Thread: The Arabic perspective

While doing research for a lecture, I came across an article in National Geographic magazine (May 1972), in which the author described Um Kulthum's singing as: 'Delivered in the throaty, semi-wailing Arabic manner.' I found this description surprising - even funny - but giving it further thought, it occurred to me that 'semi-wailing' must be what it sounds like to the foreign ear; or the ear that is unaccustomed to all those quarter-tones.

The differences between Arabic music and Western music aren't mysterious and elusive; they're pretty technical and in another post I will outline them in better detail. But in general:


When listening to Arabic music, savour the details instead of trying to reduce it to 1,2,3,4. Of course, you do want to know where they (1,2,3,4) are, because they are references but not the whole story. If that weren't true, imagine how much the old composers could have saved on violins and flutes! The rhythm is only the outline; the real opportunity for expression is provided by the melody. Dance like you mean it, and don't fake it if you can't feel it. If you're not convinced, how can you expect to convince your audience?

Tahia Carioca was a great example of authentic movement and sophisticated interpretation combined. Her dancing was her personal translation of the music, and what makes her timeless wasn't just her obvious technical prowess, but her ability to convey genuine feeling as well.

From the same article: 'Karyoka no longer dances, but as Egypt's premiere dancer before and during World War II, she is remembered as the Cairene who could best lure an audience into the ineffable dreamland of the Orient.'

I don't mean to sound flippant because you raise some great points. But I wanted to say that I've heard the same description applied to Tom Jones :-)

If you want to hear the difference between western and Arabic scales with the quarter tones, check this out.

[ame=http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=s36xpBQtbwA]YouTube - Kanun Sydney Taqsim Maqam Bellydancing[/ame]

Originally Posted by SuhaDeeb

When listening to Arabic music, savour the details instead of trying to reduce it to 1,2,3,4. Of course, you do want to know where they (1,2,3,4) are, because they are references but not the whole story. If that weren't true, imagine how much the old composers could have saved on violins and flutes! The rhythm is only the outline; the real opportunity for expression is provided by the melody. Dance like you mean it, and don't fake it if you can't feel it. If you're not convinced, how can you expect to convince your audience?

Suha,
Very eloquently stated. Brava!
Nisaa

Suha...as a westerner and lover of Arabic music, I would have to agree that it can sound like wailing.
Since I have some background in music though, and years of listening , I would never have called it that ..but more an emoting of feeling , which I feel was her intention since most of her songs were like stories.

I must admit I love her music..but the singing part is not my favorite. This I feel is due to the fact that I don't have full command of the language, so therefore I am missing part of conveyence. For me, I feel it thru the music, and therefore it translates into the dancing.

My connection is thru the music which talks to me.

It's like when the Koran is been recited and it has the musical tones in the saying of the verse ...I am moved by the tones or "musical aspect" and not necessarily the words because I am not connecting with the words. I have even tried reading the Koran but the english translation does not make sense as english words for me.

It's a good thing I have an Egyptian husband because all I ever play is Egyptian music and that is fine and dandy for him. Makes him feel good too.
His advantage is the complete picture knowing the words by heart and he does emote, "wail", along with the singer and stands with a position of one hand out, or to his head, and he is not a singer or dancer. This just seems to be an engrained instinct and reaction to the music.

Om Kaltoum is considered a "national treasure" to the Arab world and I would concure. She continues to move many with her music and words.

As Tahia is my favorite dancer, your description of her dancing is perfect.
A total package of interpertaion of movement and music!

Leyla Amir
Leyla Amir, Las Vegas, Egypt tours, dancer, performer
Egypt National Tours

About the "wailing" - I find the same modulation of sound comming from the throat in most blues singers. This is also what gives the blues harmonica it's particular sound. It is the breath modulated in an area just behind the tonsils as well as the diaphram that controls the long tremulous blues wail in that instrument. With out that...it just aint the blues.

Hello all,

I forgot to mention that there are pictures with the article that I intend to scan in with the help of my internet cafe guy (don't have a scanner at home) and post them in this thread. One is of Hanan performing at a Cairo nightclub, another is a picture of a folk-singer in a typical cafe scene, and another of a shopkeeper in Khan el khalili posing with his wares. Will come back for more discussion soon but I'm hungry and my food has just arrived!

When I was a Freshman in High school, my world studies teacher said that he would play records of Middle Eastern and Asian music, except that he felt that it sounded like screeching cats. Now, as a string instrument player and as someone who taught herself to play a reed flute - no keys, just holes - I found the quarter notes not a big deal. What I have had to re teach myself is to dance on the T of Beat. Improve has been a great help with this. Although this isn't that different from my Jazz teacher who taught and onE, and a twO, . . .

{{{HUGS}}}}

Wonderful post, Suha!!! You could not have said it better :)

It took me a while to get use to traditional Arab music when I first started. However, over time the music grew on me and now I have an appreciation for real Arabic music versus Arabic pop music/techno. It also helps that I am learning Arabic, el fus'ha and colloquial. I'm continually having moments of discovery when I am able to understand sections of lyrics that I never did before.

Originally Posted by HubicRuzz

If you want to hear the difference between western and Arabic scales with the quarter tones, check this out.

YouTube - Kanun Sydney Taqsim Maqam Bellydancing

Amazing instrument. How people can play these intricate things I'll never know. Wow

Great post, Suha. My beloved aunt was a highly accomplished opera singer. She once described the act of singing opera to me as "controlled yelling". I feel that great singing is an act of channeling, of a huge universal force - that's what gives it its power. Singers seem to act as conduits for peoples' emotions on a large scale. Sometimes for entire societies.

It's funny, Arabic music never seemed like wailing to me...that description is funny, yes, but it's also a little, I dunno...dismissive. Like, "The exotic native Orientals and their wailing music! They're so emotional! Not like us!".

Arabic music sounded immediately refined to my ears, even when I had no idea what I was hearing. I knew it was higher than what I'd heard before. Then again, I come from a culture of wailing singers, too. Doesn't all great singing involve a little wailing? At least, all styles of singing that evolved before the invention of the microphone. Nothing's better than some artful controlled yelling.

I can't wait to see the pictures from the article!

- Leela

Originally Posted by flimflamgirl

Doesn't all great singing involve a little wailing? At least, all styles of singing that evolved before the invention of the microphone. Nothing's better than some artful controlled yelling.

I agree! Like flamenco. Or blues. Or hell, even some bluegrass. When there is real emotion behind the singing (joy, pain, whatever) how can the singer NOT wail/yell?

Bring on the controlled yelling!!!!!!

Nisaa

Doesn't sound like wailing to me. Sounds like extended notes with lots of turns and things. And yes, having grown up with blues of all kinds and, unfortunately, the revolting over-decorated stylings of contemporary R&B, wibbling around with your voice sounds normal to me. You get it in traditional Irish singing as well.

The comments remind me of the time I went to see a tango show here a few years back that involved musicians and dancers. Someone I knew vaguely had been to the show the night before me, and said the singer was absolutely terrible. Flat, all over the place. Well, I heard him and he was not flat or all over the place. What he *was*, was singing in a style that is unfamiliar, that combined somewhat classical/operatic sounds with harsher, more "street" singing that was very emotional. It's just an acquired taste is all.

Originally Posted by nisaasaintlouis

I agree! Like flamenco. Or blues. Or hell, even some bluegrass. When there is real emotion behind the singing (joy, pain, whatever) how can the singer NOT wail/yell?

Bring on the controlled yelling!!!!!!

Nisaa

This discussion of "wailing" makes me think of Hank Williams' yodeling style. A word like blues can become three syllables. It's very lonesome sounding, sometimes humorous--but I guess the difference is that he sings in my native tongue.

Hmm, now that I think of it, I can't think of any type of singing that isn't wailing to some degree, except maybe some twee pop bands like Belle & Sebastian, where the singer sounds like he might occasionally be singing in his sleep, or My Bloody Valentine, where there's very little muscular effort in the singing. These styles clearly could not have evolved without microphones.

Klezmer, Blues, Fado, Opera, various secular and religious early European music styles, the Beatles, gospel, The Birthday Party, Sharon Jones, James Brown, the entire Stax catalog, most folk styles from the world over. All forms of beautifully controlled yelling, channeling the giant forces of love, anger, or the gods of your choice to the people.

I happen to like Belle & Sebastian and other twee bands, but not as much as I love controlled yelling. Maybe comments like that in the Nat. Geo. article arise from a discomfort with such pure emotional expression. But if it's not powerful, it's not singing.

- Leela

James Brown is totally yelling!

I like non-yelling too, but only because I can't do controlled yelling. I have a very sweet, folky voice, unfortunately. Well, it's a bit deeper now I'm older, but yeah. I was born to sing lounge.

I had just gotten my ipod and was cleaning my room with it on. I sing to ANYTHING, doesn't really matter what it is. My partner and his daughter came running in because they thought something terrible had happened to me.

great example of wailing!

true story. thank God I can dance

I think that these types of music - those that are challenging to the mainstream Western ear...Arabic music, flamenco, blues, opera - are challenging because of their musical complexity (for example, as Suha pointed out, quarter-tones in Arabic maqamat) AND because of the emotional intensity (as Leela pointed out). I think it makes people uncomfortable to see the artist's emotions laid bare - perhaps it hits too close to home.

Here's a few flamenco clips. Talk about controlled yelling! I feel the same way listening to these singers as I feel when I listen to Um Kulthum. Their emotions are so intense that they just swallow up the listener; you can't resist being drawn into what they are feeling because there is so much power, emotion, and reality.

First: the legendary Camaron de la Isla (with the equally legendary Paco de Lucia on guitar):

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukolCF_LBfY]YouTube - Camaron[/ame]

Next: Duquende. I saw this guy live once and I swear the emotions were so raw and real that I almost expected him to rip his heart out and throw it down on the stage.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQF12mAtZMw&feature=related]YouTube - Duquende y Chicuelo___(SOLEARES)_Recital Flamenco[/ame]

Last: Lole y Manuel. BRILLIANT.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJeHQagEnhg]YouTube - Lole y Manuel - El rÃ*o de mi Sevilla[/ame]

Now, back to Arabic music...

Um Kulthum, a clip from Al Atlal - talk about emotion! This section of the song SLAYS me every time:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcVFN162H7Q]YouTube - Um Kalthoum Al Atlal أم كلثوم الأطلال Part 2[/ame]

you know, I actually use the term 'wailing' to describe music quite frequently - when I use it it's a complimentary term - like soulful - whether it's wailing vocals or a wailing instrumental solo or whatever ... it's actually a very common term used in that manner among the musicians I work and associate with. I quite enjoy music that has that element in it - and I think the clips posted are excellent examples of it - TONS of emotion - beautiful.

Originally Posted by kina

I had just gotten my ipod and was cleaning my room with it on. I sing to ANYTHING, doesn't really matter what it is. My partner and his daughter came running in because they thought something terrible had happened to me.

great example of wailing!

true story. thank God I can dance

..l;, ..l;, ..l;, Too funny, Kina!

Originally Posted by bintbeled

..l;, ..l;, ..l;, Too funny, Kina!

,r:;

Back to topic, i read the article, but something seems off to me, I've been trying to put it into context with my experience growing up with Latin music. I haven't ever had difficulty with Arabic rhythms in terms of being able to relate to the actual rhythms. Articulating them has been much more difficult.

Latin music doesn't seem difficult to me in terms of articulating the rhythms and after having been exposed to Arabic, they seem a little simplistic, although I can easily tie in the rhythmic roots, so to speak.

Not entirely sure whether I'm expressing a rather unclear thought on what I think is an oversimplication made in the article...

Originally Posted by nisaasaintlouis

Now, back to Arabic music...

Um Kulthum, a clip from Al Atlal - talk about emotion! This section of the song SLAYS me every time:

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Niasaa, thanks for posting those clips. Fabulous artists, all of them. I think many Americans, in particular, are somewhat ill at ease with the rawness of emotion as entertainment or even as art. People seem particularly uncomfortable in more intimate settings--the very settings where the full impact of the performers emotions can reach right out and grab them. Learned that lesson last year when I danced to a very emotional piece for other dancers in a small intimate space. Totally backfired. They turned away from me, dropped their eyes, turned their attention to their plates. At first I was totally insulted and hurt. But then later thought about it and realized that despite being dancers, they could not participate in the emotion because I was too physically close to them--within their flight zones. And they couldn't get up and leave so they mentally checked out.

My gut feeling is that an Arabic audience would not have quite the same reaction.

Souzan