Sami discussed some of the political dimensions of traditional Syrian music, as part of a panel conversation on links between the present conflict and historical migrations. Other panelists were Todd Fine, president of the Washington Street Historical Society, a nonprofit that … Continue reading Music Tradition from Syria and Egypt Week 8 →
The class reviewed all of the concepts explored in the previous classes, comparing the mood of the different maqams (melodic modes) in the songs “Min Hubbi Fiik Ya Gaari” and “ish-showq mihayyarni.” We reviewed some of the rhythmic patterns used … Continue reading Music Tradition from Syria and Egypt Week 7 →
The class was joined by Belly Dancer and instructor Sherine Khatoun, an Iraqi / Yemeni Jewish immigrant to the U.S., who performs regularly with Sami’s ensemble Zikrayat www.zikrayatmusic.com. Sherine introduced participants to the basic steps of “raqs sharqi” (“Eastern dance”) … Continue reading Music Tradition from Syria and Egypt Week 6 →
On 5/8 we explored the music and culture of Aleppo, Syria. We sang two quduud (upbeat songs): “Sayyid il-Asaari” and “Qaddukal Mayyas” and listened to performances by Mustafa Maher and Sabah Fakhri, the most famous 20th century singer of the … Continue reading MUSIC TRADITION FROM SYRIA AND EGYPT – WEEK 5 →
On 5/8 we explored the music and culture of Aleppo, Syria. We sang two quduud (upbeat songs): “Sayyid il-Asaari” and “Qaddukal Mayyas” and listened to performances by Mustafa Maher and Sabah Fakhri, the most famous 20th century singer of the … Continue reading Music Tradition from Syria and Egypt – Week 4 →
In the 20th century, Egypt had a dynamic film industry that produced a large number of musicals, serving as a vehicle for many of the greatest singers, composers, and dancers from around the Arab world. In our course on Sunday … Continue reading Music Tradition from Syria and Egypt – Week 3 →
On the second class was joined by percussionist Rami ElAasser http://ramitabla.com/ who taught us the basics of Arabic Rhythms. We learned how to produce the basic sounds on the drums – “dum” and “tek.” We learned several rhythmic patterns (called “iqaa” in … Continue reading MUSIC TRADITIONS FROM EGYPT & SYRIA. WEEK 2 →
In the first class, we practiced getting comfortable with our voices, and learned to sing part of the Egyptian song “Ghannili Shwayya” and the Syrian song “Sayyid il-3asaari,” as well as singing call-and-response on the syllables “ya leil” in the … Continue reading Music Traditions from Egypt & Syria. Week 1 →
Arts and Education Space for Immigrant New Yorkers