Kuwait's Musical Heritage

Local FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2014 FROM OUR ARCHIVES Kuwait’s musical heritage The heartbeat of a nation By Sarah Alzouman here is something about music. It has a kind of magic that can capture an emotion or Tmoment in time. Traditional Kuwaiti music is enchanting in the sense that it can evoke the founding chapter of Kuwait’s history and tie the native listener inexorably to his or her past. The drums in the sea songs of Kuwait begin to sound like crashing waves of the glorious but terrible sea and I begin to feel the tide pull the salt in my blood back home to the source of my forefather’s successes and struggles, celebrations and suffer- ing. The magnetic power of Kuwait’s traditional music exerts its pull not only on native Kuwaitis, but on anyone who hears it. Lisa Urkevich, PhD in ethnomusicology and professor at the American University of Kuwait can attest to that. Dr. Urkevich arrived in Kuwait almost six years ago to study the influence of Saudi desert traditions on Kuwait, but as she tells it, “A couple of my friends told me, ‘You have just got to see the sea bands!’ and that was it.” She began her study of Kuwait’s folkloric music tradition, in which music of the sea is paramount. Art of the sea song The sea was once the very life-blood of Kuwaiti society in particular and Gulf society in general. Al- Fan Al-Bahri, or the Art of the Sea Song, is an art in which Kuwait’s roots are intertwined with Bahrain. Kuwait was once dependent entirely on the sea for its prosperity, either through trade or pearl diving expeditions, which often lasted months at a time. KUWAIT: The Omani cultural dancing group performs during the launching of the 26th annual pearl diving in Kuwait. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat On the ocean, music served many purposes that were both psychological and emotional and prac- tical as well. During working hours, the ‘nokhetha,’ or ship captain, would tell the professional musi- Sangeen is sung when the sailors are putting the ship out to sea. cians what to play so the men on board would know what to do. This was a more respectful alter- The physical effort required and the music of sangeen are both very challenging. native to giving them direct orders. Dr Urkevich discovered that Kuwait’s seafaring society is absolutely unique because it is com- pause during which the men let out a kind of fits the event perfectly. Different cultures dance woman’s arm is raised and her hand’s palm is posed of 20-30 percent of professional musicians, grunting exhalation which steadies their breathing various forms of the ‘Ardha. Saudi ‘Ardha is danced opening and closing as if to say, “Come here,” that a statistic unheard of anywhere else. Dr Urkevich and gives them a small break from their exhaust- with a sword in hand and sheath hanging from the is in fact the message. It is a way for a young understood that statistic as an aspect of the ing exertion. The sound of exhalation during Al- dancer’s belt, which is connected to the criss-cross- woman to advertise that she is eligible for mar- Kuwaiti love for music and synchronized clapping Dawwari, the type of yamaal used to pull a ship ing ammunition holsters on his chest. riage. If a young woman seems to be using her (Sharbukka), where boys and young men sponta- back to anchor, seems to travel through the years In Kuwaiti ‘Ardha, which is more typical of sea raised hand to make a ‘shooing’ motion, that neously sync up the rhythm of their clapping. I so that even the modern listener feels the weight faring cultures, the dancer does not wear a belt or shows that she is not available for marriage pro- always thought that kind of behavior was the most of the ship in their muscles. The grunt also resem- ammunition and usually dances with both the posals. natural thing in the world because it was absorbed bles that of a camel, tying the men to their desert sword and sheath in hand, sometimes using the culturally and socially. For Kuwaitis, that is exactly origins even in the midst of their months-long sea two to mimic a bow and arrow. ‘Ardha is some- Sawt of Kuwait the case. The link with our seafaring past now journeys. times performed to honor an illustrious guest, who Sawt, which literally means voice and was tradi- seems obvious and wonderful. joins in on the display at the end. tionally used in the Arab world to mean “song,” is Al-Fan Al-Bahri is a very specific art. The two Happiness The rhythm of ‘Ardha, like that of other tradi- the name given to a Kuwaiti music genre devel- main types of Bahri music are work songs and cele- Al-Uns, which is the celebratory branch of sea tional Arabic music, may seem off to listeners who oped in the 19th century. Sawt is the classical bratory songs. According to Dr Urkevich, Kuwait is music, comes from the Arabic word meaning ‘hap- are used to Western music because the beat is music of Kuwait and the music of the educated the only country in the Gulf with three bands who piness.’ It also has a very revealing structure. Al-Uns asymmetrical while traditional Western music class. Dr Urkevich referred me to Ahmad Al-Salhi, are capable of singing the entire repertoire of sea takes places when the men arrive home safely emphasizes the symmetrical. Dr Urkevich, picking founder of zeryab.com, to learn about the art of songs: The Bin Hussein band, the Mayouf band, from sea. They get together for an evening of up on comments made by bedouins about how sawt. Al-Salhi’s site is a treasure trove of all kinds of and the Amari band. Bu Saoud, manager of the Bin singing, playing instruments and dancing to cele- traditional music matches the camel’s unique gait, traditional Arabic music, and even reaches beyond Hussein band, explains that there are two main brate their successful journey. strapped a recorder to a camel’s saddle and found the Gulf and Arab states to include Turkish music. categories of sea songs: work songs and celebrato- Al-Uns begins with music played using desert the animal’s rhythm did in fact correspond with Sawt music is strophic, meaning the same ry or entertainment songs. instruments, then sea instruments and finally the asymmetrical rhythm of Arabic music. rhythm is repeated, but different words are sung ‘Sangeen’ and ‘yamaal’ are two types of work urban instruments, Dr Urkevich explained. Baddawi, like ‘Ardha, is a chance to show off over it. “Sawt is unique in that it is based on the songs. They are both beautifully expressive and Although there is a lot of variation and creativity in and is very competitive, not only between larger oud, while traditional Gulf music is generally based serve explicit purposes. Bu Saoud described the music and how many songs are played, you families or tribes but between the individual on percussion instruments. Sawt is also an individ- sangeen as the most difficult of sea songs. cannot skip between the different categories of dancers themselves. Baddawi dancing is an oppor- ual art as there is only one singer with his oud. “Sangeen is sung when the sailors are putting the music. The simplest example is the oud as an tunity for a young woman to exhibit her availabili- Another thing that characterizes sawt is Al-Merwas ship out to sea. The physical effort required and urban instrument. An oud would not survive at sea ty and eligibility for marriage. Baddawi is a high (a kind of drum) and the rhythm of the music,” Al- the music of sangeen are both very challenging. because the humidity ruins the strings, and it energy dance and therefore, it requires health and Salhi elaborated. Sawt is also unique in that it Bahrain, Daman, and Qatar are all seafaring soci- would not survive in the desert because it is fragile stamina to perform it well. Furthermore, long lus- always ends with a ‘towsheeha,’ a couplet that eties which share in Kuwait’s bahri musical her- and would break if packed on a camel’s back for trous hair is an important accessory in baddawi varies according to the rhythm of the source poem. itage, but sangeen only exists in Kuwait. travel. The oud, therefore, is a symbol of city life. dancing because it also reflects the health and Although this may sound like a recipe for Al-Yamaal is a type of work song that also vitality of the dancer. monotony, the simple consistency of the music comes in a number of versions. Different kinds of War dance The footwork of baddawi is fairly uniform and joined with the poetry of the lyrics and the rich- yamaal are sung when the sailors row the vessel, In the traditional tribal societies throughout the echoes a graceful Arabian steed, but the hands tell ness of its artists allows sawt to reach the core of trim the sail, or begin to pull the ship back towards Gulf, music and dancing was also used to exhibit a story of their own. When the hand is raised side- human experience. There is something beautifully the anchor dropped earlier in the day. Al-Yaamal military power and intimidate the enemy before ways above the head and moved in a slicing simple and elemental about this high art.

Load more