Themusic of IraqorIraqi music,(Arabic:موسيقى عراقية), also known as themusic of Mesopotamia,encompasses the music of a number of ethnic groups and musical genres. Ethnically, it includesMesopotamian Arabic,Assyrian,Kurdishand the music ofTurkmen,among others. Apart from the traditional music of these peoples, Iraqi music includes contemporary music styles such aspop,rock,soulandurban contemporary.
Iraq is recognized mainly for three instruments, theOud,Iraqi SanturandJoza.The country's oud playing tradition has become an own school and a reference. It is illustrated specially by the figure of the acclaimedMunir Bashir.Other renowned Oudists areNaseer Shamma,Omar Bashir,Jamil Bachir,Ahmed Mukhtar,Rahim AlHaj,andSahar Taha.[1]
History
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Instruments
editIn 1929, archaeologists led by the British archaeologistLeonard Woolley,representing a joint expedition of the British Museum and theUniversity of PennsylvaniaMuseum of Archaeology and Anthropology, discovered theLyres of Uror Harps of Ur, which are considered to be the world's second oldest survivingstringed instrumentswhen excavating theRoyal Cemetery of Urbetween from 1922 and 1934.[2]They discovered pieces of threelyresand oneharpinUr,located in what wasAncient Mesopotamia,modern dayIraq.[3][4]They are over 4,500 years old,[5]from ancient Mesopotamia during theEarly Dynastic III Period(2550–2450 BC).[6]The decorations on the lyres are fine examples of the courtart of Mesopotamiaof the period.[7]
 The archetype of thesanturinstrument carried horizontally and struck with two sticks, found in iconographical documents in ancientBabylon(1600-911 BCE) andNeo-Assyria(911-612 BCE). | |
| String instrument | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Struck |
| Related instruments | |
| Qanun | |
Classical Iraqi music
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Iraqi classical music necessitates some discussion of the social environment, as well as references to the poetry. Poetry is always rendered clearly. Poetry is the art of the Iraqis, and sung poetry is the finest of all. InBaghdadfrom 760 to 1260, writers spurned musical notation.[8]The music is melodically modal, and moves in a stepwise motion with repeated notes. Use of the lower end of a melodic range is characteristic, as is the use of silence; one listens through the silence. Following a cadence, the singer moves up to the next range of pitches. An arch shape is discernible, and the work ends in the original mode.
Singers of the Baghdad Court were praised for their excellence in composition, their knowledge of history and songs, and their ornaments and innovations. There was support for female singers and orators, such as Arib, a skilled poet, calligrapher, lutenist, composer, and backgammon player who wrote more than one thousand songs. The common instrument (comparable in popularity to the piano or violin in the west) is the oud. Classical Iraqi music is identifiable by the genre/canon, and by how it is performed.
Historically, music would have been played for gatherings of men. With the advent of the sound recording industry, things have changed somewhat. Today one invites musicians to perform at weddings; by the first quarter of the century, concerts were being staged at concert venues.
Maqam
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Across the Arab world,maqamrefers to specificmelodic modes.When a musician performsmaqamperformances, the performer improvises, based on rules. There are between fifty and seventymaqams,each with its own mood and characteristics, and many of which have sub-styles. Other characteristics of Iraqi music include a slow tempo, rhythmically free ornamentation or melodic lines, and predominantly minor modes. Instruments includeqanun,riq,santur,darbuka,naqareh,ney,djoseandoud.Baghdad'sChalgiensembles typically include thedjoseandney,and may also utilize anoud.
Maqamatexts are often derived from classicalArabic poetry,such as byMuhammad Mahdi al-Jawahiri,al-MutanabbiandAbu Nuwas,or Persian poets likeHafezandOmar Khayyám.Some performers used traditional sources translated into the dialect of Baghdad, and still others use Arabic, Turkish, Armenian, Hebrew, Turkmen, Aramaic or Persian language lyrics.
History
editThe roots of modernIraqi maqamcan be traced as far back as the Abbasid Caliphate, when that large empire was controlled from Baghdad.
Thepesteh,a kind of light song which concludes a maqam performance, has been popularized in the later 20th century, growing more prominent along with the rise of recorded music and broadcast radio. Among the most popular pesteh performers are the husband and wifeSalima PashaandNazem Al-Ghazali.
The most popular modern singers of maqam areRachid Al-Qundarchi(1887–1945),Youssouf Omar(1918–1987),Nazem Al-Ghazali(1920–1963),Salim Shibbeth(born 1908),Hassan Chewke(1912–1962),Najim Al-Sheikhli(1893–1938),Mohammed Al-Qubanchi(1900–1989),Hamid Al Saadi(1959-) andFarida Mohammad Ali(1963- ).
