Whitemud Crossing Branch, Edmonton Library, March 9, 2008

Library Concert, Sunday, March 9th, 2008, 2 PM (Edmonton Public Library, Whitemud Crossing branch, Whitemud Crossing Shopping Centre, 4211 - 106 Street). Please be there, reasonably tuned up, at 1:30. The auditorium is just off the children's books section. Try to arrive shortly after 1pm so we can organize ourselves. The performance will be acoustic, because the library doesn't have microphones.

• Bilafrah (introduction: Hijaz G). Form: "head", 2x form, "head", 1x form. Solos: 2nd form (plucked, then violin), 3rd form (violin, then org).
• Taqsim org (modulate Hijaz G to Nahawand C)

Nahawand C: (C minor)

• Dulab Nahawand C (w/ short percussion solo, Steven)
• Taqsim oud Nahawand C (Aws)
• Lamma Bada Yatathanna (Nahawand C): chorus
• Tonbak solo: Kioumars
• Shoore Asheghaneh (Ushaq Masri on C): Elaheh solo + chorus
• Hilwa ya Baladi (Nahawand C): Samira solo + chorus
• Ya Banat Iskandariyya (Nahawand C): perc (4 cycles), instruments (1 rep), Arabic, violin, Turkish, plucked, Urdu, Arabic 2x.
• al-Uzubiyya (Nahawand C): Rana and Samira solo + chorus. Percussion: bamb (refrain), malfuf (verses). Form: perc (4 cycles), instr (1 rep), refrain (2x), verse, refrain, verse, refrain (2x), then accelerate (3x).

(break)

B- series:

• Taqsim saz B kurd (Vahapcan)
• Leylim Ley: Basak solo (+ others?) + chorus

Farahfaza - G minor:

• taqsim org (Nahawand B to Hijaz Kar D to Nahawand G)
• Ha'agas Street 1 (G minor): Ben solo + chorus
• taqsim violin (Nahawand G): Nadir

In A

• Nassam alayna al-hawa (Kurd A): Piano intro. Rana and Samira solo

Bayyati/Hijaz D series:

• taqsim org (Hijaz A to Bayyati D)
• Bint al-Balad
• Ala shawatee Dijla mur: Amal and 1 or 2 others, solo
• Dulab Bayyati (with taqasim: Nadir, Aws, Vahapcan)
• Ah ya hilu: Samira solo. Start with vocals (Bb), repeat final chorus 2x.
• Il hilwa di. Chorus
• Ah ya zayn. Form: perc (4 cycles), instruments (1 cycle), Arabic, violin, Turkish, plucked, Urdu, Arabic 2x.

General principles:

• melodic instrumentalists should take care: (1) to drop volume during vocal solos, and raise volume during chorus sections; (2) to drop volume during targama, and raise volume during lawazim, creating a sharp contrast; (2) to drop volume prior to solos, in order to maximize contrast; (3) develop your own tasteful lawazim and heterophonic variations
• melodic instrumentalists should vary repeats, by rising an octave if possible (violins especially)
• when one instrument has a solo, others should not drop out. For taqasim, provide a quiet drone on the tonic. For other solos, use a "targama" technique, as if accompanying the singer.
• percussionists should take care: (1) not to let volume get too high; (2) to listen to one another and to the rest of the ensemble, in order to stay in time; (3) not to accelerate or decelerate except where required; (4) provide nice balance of dum and tek, drum sound and jingle sound, within the ensemble by including a variety of percussion instruments: tabla, tonbak, riqq, tambourine, shaker, clave, etc.
• percussion should always change between chorus and verse; use quieter, less dense cycles with less jangling for verses; louder, denser, janglier for chorus. Precise specifications will vary with the piece.
• singers: (1) know who is singing solo part and who is singing chorus; (2) sing loudly!
• all: watch each other, watch me, smile and enjoy the performance! :)