturbences occasionally. We saw him live at WDR (Westdeutscher Rundfunk) in Cologne, Germany in the 1990s. Unbelievably beautiful and still very much alive in my memory.

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Many thanks again to Danny.

ADIB DAYIKH

1938 - 2001

Adib DayIkh : Born in Aleppo in 1938, belongs to a highly reputated line of cantors (munshid). Highly valued from Middle East to Maghreb, this native aleppian has rarely travelled abroad, but music lovers made copies of the cassettes and passed them around like a treasure. They transmitted a new style of expression that was broadly imitated by Arab singers. He is quoted as a real musical monument : altogether vocal phenomenon and a fount of knowledge in maqâmat, his art of modulation from one maqâm to another and his perfect mastership of an immeasurable classical repertoire. He might be the only contemporary singer whose voice reminds of the arab singers from the beginning of the century. The high-pitched and youthful tessitura of his voice is called al-farkha (the cheeping of baby birds) and applies to men and women alike. Capable of going from the lowest to the the highest notes with great ease, his ambitus covers three octaves.

from: http://www.alkindi.org/anglais/artists/artists_adib.htm

For more information on the artist see the booklet to his first CD published in France:
http://www.alsur.fr/assets/files/pdf/alcd143.pdf

For infos regarding the classical music of Aleppo:
http://www.aleppoart.com/Musique.html

Sabri Moudallal (1918-2006) - Qudud wa Muwashahat - MP3-CD from Syria

The media are full of the unbelievable human catastrophe taking place in Syria since years and getting worse and worse. What a desaster, what a horror! Amid all this desaster we hardly know anything about the destiny of musicians and if and how they are able to maintain their great traditions of classical and religious (Sufi) music. In order to keep up the memory of Syria's great musical heritage and as there are only very few CDs available we post here over the next months some cassettes and MP3-CDs which our dear friend Danny brought 5 years ago from a trip to Syria. 

We start here with a MP3-CD containing three concert recordings by Sabri Moudallal (1918-2006), the great master of the classical music of Aleppo, accompanied by a Takht ensemble consisting of Ney, Ud, Qanun, Violin and Riqq players. We had already before posted two recordings by him: one a Mouled an-Nabi as it is performed especially in Sufi circles and the second a programme of Classical Arab Music from Aleppo recorded by the WDR in Cologne in Germany.

Download part 1

Download part 2

Sabri Moudallal (1918-2006) - Classical Arab music from Aleppo, Syria - Broadcasts from 1988 & 1989 by WDR, Cologne, Germany

Broadcast of a concert on 6th of february 1988 at Musikhochschule in Cologne, Germany, and studio recordings, probably done around the same time and broadcast in 1989, by the outstanding classical and religious (Sufi) singer from Aleppo, Syria. Music from a very endangered culture. See also our post of a Sufi programme by the same singer here.

Download wave - CD 1 & scans

Download mp3 - CD 1 & scans

Download wave - CD 2

Download mp3 - CD 2

Many thanks to KF for making the CD covers.