Modern era
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In 1936, Iraq Radio was established by two of Iraq's most prominent performers and composers, the Kuwaiti-bornIraqi Jewishmusicians,Saleh and Daoud al-Kuwaitywith an ensemble, with the exception of the percussion player. The nightclubs of Baghdad also featured almost entirely Jewish musicians. At these nightclubs, ensembles consisted of oud, qanun and two percussionists while the same format with ney and cello were used on the radio.[9]
One of the reasons for the predominance of Jewish instrumentalists in early 20th century Iraqi music was a prominent school forblindJewish children, which was founded in the late 1920s by the greatqanunji( "qanun player" ) Joseph Hawthorne (Yusef Za'arur) (Hebrew:דנדהי ללוואלד-יוסף זערורArabic:يوسف زعرور).
The most famous singer of the 1930s–1940s was perhaps the Iraqi Jewish singerSalima Pasha.[9][10]The respect and adoration for Pasha were unusual at the time, since public performance by women was considered shameful and most female singers were recruited from brothels.[9]
Numerous instrumentalists and singers of the middle and late twentieth century were trained at theBaghdad Conservatory.
In recent years the Iraqi school of oud players has become very prominent, with players such asSalman Shukurand Munir Bashir developing a very refined and delicate style of playing combining older Arabic elements with more recentAnatolianinfluences.
Pop music
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Until the fall ofSaddam Hussein,the most popularradio stationwas theVoice of Youth,which used to play the popular music of Iraq to continue the culture of the country. The station also played a mix of rock,hip hopand pop music,[11]all of which had to be imported viaJordandue to internationaleconomic sanctions.IrishbandsThe CorrsandWestlifewere especially popular. Iraq also produced a major pan-Arab pop star in exile inKadim Al Sahir,whose songs includeLadghat-e Hayya,which was banned by Hussein for its racy lyrical content.
Other modern Iraqi singers includeAli Al Essawi,whose songMakhtubabecame huge hit in the Arab world and made him famous throughout the region. Major artists includeShatha Hassoun,Rahma Mezher,Majid al-Muhandis,Hussam Al-Rassam,Rida Al Abdullahand Iraq's very own boy bandUnknown to No One,as well asAcrassicauda,Iraq's firstheavy metalband. There are also ethnicAssyriansingers such asKlodia Hanna,Ashur Bet SargisandLinda Georgeas well as a number ofKurdish,Turkmen,Yazidi,DomandArmenianmusicians such asSeta Hagopian.
Effect of 2003 Iraq War
editAfter the 2003 invasion of Iraq and fall of Saddam Hussein, and with some religious figures coming to power, concerts were forbidden in areas considered as "conservative". However, since 2018, many concert were held in different areas throughout the country. In 2021, Babylon arts festival was held for the first time in almost 20 years. Performers were from Iraq, Middle East, Europe and Africa.[12]
Important musicians
editReferences
edit- ^Damien, Fares (2018-08-26)."Playlist: A Brief Introduction to Iraqi Music".Project Revolver.Retrieved2021-12-19.
- ^Rezepkin, Alexej D. (2000).Das frühbronzezeitliche Gräberfeld von Klady und die Majkop-Kultur in Nordwestkaukasien(in German). M. Leidorf.ISBN978-3-89646-259-6.
- ^"Ancient Iraqi harp reproduced by Liverpool engineers - University of Liverpool".2010-07-01. Archived fromthe originalon 2010-07-01.Retrieved2021-12-10.
- ^"Bill Taylor - Harpist | Lyre of Ur".2011-06-11. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-06-11.Retrieved2021-12-10.
- ^"lyre | British Museum".The British Museum.Retrieved2021-12-10.
- ^"Visit the Penn Museum".Visit Philadelphia.Retrieved2021-12-10.
- ^"Visit the Penn Museum".Visit Philadelphia.Retrieved2021-12-10.
- ^Classical Music in IraqVirginia Danielson, Harvard University
- ^abcKojaman, Yeheskel."Jewish Role in Iraqi Music".Retrieved2007-09-09.
- ^Manasseh, Sara (February 2004),"An Iraqi samai of Salim Al-Nur"(PDF),Newsletter,no. 3, London: Arts and Humanities Research Board Research Centre for Cross-Cultural Music and Dance Performance, p. 7, archived fromthe original(PDF)on December 2, 2005,retrieved2007-09-09.
- ^Tarlach, Gemma (2003-04-27)."Freedom could unlock doors for Iraqi artists' creativity".Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.Archived fromthe originalon 2012-09-06.Retrieved2021-10-06– via iraq4u.
- ^"Iraq's Babylon arts festival back after almost 20 years".Hürriyet Daily News.Retrieved2021-12-19.
Further reading
edit- Badley, Bill and Zein al Jundi. "Europe Meets Asia". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.),World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East,pp 391–395. Rough Guides Ltd,Penguin Books.ISBN1-85828-636-0
External links
edit- BBC Radio 3 Audio (60 minutes): Iraq's classical and gypsy music traditions.Accessed November 25, 2010.
- BBC Radio 3 Audio (60 minutes): Ilham Al-Madfai.Accessed November 25, 2010.
- Iraq4u Music
- Sephardic Pizmonim Projectby Jewish community of the Middle East.