Music of Iraq

various artists compilation - Music of Iraq

This album includes art music, popular urban songs, folk music and religious music.

Released in 1987.

From the liner notes:

In Iraq, which today contains 85% of the population of all Arab countries, there now live such races as Turks, Kurds, Iranians, and Jews. Music also, although centering around Arab music, is easily influenced by Persian music, and in provincial areas the music of the nomadic Bedouin as well a fisherman's folk music flourish.

In terms of overall musical genres, there is the religious music of Islam, the art music found throughout the Arab countries, regional folk music, and cosmopolitan popular songs. In folkmusic, the bowed musical instrument called rabab is a primary medium, and is often used to accompany the songs sung by fishermen or Bedouin.

As a wind instrument, the twin barreled clarnet called matbudj is commonly used. Percussion instruments in general are called tabla, and within this group there is the hasshabi, a long narrow wooden cylinder with a membrane on one end, among many others. The naqqara is also a popular instrument. Instruments used in art music are almost all those traditionally found throughout the Arab world, such as the plucked ud and qanun, the bowed joze, and the wind instrument called nai.

Up until now, the status of musicians in Iraq has been low, and praise has been rather modest. However, when as part of the socialist policies of the 1960s the Ministry of Information began to put its efforts into traditional arts education, the research and distribution activities rapidly began to flourish.

Selections (1), (2) and (3) are all art music. (1) is a solo performance on the qanum, a flat, box-shaped instrument of the zither family. The performer is Hassan al-Shakarch, the person in charge of classical music in the Ministry of Information's traditional music group. He here unveils a taqsim, in a free improvisational style.

(2) is the classical vocal form, pasta. It is characterized by an indefinite free rhythm. In the manner of his choosing, the vocalist develops an extended rich vocal phrase. The singer here is Sita, the only female vocalist in the traditional music group of Iraq's Information Ministry. Accompaniment is on the ud, a plucked five-stringed instrument.

(3) is the Iraqi Maqam, an extremely well loved cosmopolitan popular song, often sung in tea houses. The singer is Saleh Abdul Gafor, the youngest of the up and coming beautiful voices. Accompaniment is on the joze, a fiddle peculiar to Iraq.

(4) and (5) introduce folk songs. Singing this Bedouin folk song is Ibrahim R. Abdullah, originally a Bedouin himself, whose delicate voice is full of sorrowful sentiment. Accompaniment is on the rabab, a single-stringed fiddle.

(6) is a performance on two naqqara, or pot shaped drums, one large and one small. These are played together by striking with a stick. Performer Abdel Karim Halbud is a fisherman, but his skill is professional. Here he plays many different rhythmic variations.

(7) is a solo matbudj performance. In addition to the ready availability of the materials used in a matbudj, it is simple to make and has thus spread throughout a broad region. The unique Asian technique of playing with an unbroken breath, however, is difficult. Abdel Karim Halbud splendidly masters this technique.

(8) is the ensemble performance of the zurna, a wind instrument of the oboe family, with the percussion instruments tabl and naqqara. The tabl in this case is a trunk of unglazed pottery with a skin membrane stretched over one end.

(9) is a Bedouin song accompanied by the farmer's instrument, the matbudj. In actuality, the matbudj takes the lead over the voice.

(10) is a drum ensemble of the traditional music group of Iraq's Ministry of Information. This is a new musical form, created in recent years, which today has a high international reputation. Instruments are the double-headed drums, tabl, naqqara, hasshabi, reg (duff, def), and a single-headed tabl. While one instrument takes an improvised solo the others maintain the rhythm.

(11) is the recording of a ceremony of Sufi, Islamic mysticism. Recording was done at the church of religious leader Masjid al-Khalifa, in Bagdad. It was recorded through microphones placed at the feet of the circumambulating monks.

Tracklisting:

1. Hassan al-Shakarchi - Qanun Taqsim {4:56}

2. Sita and Ali-Ali Imam - Pasta {3:13}

3. Saleh Abdul Gafor - Iraqi Maqam {4:52}

4. Ibrahim R. Abdullah - Ataaba {1:55}

5. Ibrahim R. Abdullah - Mohammedawi {1:48}

6. Abdel Karim Halbud - Naqqare Solo {2:29}

7. Abdel Karim Halbud - Matbudj Solo {2:20}

8. Iraqi Traditional Group, Ministry of Information - Zurna-Tabl-Naqqare {2:20}

9. Ibrahim R. Abdullah and Abdel Karim Halbud - A Song with Matbudj "Sweheri" {3:13}

10. Iraqi Traditional Group, Ministry of Information - Drum Ensemble {5:56}

11. [uncredited artist] - Zikr of Sufi {24:43}

(1)