“YaHalaly Yamalay” is a dance song, an energizing Arabic party tune that you may hear at a wedding while dancing the dabke.
In our classes we take “YaHalaly Yamalay” out of the wedding hall and use it, conceptually, as a window into Arabic rhythms. Noting that Arabic music features fascinating time signatures, with rhythms that could bring any number of beats, we count any number — 5, 12, 19… — then, just to get the feel, stomp or clap along. Because 7 is a lucky number, when we say 7 we say, “YAY!” Since 13 is unlucky, when we hear it we BOO. An exception — at points in Egypt’s history, 13 was considered lucky because it aligned with the number of Gods. So, when we say, “13 in Egypt,” what do we say…? YAY!
Tag Archives | Syria
Syria Sings Today with Kulna Sawa
Kulna Sawa confirms that not all Syrian folk music is a blast from the past….
Modern folk outfits from Syria like Kulna Sawa proudly root their music in traditional forms but certainly don’t sound ancient. For example, “Emaar Ya Sha’m,” is a lavishly patriotic song that maintains a traditional Syrian musical sensibility while also fully embracing the lusciousness of global power pop…. The band formed in Damascus in 1995 and within a few years began touring internationally, spreading songs of hope and peace. (Syria sure needs Hope and Peace.)
He started in Syria — in Egypt he became a star
Farid Al-Atrash was born in 1917 in a Syrian border town south of Damascus to Princess Alia and Prince Fahd Al-Atrash, the leading family in the Syrian-Druze resistance against the French….
Fearing for his family’s safety, Fahd send Princess Alia, Farid and his sister Amal to Cairo where went into hiding, lived under an assumed name (“Kusa,” Arabic for zucchini) and fell into poverty. Princess Alia supported her family by performing the oud
in clubs; her children followed her into the new family business. Farid, an extraordinary oud player, and Amal a mesmerizing vocalist, rose quickly on the Egyptian music scene, and when they began to act in movies they became stars. Amal adopted the artistic stage name “Asmahan” and Farid developed a persona as “the sad singer.” Farid Al-Atrash acted in many Egyptian films, composing, playing oud and attracting tabloid attention with his frequent high-profile romances until his death in 1974. Watch him sing “Habeena Habeena” and you’ll see why Egypt loved him.
Singing with Sabah
Let’s all sing with Sabah Fakhri….
In Syria, music plays an essential role in daily life–marking religious occasions, providing a soundtrack for family events, always present as Syrians make their way through the world. Syria’s most popular singers customarily draw on both traditional music and rural themes. For example, iconic Syrian vocalist Sabah Fakhri has recorded hundreds of Syrian songs that blend classical Arabic arrangements with accessible Syrian folk. (Watch Sabah Fakhri and his full ensemble perform in Las Vegas.)
See you in Syria
This week in our online class we’re going to travel to Syria, a country where political troubles have continually turned the nation upside down. Unfortunately for Syrians, theirs is a nation that has experienced many, MANY challenges in the last hundred years — colonization by the Ottomans, colonization by the French, several wars with Israel, tension with Jordan and Lebanon, not to mention military coup after military coup…in even the most cursory historical context, the recent troubles are not completely new. Most sadly, the current President, Bashar al-Assad, filled Syria with hope when he succeeded his father, long-time President Hafez al-Assad, in 2000. In class we’ll triumph over all troubles as we sing, dance, and even (pretend to!) get married.
