Amwaaj Concert
Sacred Heart Music Center,
Duluth, MN
Sun, Jun 2, 2024, 2:00 pm
Program
Tamer Henna (Mohammad al-Mogi)
A belly dance (raqs sharqi) classic composed by the Egyptian composer Mohamed al-Mogi (1923–1995). The piece was composed for the film Tamr Henna (1957, dir. Mohamad Fawzi), featuring the renowned actress-choreographer Naʿima ʿAkef (1929–1966) in the lead female role.
Touta (Farid al-Atrash)
An uplifting dance music composed by the Lebanese-Egyptian actor-singer-oud virtuoso Farid al-Atrash (1916–1974) for the Egyptian film Ahlam al-Shabab (Youth Dreams, 1942), featuring the renowned Egyptian belly dancer and actress Tahiya Carioca (1915–1999). The piece comprises of six short sections, showcasing a number of tempo and modal/key changes.
Samaʿi Nahawand (Rouhi al-Khammash)
The Samaʿi is a traditional instrumental form, originated in Ottoman (Turkish) music. It consists of four verses (khanat), each followed by the refrain (taslim). The meter for the first three khanat and taslim is a 10/8 metrical rhythm called samaʿi thaqil (which gave the genre its name), while the last khana is typically played in a triple meter.
Rouhi al-Khammash (1923–1998) was a Palestinian composer, born in Nablus, Palestine. An oud player and composer, al-Khammash served as the head of the music ensemble at the Palestinian Radio Station from 1939 until 1948. He emigrated to Iraq following the 1948 war.
Longa Sultani Yekah (Sadi Işılay)
Longa is a genre of instrumental music of Ottoman/Eastern European origins, typically conceived in an uplifting duple meter and a verse-refrain form. “Sultanı Yegah” is a Turkish melodic mode (makam). This longa is composed by Sadi Işılay (1899–1969), a renowned Turkish violinist and actor who has written soundtracks for over thirty films.
Layali Lubnan - "Lebanon's Nights" ( ʿAbd al-Wahhab)
An instrumental piece by the Egyptian Composer, singer, and film star Muhammad ʿAbd al-Wahhab (1900-1991).
Alf leila wa-leila (One Thousand and One Nights)
A classic of Egyptian 20th century song music, originally sung by the legendary singer Umm Kulthum (c.1900–1975). Considered the single most influential vocalist in Arab music, Umm Kulthum captivated audiences in Egypt and the Arab world for decades. Premiered in 1969, this masterpiece was composed by the modernist Egyptian composer Baligh Hamdi (1931–1993) with a text by the poet and songwriter Morsy Aziz (1921–1980).
We will play the instrumental introduction (muqaddima) for the song.
Anda ʿalayk (ʿAbd al-Wahhab)
Another one of ʿAbd al-Wahhab's elaborated compositions, a multi-sectional song (ughniya), written for the Algerian singer Warda.
Qasqis Waraq & Raqsat tahiyyat (Ziyad Rahbani)
Two instrumental pieces by the Lebanese composer, pianist, and playwright, Ziad Rahbani (b. 1956), from his instrumental song suite released in 1977, "Bi-l-afrah". The album is considered one of the finest examples of Arab instrumental music, and has been cherished by Arab music aficionados.
Shou Ken Halou (Bassam Saba)
A modern composition by the Lebanese multi-instrumentalist virtuoso (nay, flute, and oud) Basam Saba (1958-2020). Saba collaborated with many of the luminaries of Arab music: Fairuz, Marcel Khalifa, Ziad Rahbani, and Simon Shaheen. A renown educator, he taught generations of musicians, both in the US and in Lebanon, where he served as the director of the National Conservatory of Music, in Beirut.
The piece we will be playing, one of Saba's last compositions, is influenced by Lebanese folk music, written in the musical mode (maqam) Bayyati.
Samaʿi Bayyati (Charbel Rouhana)
A samaʿi by one of Lebanon's leading composers and oud players, Charbel Rouhana (b. 1965). This piece is a modern take on the classical form, and even include a few sections of counterpoint, that are not common in traditional Arab music.
Olive Harvest (Simon Shaheen)
Composition by the Palestinian oud and violin virtuoso and composer Simon Shaheen (b.1955). Shaheen wrote this piece in his home village of Tarshiha, evoking the village people celebrating and dancing at dusk, after the harvest.