MENAME Winter 2020 assignments

under construction

Note: this schedule will be filled in week by week. Note that all assignments are to be submitted via eClass (http://bit.ly/mename20e). Repertoire is listed (with links to listen and read) via http://bit.ly/mename

Note also that all repertoire documents are available online in this Google Drive folder. Theory resources on maqamat and durub are available via the main course webpage http://bit.ly/mename

Short link to this page: https://bit.ly/mename20a

Week 1: Jan 9

Meeting for consent

Week 2: Jan 16

• Introduction to the course:
• Requirements
  • Arrive and leave on time, participate throughout, pay attention
  • Help set up chairs, and put them away at the end
  • Attendance will be taken at the end of class
  • Keep break to 10 min
  • No electronics! (no phones, tablets, computers) Take notes with pen and paper.
  • Practice exercises, repertoire, do homework
• Dates to note:
  • Final concert March 26
  • Concert in Convocation Hall: Feb 6 (no class, but you'll attend the concert and write a report)
  • Quizzes (from 6:30): Feb 13, March 5, April 2
• MENA: Middle East and North Africa
  • Some Arabic expressions: Ahlan wa Sahlan! - Ahlan Biik!
  • Countries
  • Languages
  • Religions
  • History
  • Musical characteristics: instruments (takht), heterophony, poetry-centric
• Musical features
  • Introduction to iqa`at or durub (maqsum, masmudi, sa`idi, wahda, bamb, malfuf, sama`i thaqil), clapping or using dum/tek
  • Percussion exercise
  • Introduction to maqam hijaz
• Songs
  • "Ah Ya Zayn" (eventually we'll do this film version with dance.
  • Hibbina (22:20), composed and sung by Farid al-Atrash, from the 1975 film "Nagham fi Hayati" (A melody in my life). Hanan works as a secretary for Mamdouh, the respected singer who is also good friends with her family. She goes to Lebanon to spend the summer with her mother, and see her boyfriend Mohsen who dreams of immigrating to Brazil to earn a decent living and become rich instead of working at his father's coffee shop. Hanan tries to discourage him from going away because they love each other. However, Mohsen leaves the country which breaks his father's heart as well as Hanan's who later discovers that she's pregnant with his child. Fearing that her pregnancy would cause a scandal, she tries to commit suicide but Mamdouh rescues her just in time. When he learns about her dilemma he decides to marry her and father her unborn child despite the age difference between them. After Mamdouh and Hanan wed they realize their feelings towards each other have turned into love.
  • Dulab Hijaz
• Terms to know:
  • Dulab: "wheel" - prelude
  • Taqsim - instrumental improvisation
  • Qafla - cadence (closing formula)
  • Maqam - melodic mode
  • Darb - rhythmic cycle

Week 3: Jan 23

Songs:

• Dulab Hijaz with lyrics
• Leylim Ley (49:45), from the 1985 film "Mavi mavi" (Blue blue), sung by Ibrahim Tatlises. A poor bus drive falls in love with a rich but the customs of his world forces him otherwise.
• Nassam alayna al-Hawa, from the 1968 film "Bint al-Haris", featuring Fairouz. Song by the Rahbani brothers (Mansur and Assi). A young girl's father is fired from his job as a guard because there are no more criminals left in town so she pretends to be a thief in order to stir up trouble and get him his job back.