World Music Day: What are the types of Arabic music?

Music is the art of arranging sounds over a period of time through multiple elements such as melody, harmony, rhythm and timbre. The sources of music are diverse, and sounds are formed from the wonderful nature, such as humans, animals, birds and voices. The most creative sound is the human voice. Because he can arrange his voice and adjust it as he pleases. Everyone has his own voice pitch and timbre, some people have a soft voice, some have a rough voice, and some have a compassionate voice.

Singing is a human creation that consists of three elements: music, lyrics, and voice. Singing can be performed individually or in a group, called a choir, and can be a melodious vocal performance without the aid of any musical instruments. One of the important parts of the body that controls the production of sound is the vocal cords and the vibrations that occur when air passes through them.

Characteristics of musical sound
Musical sound has many characteristics and features, the most important of which are:

– Rhythm
– Sweet
– decorate
– balance
– Tonality, including harmony and melody
– Audio quality
– Vitality

Arabic (Oriental) Music
Arabic music has its own particularity. Its origins can be traced back to before Islam. Different Arab countries have different musical styles. Its types include:

Eastern Takht
This is the so-called Arabic orchestra, which includes instruments such as the oud, flute, tambourine, violin, etc. The word Takht originates from Persian and means “throne”, because during the Turkish rule in the mid-19th century, musicians used to sit on high places to play.

Le Music
This is an international music movement from Algeria, this genre is widely spread in the Maghreb region. The word rai originally meant = viewpoint or see, many singers and musicians use viewpoint to express their political and social views and ideas. The singer Cheb Khaled nicknamed “The King of Rai” is considered the ambassador of Rai music, his most famous songs include: Dee Dee, Alash Tallomouni, Aisha, some of Cheb Khaled’s songs are traditional songs that he restored in a modern style.

Pop music
This singing genre is widespread in the Maghreb, its origins can be traced back to Andalusia, some modern instruments were introduced into it, and it spread widely among simple peoples thanks to the use of spoken language.

This poem
It is a poetic form of Arabic literature that has been divided into verse and prose until our time when this dialogue began. The word “poetry” is linguistically derived from the root “qsd”, which is related to the idea of ​​direction and intention.

Taktuka
It is a music that originated in the East, while taqtuqa is a type of Arabic song that became popular in Egypt in the 1940s, the most famous of which is “Allah My Beloved Country” by the Arab tarab lady Umm. The forms of Kulthum and taqtuqa require special types of writing and composition.

The loyal one
This is a genre of Arabic poetry that has long been known. Mawal is considered one of the traditional forms of singing, which relies on improvisation and ingenuity to showcase the transition of the melody. Mawwal usually begins with “ya night, ya ain” to create a harmonious atmosphere with the audience. Its themes include: praise, reproach, sadness, flirting, etc.

scarf
It is a new poetic art that differs from other types of Arabic lyric poetry in several aspects, namely, it follows certain rules of technique, uses spoken or non-Arabic languages ​​in its composition, and is closely linked to singing. It is called “Mwashahat” for its elegance and grace, similar to a woman’s scarf, and its plural is “Mwashahat” because the multiple rhymes in a special system give it a beautiful timbre and a sweet melody accepted by the ear. . The rhymes in it take the place of the scarf inlaid with gems and pearls, which is why they are called muwashahat, that is, poetry decorated with rhymes.

Muwashahat emerged in Islamic Andalusia as a style different from the traditional poetic system, a distinction that helped muwashahat spread across the wider Andalusia until it landed in Arab countries such as Egypt. The Andalusian muwashah does not rely on one rhyme principle and may end with a colloquial phrase, the type of which varies according to rhyme and meter. One of the most famous and brilliant muwashahs in Andalusia is: “When he began to bend.”

Types of musical instruments
The instruments are separated from each other and classified as follows:

Wind instruments

They are instruments that produce musical sounds by blowing air into the instrument. The most famous of them are:

Harmonica: It is a wind instrument often heard in pop music, dance music and hip-hop music.
trumpet: It is one of the widely used brass instruments in jazz and classical music.
fluteIt is one of the most famous names for an ancient Arabic musical instrument made from wild reeds.

stringed instrument
They are musical instruments consisting of a string fixed between two points that produces a sound when the string vibrates. The most famous of these are:

AgarwoodIt is a pear-shaped stringed instrument with a deep body, commonly used in Arabic, Persian and Kurdish music.
violinIt is one of the most famous string instruments used in classical music and consists of 4 strings.
SitarIt is one of the most famous Indian musical instruments and consists of 3 strings.
CelloIt belongs to the four-string violin family but is somewhat larger in size and is considered one of the most famous names in Western musical instruments.
A guitarIt is an instrument played with fingers or a small piece of plastic called a pick, and its strings vary depending on its type, which can be classical, acoustic, or electric.

percussion
Musical sounds are produced by percussion and vibration, the most famous of which are:

Tambourine or parchmentIt is a very ancient oriental musical instrument consisting of thin leather surrounded by a frame.
CastanetsIt is a Western brass instrument consisting of two discs, one of which is strung with the right hand and the other with the left hand.