Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

The Ari people of South-West Ethiopia treat the human voice as a veritable instrument: exploring it's entire acoustic range by varying registers, timbres and vowel resonance; their grand-scale polyphonies are highly sophisticated, yet not without elements of spontaneity and surprise. The period of great collective ceremonies begins at the end of the rainy season - marriages (wochmi), the end of harvesting (buk), funerals (efi) and the lifting of periods of mourning (chi: chi). Participants abandon their habitual activities to devote themselves to the celebration of a decisive life cycle event, amid omnipresent singing and dancing. A strong contrast exists in Ari music between the complexity of the collective polyphonic structure and the sobriety of individual voices. A successful ensemble depends on good combinations of simple elements. Moreover, any apparently rigid polyphonic organization is counterbalanced by a certain flexibility in performance, evident in unpredictable entries of freely moving voices and in a wealth of variations. In Ari polyphonies, a variation is an open proposition, addressed to other musicians, provoking reaction and thereby developing the performance.

The vocal power of Mohammed Aman, sensitive to the finest melisma, transporting us back, through courtly poetry and chamber music to former glories of the Hejaz, cradle of Arabian civilization. In 1925, Hejaz became part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which was born after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, but the history of Hejaz goes back much further. Since pre-Islamic times, Hejaz has been a hotbed of poetry and music; it was the annual 'Ukaz fair, where tribes from all over Arabia came to compete in poetic jousts. With the advent of Islam, the Umayyad dynasty settled in Damascus, but the cities of the Hejaz retained their importance, and while Mecca and Medina attracted pilgrims from all over the world, they also flourished in the arts and letters. Musicians formed a class of their own, many of whom were freed former slaves of African, Persian or Byzantine origin. Protected by patrons of the arts, they were also very popular, and this prestige extended to female singers, some of whom were of free status and were veritable divas.

Crystal-clear tones and rich resonances from the langeleik zither, a tradition unbroken since the 15th century: melodies to listen to (lydarlatter) and numerous dances (springar, gangar, halling, etc.) form the core of an ancient and still lively repertoire. The langeleik belongs to the family of box zithers which is present throughout Northern and Central Europe (Hungry, Flanders and the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden). All of these instruments have a fretted fingerboard under one or several of the strings on which the melody is played, whilst the remaining strings, or drones, are used for accompaniment. Traditionally, the langeleik is played by the fingers of the left hand, and with a long horn plectrum held in the right hand, moving with regular, rhythmical backward and forward strokes. The preformers demonstrate their skills using ornamentation and rhythmical stresses. This unique way of playing actually gives langeleik music a nearly hypnotic flow.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music