Madaniyat -led by Anwar Saidi and Youssef Madani- is an educational project that takes the form of a concert for young audiences. Designed in the frame of 2018 Medinea Outreach Programme, its aim was to make young people aware of the traditional musical heritage using the parallel that can be established between Arab-Andalusian music and the Western classical musical universe.
This project allowed the public to discover the famous Ziryab (The Blackbird), which is at the origin of the Andalusian heritage and one of the major figures in the history of Arab-Andalusian music, as well as the remarkable baroque music of J-S. Bach. During this educational concert, the project leaders presented two musical instruments, the oud, the principal instrument of Ziryab, and the cello, for which Bach wrote one of his major works: The six suites for solo cello.
First, they explained the form of the dance suite in Western classical music, by exploring the sequence of airs of the Nouba, specific to Arab-Andalusian music and that can be considered as its origin. They specified how the Western Baroque period was inspired by the Persian culture of the nineteenth century. Then, after unveiling the similar structures of the two forms (prelude / touchia, German / albsitte …) as well as their relationship with poetry in Arab-Andalusian music, they finally highlighted the difference between oral transmission music and musical notation.
Anwar and Youssef played the different dances of Bach’s first suite as well as extracts from the Nouba A’rk Laajam to provide insight into the western classical musical universe. The workshop ended with the creation of a space of exchange and sharing with the participation of the public by singing together a movement of Nouba (Chams Al Achiya). The last 15 minutes were devoted to answering to audience’s questions and talking about this experience.
In addition of making young people aware of the traditional musical heritage using the parallel between Arab-Andalusian and the Western classical musical universe, this project proposed to its public to discover a dialogue between two instruments, between two cultures that seem to be so far from each other, to listen to interculturality.
Associations :
Association Sourire d’espoir pour l’aide aux enfants hospitalisés et/ ou démunis – Rabat/Casablanca, Morroco.
Centre al mouallim Agdal – Rabat/Morroco.
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