Palestinian music
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Palestinian music is one of many regional sub-genres of Arabic music. While it shares much in common with Arabic music, both structurally and instrumentally, there are musical forms and subject matter that are distinctively Palestinian.
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[edit] Historical Development
[edit] Pre-1948
In the areas now controlled by Israel and Palestinian National Authority, multiple ethnic groups, races and religions have long held on to a diverse culture. Palestinians (including Druze and Bedouin) constituted the largest group, followed by Jews (including Sephardim and Ashkenazim), Egyptians, Cypriots, Samaritans, Armenians, Domari, and others.
Early in the 20th century, most Palestinians lived in rural areas, either as farmers or as nomads. The farmers (fellahin) sang a variety of work songs, used for tasks like fishing, shepherding, harvesting and making olive oil. Travelling storytellers and musicians called zajaleen were also common, known for their epic tales. Weddings were also home to distinctive music, especially the dabke, a complex dance performed by linked groups of dancers. Popular songs were in widely-varying forms, especially meyjana and dalauna.
[edit] Post-1948
After the creation of Israel in 1948, most Palestinians fled to, or were forced into, refugee camps in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The most popular recorded musicians at the time were the superstars of Arab classical music, especially Umm Kulthum and Sayed Darwish. The centers for Palestinian music were in the Israeli towns of Nazareth and Haifa, where performers composed in the classical styles of Cairo and Damascus. The shared Palestinian identity first arose during this period, and a new wave of performers emerged with distinctively Palestinian themes, relating to the dreams of statehood and the burgeoning nationalist sentiment.
The Israeli government exerted considerable control over Palestinian music recordings, and many of the most popular cassettes were distributed through the black market. Late in the 1970s, a new wave of popular Palestinian stars emerged, including Sabreen and Al Ashiqeen. After the 1987 Intifada, a more hard-edged group of performers and songwriters emerged, led by El Funoun, songwriter Suhail Khoury, Thaer Barghouti's Doleh and Sabreen's Mawt a'nabi.
In the 1990s, the Palestinian National Authority was formed, and Palestinian cultural expression began to stabilize. Wedding bands, having long since disappeared during the fighting, reappeared and played popular Egyptian and Lebanese songs. Tania Nasser soon emerged as a major star, and became well-known for her support of feminism among Palestinian women. Other performers to emerge later in the 90s included Yuad, Washem, Adel Salameh and Samir Joubran. Reem Kelani currently performs Palestinian folk songs.
[edit] Palestinian hip hop
See also: Arabic hip hop
Beginning in the late 1990s, Palestinian youth forged a new Palestinian musical sub-genre - Palestinian rap or hip hop - which blends Arabic melodies and Western beats, with lyrics in Arabic, English and even Hebrew.
Borrowing from traditional rap music that first emerged in the ghettos of Los Angeles and New York in the 1970s, “young Palestinian musicians have tailored the style to express their own grievances with the social and political climate in which they live and work” [1]
DAM were pioneers in forging this blend. As Arab citizens of Israel, they rap in Arabic, Hebrew, and English often challenging stereotypes about Palestinians and Arabs head-on in songs like "Meen Erhabe?" ("Who's a terrorist?")
Other Palestinian hip hop artists include members of The Philistines, N.O.M.A.D.S, and MWR.
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[edit] References
- ^ Amelia Thomas. Israeli-Arab rap: an outlet for youth protest. Christian Science Monitor.
[edit] Books
- Morgan, Andy and Mu'tasem Adileh. "The Sounds of Struggle". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, pp 385-390. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
[edit] Further reading
- Cohen, Dalia and Ruth Katz (2005). Palestinian Arab Music : A Maqam Tradition in Practice. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-11298-5.
- Mashmalon, Micah (1988). Palestinian Folk Songs (Morris Moore Series in Musicology, 4). Shazco. ISBN 9998300916.
[edit] External links
Links to singer profiles at http://www.worldmusiccentral.org:
