Arabic music: CDs and vinyl by Umm Kulthum, Fairuz, Khaled, Rachid Taha and Arab-Andalusian music. The great voices of Egypt, Lebanon and Algeria, at home.
Arabic music covers the songs and music of the Maghreb, Egypt, Lebanon and the Middle East. It is based on maqams, modes that set the notes of a piece and its mood. Some maqams use notes that fall between those of the Western piano, closer together than a semitone. The basic instruments are the oud, a fretless lute, the qanun, a zither laid across the knees, the ney, a reed flute, and the darbuka.
Egypt produced its greatest voices. Umm Kulthum, nicknamed the “Star of the East”, filled concert halls until her death in 1975. She sang great love poems, many of them written by the poet Ahmed Rami. Her funeral in Cairo drew millions of people. Her song “Enta Omri”, composed by Mohammed Abdel Wahab, dates from 1964.
In Lebanon, Fairuz began singing in the 1950s, often to music by the Rahbani brothers. Many Lebanese people still listen to her songs in the morning. Her son Ziad Rahbani composed songs for her that are close to jazz. In Algeria, Khaled’s rai and the rock of Rachid Taha blended tradition with electric guitars. Khaled, nicknamed the “king of rai”, found success in France with “Didi” in 1992 and “Aïcha” in 1996.
Arab-Andalusian music was born in Muslim Spain, in the Middle Ages. After the end of al-Andalus, it was preserved in cities of the Maghreb, such as Fez, Tlemcen and Tunis. It is played in nubas, long suites of sung and instrumental pieces. The orchestra brings together the oud, the violin held on the knee, the rebab and percussion.
Start with a compilation if you are discovering an artist. It gathers their best-known songs on a single disc. The back of the sleeve often gives the year each track was recorded. Then move on to original albums or recorded concerts, which show the artist over time.
For Umm Kulthum, choose concert recordings. A single song can last more than 45 minutes there, with the audience’s reactions between the verses. These long versions fit better on a CD than on one side of a vinyl record.
Vinyl gives a warm sound and a large sleeve to look at. It needs a turntable with a tonearm and cartridge in good condition. Check the speed shown: 33 rpm for an album, 45 rpm for a single. A recent reissue is often pressed on thick 180-gram vinyl, less prone to warping.
The CD remains simpler: it plays on a hi-fi system, in the car or on a portable player. It does not wear out with playing. Its inner booklet often gives the lyrics, sometimes translated into French.
Hold a vinyl record by the edge and by the centre label, never by the grooves. Fingers leave a grease that attracts dust and makes the sound crackle. Store records upright, never in a pile, to stop them from warping.
Before each listen, run a carbon-fibre brush over the record, following the grooves. Slip each record into an anti-static sleeve. Keep them away from radiators and sunlight: heat can warp a record within a few hours. Replace old paper sleeves, which can scratch the grooves every time the record is taken out.
Hold a CD by the edges and by the centre hole. Wipe it with a soft cloth, from the centre outwards, never in a circular motion. Put it back in its case after listening, to avoid scratches. For a CD that skips, a clean is often enough to restore normal playback.
To play the rhythms you hear yourself, discover our oriental instruments. To keep the evening going, our oriental films have their songs too. Browse the whole oriental music and films section.
