Gnawa musicians in Morocco

Morocco is a North African country inhabited mostly by Arabs along with Berbers and other minorities. Its music is predominantly Arab, but Andalusian and other imported influences have had a major effect on the country's musical character. Rock-influenced chaabi bands are widespread, as is trance music with historical origins in Muslim music. Image File history File links Moroccanmusicians. ... Image File history File links Moroccanmusicians. ... Gnawas around 1920s Gnawa or Gnaoua (in Arabic چنّاوة) is a group of musicians who might be descendants of former slaves originating from Sub-Saharan Africa or came freely to Morocco with Caravans during the Trans-Saharan trade trade, or both. ... Andalusian classical music is a style of classical music found across North Africa, though it evolved out of the music of Andalusia between the 10th and 15th centuries. ... The Berbers are an ethnic group in North and West Africa. ... Chaabi is the popular music of North Africa. ... Gnawas around 1920s Gnawa or Gnaoua (in Arabic چنّاوة) is a group of musicians who might be descendants of former slaves originating from Sub-Saharan Africa or came freely to Morocco with Caravans during the Trans-Saharan trade trade, or both. ... Malhun (or Milhûn, in Arabic الملحون) meaning the melodic poem is a Moroccan music that borrows its modes from the Andalusian music. ... The Sephardic Jews are one of the three main ethnicities among Diaspora Jews, the others being the Ashkenazi and Mizrahi. ... The Central African Republic includes many different cultures and musical forms. ... Describing the music of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is difficult, due to vagaries surrounding the meanings of various terms. ... North Africa is a region generally considered to include: Algeria Egypt Libya Mauritania Morocco Sudan Tunisia Western Sahara The Azores, Canary Islands, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Madeira are sometimes considered to be a part of North Africa. ... The Arabs (Arabic: عرب Ê»arab) are a large and heterogeneous ethnic group found throughout the Middle East and North Africa, originating in the Arabian Peninsula of southwest Asia. ... The Berbers (also called Imazighen, free men, singular Amazigh) are an ethnic group indigenous to Northwest Africa, speaking the Berber languages of the Afroasiatic family. ... Motto: Dominator Hercules Fundator Andalucía por sí, para España y la humanidad (Andalusia for herself, for Spain, and for humanity) Capital Seville Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 2nd  87 268 km²  17,2% Population  â€“ Total (2003)  â€“ % of Spain  â€“ Density Ranked 1st  7 478 432  17,9%  85,70... Chaabi is the popular music of North Africa. ... Trance music is electronic dance music (EDM) that developed in the 1990s. ... Islamic music is Muslim religious music, as sung or played in public services or private devotions. ...

Music is played everywhere in Morocco, from the muezzin which call the people to prayer to popular music being played at markets, music festivals (moussem) and performers at cafes. The müezzin (the word is pronounced this way Turkish, Urdu, etc. ... Popular music is music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public and mostly distributed commercially. ... A music festival is a festival that presents a number of musical performances usually tied together through a theme or genre. ...

Andalusian classical music

Morocco is home to Andalusian classical music that is found throughout North Africa. It probably evolved under the Moors in Cordoba, and the Persian-born musician Ziryab is usually credited with its invention. Ziryab invented the nuba, a suite which forms the basis of al-âla, the primary form of Andalusian classical music today, along with Gharnati and Malhun. Andalusian classical music is a style of classical music found across North Africa, though it evolved out of the music of Andalusia between the 10th and 15th centuries. ... The Moors were the medieval Muslim inhabitants of al-Andalus (the Iberian Peninsula including the present day Spain and Portugal) and the Maghreb, whose culture is often called Moorish. // Origins of the name The name derives from the old tribe of the Mauri and their kingdom, Mauretania. ... Location within Europe, Spain and Andalusia Córdoba, the Roman bridge and the Mosque-Cathedral View across the old Roman bridge towards the Mezquita Interior court of the Mezquita Córdoba is a city in Andalucía, southern Spain, and the capital of the province of Córdoba. ... The term Persian Empire refers to a series of historical empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau. ... Abû al-Hasan Alî Ibn Nâfi (c. ... Nuba is a collective term used for the peoples who inhabit the Nuba Mountains, in Kordofan province, Sudan, Africa. ... Malhun (or Milhûn, in Arabic الملحون) meaning the melodic poem is a Moroccan music that borrows its modes from the Andalusian music. ...

There used to be twenty-four nuba linked to each hour of the day, but only four nuba have survived in their entirety, and seven in fragmentary form. An entire nuba can last six or seven hours and are divided into five parts called mizan, each with a corresponding rhythm. The rhythms occur in the following order in a complete nuba:

1. basît (6/4)
2. qaum wa nusf (8/4)
3. darj (4/4)
4. btâyhi (8/4)
5. quddâm (3/4 or 6/8)

Each mizan begins with instrumental preludes called either tuashia, m'shaliya or bughya, followed by as many as twenty songs (sana'a) in the entire mizan.

