Whitemud Crossing Branch, Edmonton Library, March 9, 2008

print version library concert program

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 Byrne)
• Taqsim oud Nahawand C (Aws Shamsan)
• Lamma Bada Yatathanna (Nahawand C): chorus. Start with 2 cycles percussion and pizzicato.
• Tonbak solo: Kioumars Poorhaydari.
• Shoore Asheghaneh (Ushaq Masri on C): Elaheh Ahmadi solo + chorus
• Hilwa ya Baladi (Nahawand C): Samira Elatia 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 El Kadi and Samira Elatia 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 Er)
• Leylim Ley: featuring Basak Clements (+ others?) + chorus

Farahfaza - G minor:

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

In A

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

Bayyati/Hijaz D series:

• taqsim org (Hijaz A to Bayyati D)
• Bint al-Balad. Start with percussion cycle 2x. First solo section: violin, then others; reverse on repeat. Second solo section: violins, then others (on repeat).
• Ala shawatee Dijla mur: Amal Elkhedr and 1 or 2 others, solo. Intro: instruments play refrain once, followed by refrain 2x (solo, chorus), verse, refrain, verse, refrain, verse, refrain (2x). Instrumental solos (in 3 repeats of verse section): violins, plucked, org.
• Dulab Bayyati (with taqasim: Nadir, Aws, Vahapcan)
• Ah ya hilu: Samira Elatia solo. Start ion with vocals (Bb), then instruments, then percussion. Refrain 2x (solo, chorus), verse, refrain, verse, refrain (2x).
• Il hilwa di. Chorus. Start with instrumental pizzicato, then straight into singing.
• 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! :)

Participants:

Ali Azad
Ali Shawwa
Amal Al-Kheder
Anna (Roy) Ganadhy
Aws Shamsan
Basak Acan Clements
Ben Ragosin
Dion Brocks
Drew Price
Elaheh Ahmadi
Kelsey Thompson
Kioumars Poorhaydari
Leila Laouar
Leslie Precht
Maigan van der Giessen
Martha Steenstrup
Mohamed Salama
Mohsen Nicksiar
Nadir Bellahmer
Niyati Dhokai
Pam Cruise
Rana El Kadi
Samira Elatia
Soraya Hafez
Steven Byrne
Vahapcan Er