Bahrain

With the Middle Eastern Gulf quickly being overrun by the pop sounds of Muhammad Abdu, Ahlam, the Miami Band, & others, it is sometimes easy to forget about the traditional roots of Arabian music.

Sawt, a form of musical poetry (accompanied by oud), is part of the major heritage for all the Gulf states, & no man did more to preserve or popularize it than the late Muhammad bin Faris of Bahrain, after whom this particular ensemble is named. Although neither bin Faris himself nor his disciple, Dahi bin Walid, actually appear on this recording, the ensemble does a superb job of carrying on their legacy.

This particular recording is an excellent example of authentic Arabian music, performed by an ensemble of traditional musicians. The recording itself is a bit short, consisting of only six songs coming in at just over 53 minutes, but the sound & quality of the recording is excellent.

Three singer-oudists perform on this CD, accompanied by violin, qanun, hand-clapping, & chorus, which all creates the authentic sound. This is an excellent example of the sawt you could expect to hear not only in Bahrain but also neighboring countries like Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, or the UAE. As is typical with Arabic music, most all the songs deal with love, loss, & longing.

This is another excellent release from the Institut du Monde Arabe. As is typical with their releases, this includes extensive liner notes in French & English, giving translations of the poems (though no Arabic transliteration, sadly) as well as an extensive background on Muhammad bin Faris, the genre of sawt, & the musical history of Bahrain. Very nice for those who are academically inclined, but even if not, this is one of the best commercially available recordings of the traditional music of the Gulf region out there. I strongly recommend anyone who loves Arabic poetry & music (especially the more old-fashioned stuff) check this CD out. The Institut du Monde Arabe has also released a couple other recordings covering the region, including a volume on the sawt of Kuwait, which may be of further interest.

 Ensemble Muhammad BinFaris – The Sawt of Bahtain, Institut de Monde Arabe. 2004.

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Tracklist –

Yushawwiquinî Barqun (A Flash Awakens Desire)

Dam'î Jarâ Bi-L-Khudud (Tears Have Flowed Down My Cheeks)

Qâla Ibn Al-Ashraf (The Ashraf's Son Said)

Nâsî Wa Lâ Yadri (Neglectful Without Knowing It)

Wâburuhi Min Al-Ghîd (Upon My Soul)

Mâ Li-Ghusn Al-Dhahab (What's the Matter With the Slender Branch)

Enjoy this gem,

NØ