Andalusian classical schools are spread across Morocco, having left Spain when the Moors and Jews were driven out of the country. Valencia's school is now in Fez, while Granada's is located in Tetouan and Chefchaouen. Cities like Tangier and Meknes have their own orchestras as well. The Hemispheric at the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències by Santiago Calatrava, Valencia, Spain. ... This article is about the city Fez in Morocco. ... Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the community of Andalusia, Spain. ... Tétouan (Arabic: Titwan or Tittawen) is the capital and cultural centre of the region Tanga (Tangiers) in the north of Morocco. ... Chefchaouen is a town in Northeast Morocco located at 35° 10′ 17″ N 5° 16′ 11″ W Chefchaouen is situated in the mountains of Rif, just inland from Tangier and Tetouan. ... Tangier, Morocco Tangier, or Tangiers (Tanja طنچة in Berber and Arabic, Tánger in Spanish, and Tanger in French), is a city of northern Morocco with a population of 669,685 (2004 census). ... Medresa Bou Inania in Meknes Meknes (Arabic: مكناس) is a city in northern Morocco, located 130 kilometres from the capital Rabat and 60 kilometres from Fes. ...

Jews in Morocco played an important role in the perpetuation of this oral tradition. In fact, the late Rabbi David Bouzaglo was known to have a conservatory of sorts in Casablanca where a number of Arab and Jewish musicians trained in al-Ala.

Andalusian classical music uses instruments including oud (lute), rabab (fiddle), darbouka (goblet drums), taarija (tambourine), qanún (zither) and kamenjah (violin). Other instruments have included pianos, banjos and clarinets, though none of these instruments lasted for long. Front and rear views of an oud. ... The lute is a plucked string instrument with a fretted neck and a deep round back. ... The rebab is a musical string instrument which was heavily used in old Arabic music its considered as part of the Lute familiy (Oud in Arabic). ... The violin is a stringed musical instrument that has four strings tuned a fifth apart. ... The goblet drum is a goblet shaped hand drum used in Arab music, Persian music, Balkan music and Turkish music. ... The goblet drum is a goblet shaped finger drum used in Arab music, Persian music, Balkan music and Turkish music. ... Kocek with tambourine 19th c. ... The qanún or kanun is a musical string instrument used in Middle-Eastern music. ... A Musima Guitar Zither 45 strings with 21 melody, 24 chords The zither is a musical string instrument, mainly used in folk music. ... The violin is a bowed stringed musical instrument that has four strings tuned a perfect fifth apart, the lowest being the G just below middle C. It is the smallest and highest-tuned member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello. ... A grand piano A piano is a keyboard instrument, widely used in western music for solo performance, chamber music, and accompaniment, and also as a convenient aid to composing and rehearsal. ... Old 6-string zither banjo 4-string banjos The banjo is a stringed instrument of African-American origin, early or original examples sometimes being called the gourd banjo. Its name is commonly thought to be derived from the Kimbundu term mbanza. ... A bass clarinet, which sounds an octave lower than the more common Bâ™­ soprano clarinet. ...

Berber music

Main article: Berber music The Berbers are an ethnic group in North and West Africa. ...

There are three varieties of Berber folk music: village and ritual music, and the music performed by professional musicians.

Village music is performed collectively for dancing, including ahidus and ahouach dances. Instruments include flutes and drums. These dances begin with a chanted prayer. Ritual music is performed at regular ceremonies to celebrate marriages and other important life events. Ritual music is also used as protection against evil spirits. Professional musicians (imdyazn) travel in groups of four, led by a poet (amydaz). The amydaz performs improvised poems, often accompanied by drums and rabab (a one-stringed fiddle), along with a bou oughanim who plays a double clarinet and acts as a clown for the group. The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. ... For other kinds of drums, see drum (disambiguation). ... The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view. ... The rebab is a musical string instrument which was heavily used in old Arabic music its considered as part of the Lute familiy (Oud in Arabic). ... The violin is a stringed musical instrument that has four strings tuned a fifth apart. ... The double clarinet (or zummara) is a Middle Eastern musical instrument consisting of two parallel cane or bamboo pipes, with five or six holes each. ... The greatest of 20th century American circus clowns, Master Clown Otto Griebling The quintessential American grotesque auguste, Master Clown Lou Jacobs (born Jacob Ludwig) Internationally recognized as the greatest of all stage or circus clowns, Grock (born Adrian Wettach) Longtime stars of the Cirque Medrano, the legendary clown trio of...

The Chleuh Berbers have professional musicians called rwais who play in ensembles consisting of lutes, rababs and cymbals, with any number of vocalist. The leader, or rayes, leads the choreography and music of the group. These performances begin with an instrumental astara on rabab, which also gives the notes of the melody which follows. The next phase is the amarg, or sung poetry, and then ammussu, a danced overture, tammust, an energetic song, aberdag, a dance, and finally the rhythmically swift tabbayt. There is some variation in the presentation of the order, but the astara always begins, and the tabbayt always ends. Chleuh people are a Berber ethnic group, they live mainly in the Moroccos Atlas Mountains. ... The lute is a plucked string instrument with a fretted neck and a deep round back. ... Sabian Paragon cymbals Cymbals (Fr. ... Choreography literally dance-writing, also known as dance composition), is the art of making structures in which movement occurs, the term composition may also refer to the navigation or connection of these movement structures. ... Look up melody in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Chaabi

Main article: Chaabi Chaabi is the popular music of North Africa. ...

Chaabi (popular) is a music consisting of numerous varieties which are descended from the multifarious forms of Moroccan folk music. Chaabi was originally performed in markets, but is now found at any celebration or meeting.

Chaabi songs typically end with a leseb, or swift rhythmic section accompanied by syncopated clapping. A clap is the sound made by striking together two flat surfaces, as in the body parts of humans or animals. ...

A sophisticated form of chaabi evolved in the 1970s competing with popular Egyptian and Lebanese music. These chaabi groups consisted of a lute and a hadjuj, with some form of drum. Eventually, new instruments like buzuks and electric guitars were added. The three most important early groups were Lemchaheb, Nass El Ghiwane and Jil Jilala. All three bands featured politicized lyrics that got the songwriters in trouble with the government. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... The lute is a plucked string instrument with a fretted neck and a deep round back. ... Buzuk or Bozuka (Albanian: Buzuk/Buzuku or Bozukë/Bozuka; indefinite/definite form) is chordophone that was used in the Albanian folk music of near past. ... An electric guitar is a type of guitar with a solid or semi-solid body that utilizes electronic pickups to convert the vibration of the steel-cored strings into electrical current. ... Nass El Ghiwane are a legendary band from Morocco, they have played a big role in the renewal of the Maghrebi music. ...

The 1980s saw a new wave of modernizing bands like Muluk El Hwa and Nass El Hal. The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ...

Gharnati

Gharnati is primarily Algerian, but it also popular in Rabat and Oujda in Morocco. It is arranged in nuba like al-âla; there are four unfinished nuba and twelve complete ones. Orchestras consist of kvîtra, mandolin, banjo, oud and kamenjah. For the Maltese city on Gozo Island which can also be called Rabat, see Victoria, Malta. ... Oujda is a city in eastern Morocco with an estimated population of half a million inhabitants. ... The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view. ... Old 6-string zither banjo 4-string banjos The banjo is a stringed instrument of African-American origin, early or original examples sometimes being called the gourd banjo. Its name is commonly thought to be derived from the Kimbundu term mbanza. ...

Gnawa

Main article: Gnawa and/or Gnawa music Gnawas around 1920s Gnawa or Gnaoua (in Arabic چنّاوة) is a group of musicians who might be descendants of former slaves originating from Sub-Saharan Africa or came freely to Morocco with Caravans during the Trans-Saharan trade trade, or both. ... Gnawa music is a mixture of African and Arabic religious songs and rhythms. ...

Gnawa music is considered a mystical music. It was gradually brought to Morocco by Sub-Saharan Africans and later became part of the Moroccan tradition. Mysticism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Sub-Saharan Africa, Africa south of the Sahara Desert, is the term used to describe those countries of Africa that are not part of North Africa. ...

Malhun

Main article: Malhun Malhun (or Milhûn, in Arabic الملحون) meaning the melodic poem is a Moroccan music that borrows its modes from the Andalusian music. ...

Milhûn is a form of sung poetry which uses many of the same modes and instruments as al-âla. A milhûn suite is comprised of two parts, the taqsim overture played on an oud or violin in a free rhythm to introduce the mode for the rest of the piece, followed by the qassida, or sung poem which is itself divided into three parts. These are the solo verses (al-aqsâm), choral refrain (al-harba) and crescendoing chorus that completes the suite (al-dîdka).

Al-Thami Lamdaghri is perhaps the best-known milhûn composer, known for songs like "Al-Gnawi" and "Aliq Al-Masrûh".

Milhûn orchestras include oud, kamenjah, darbuka, handqa (small cymbals), hadjouj (a bass lute) and swisen (a high-pitched lute). The Goblet drum is a goblet or hour-glass shaped hand drum used in Arab music, Persian music, Balkan music and Turkish music. ... Sabian Paragon cymbals Cymbals (Fr. ...

Rai

Main article: Rai To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Rai is more closely associated with Algeria in the international music scene, but Morocco has produced its own stars like Chaba Zahouania, Cheb Kader, Cheb Mimoun and Hanino.

Sephardic music

Main article: Sephardic music The Sephardic Jews are one of the three main ethnicities among Diaspora Jews, the others being the Ashkenazi and Mizrahi. ...

Morocco is home to the Western Tradition of Sephardic music, which is descended from the Jews expelled from Spain several centuries ago. This tradition is now more closely associated with Israel.

Sufi music

The Master Musicians of Joujouka perform in their village, December 2005

Sufi brotherhoods (tarikas) are common in Morocco, and music is an integral part of their spiritual tradition, in contrast to most other forms of Islam, which do not use music. This music is an attempt at reaching a trance state which inspires mystical ecstasy. The brothers hold hands in a circle and chant or dance. Sufi music is usually without rhythm. Image File history File linksMetadata Master_musicians_of_joujouka. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Master_musicians_of_joujouka. ... Sufism (Arabic: تصوف, taṣawwuf), a part of Islamic studies, is a mystic tradition of Islam based on the pursuit of spiritual truth as it is gradually revealed to the heart and mind of the Sufi (one who practices Sufism). ... Trance is an altered state of consciousness. ... Religious ecstasy is a trance-like state characterized by expanded mental and spiritual awareness and is frequently accompanied by visions, hallucinations, and physical euphoria. ...

Marrakech and other regions in southern Morocco are home to the Gnawa Brotherhood, which claims descent from the Ethiopian muezzin Sidi Bilal. Gnaoua ceremonies (deiceba) are used to protect against mental illness, scorpion stings and malicious spirits. Deiceba may be related to Sub-Saharan African ceremonies and use a long-necked lute of African origin called the guembri, as well as castanets called garagab. The Koutoubia Mosque. ... Gnawas around 1920s Gnawa or Gnaoua (in Arabic چنّاوة) is a group of musicians who might be descendants of former slaves originating from Sub-Saharan Africa or came freely to Morocco with Caravans during the Trans-Saharan trade trade, or both. ... The müezzin (the word is pronounced this way Turkish, Urdu, etc. ... Bilal redirects here. ... A mental illness is defined by the medical profession as a disorder of the brain that results in a disruption in a persons thinking, feeling, moods, and ability to relate to others and to work. ... Superfamilies Pseudochactoidea Buthoidea Chaeriloidea Chactoidea Iuroidea Scorpionoidea See the classification section for families. ... A satellite composite image of Africa showing the ecological break between North and Sub-Saharan regions Sub-Saharan Africa, Africa south of the Sahara, is the term used to describe those countries of Africa that are not considered part of North Africa or some areas of West Africa. ... Guembri is a generic name for Berber lutes. ... Renoirs 1909 painting Dancing girl with castanets Castanets The castanets are a percussion instrument (idiophone), much used in Moorish music, Gypsy music, Spanish music and Latin American music. ...

The Jilala are another brotherhood, known for their hypnotic and otherworldly music. They are devotees of Moulay Abdelkadr Jilali. Instruments include the bendir (frame drums) and qsbah (flute). Sheikh Muhyiddeen Abdul Qadir Gilani , Abdul Qadir al-Gilani , Abdul Qadir el-Gilani or Moulay Abdelkader Jilali (in Maghreb countries (Arabic: عبد القادر الجيلانى ); (1077 – 1166 CE) was a mystic scholar and saint of Islam. ... The bendir is a frame drum used as a traditional instrument throughout North Africa. ... The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. ...

On the other hand, in the northern Rif region, the Master Musicians of Joujouka are considered to be one of the most prominent brotherhoods.They play healing music said to be written by their ninth century patron saint Sidi Achmed Schiech. They also do a ritual called Boujeloud which is likened to the worship of the God Pan.. Rif mountains near Al Hoceima The Rif (Arif in Berber, er-Rif الريف in Arabic) is a mainly mountainous region of north Morocco, from Cape Spartel and Tangier in the west to Cape Tres Forcas and Melilla in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the river... The Master Musicians of Joujouka are a musical ensemble from the village of Joujouka (or Jajouka) in the Rif Mountains of northern Morocco. ... Look up Pan in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Pan could mean any of the following things: Pan is a type of cookware and bakeware Pan, a genus of apes composed of the Common Chimpanzee and the Bonobo Pan (geography) one of several types of geographical formations Pan (mythology), Greek god...

References

• Mohamed Hamri,Mohamed Hamri Tales of Joujouka, Capra Press, (Santa Barbara, California 1975).
• Muddyman, Dave. "A Basic Expression of Life". 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 567-578. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0

Mohamed Hamri (1933-2000) was a Moroccan painter and one of the few Moroccans to participate in the Tangier Beat generation scene as an equal. ...

External links

• Master Musicians of Joujouka

• A commercial website about Moroccan music