Abdessadeq Cheqara
Encyclopedia
Abdessadeq Cheqara (in Arabic
: عبد الصادق شقارة), was a Moroccan
singer of traditional Andalusian classical music
and Moroccan folk music
. Known as the grand master of al-Ala (Andalusian music), he was also a violin and oud
virtuoso
.
, a city noted for its Andalusian influences. His father, Abdessalam Cheqara, was a famed singer and musician in Tetuan, while his mother, Assoudia Alharrak, was descended of a family of poets, musicians and philosophers.
From a young age, Cheqara was drawn to music and poetry, being influenced by his father, who gave him his first oud
. Cheqara was also influenced by the Zawia Al-Harraqiya sufi movement, which practises devotion to Allah
through the performance of Andalusian music. Many of the songs are also about beautiful Andalusia, beautiful women and good wine, remindful of the Al-Andalus
period. By the age of fourteen, Cheqara already performed in a band, meeting Abdessalam Allouch, who taught him malhoun (the Arabic art of sung poetry).
Cheqara sang Andalusian and traditional Moroccan folksongs in mawawil (improvised solo), inshad (solo) styles, and his band was famous for their live instrumental improvisation (taqsim
). Many of his songs were based on poetry and folklore passed through families in Tetuan.
In the 1940s, Cheqara travelled extensively in Morocco, performing with noted Moroccan musicians. In 1940, along with other artists, he petitioned Spanish Morocco
's Kalifa, Hassan Ben Mahdi, for a conservatorium for Morocco’s Andalusian musical heritage. The conservatorium was founded as the Hasani Conservatory of the Moroccan Music. After several name and location changes, the National Conservatory of Music and Dance was opened by King Muhammad V on May 26, 1957.
Also in 1957, Cheqara – along with several friends – founded the Tétouan Conservatory Orchestra, to conserve and perform the music of Tetuan and Morocco. Later, Cheqara founded the Cheqara Orchestra of Tétuan.
Cheqara did much to popularize Andalusian music. Prior to the advent of Abdessadeq, Andalusian music was largely an elite music for Andalusians alone. Abdessadeq had a popular modern image and recorded with flamenco
ensembles. In this way, he helped to create the image that Andalusian music was "hip."
Much of the Andalusian popular songs or Cha'abi (Sha'abi) are believed to have been appropriated from female Andalusian musicians of Tetuan such as Hajja Shili and Hajja Shahaba. Because of sexism
, they were not permitted to record or perform if any males were present and are henceforth not well known. Reportedly Abdessadeq Chekara used to sit with Hajja Cha'haba and Hajja Shili and learn the women's songs, only to go on to record them. Many of the popular Andalusian songs (such as Ben't Bladi) are written from a women's perspective
Abdessadeq died on October 31, 1998, after a prolonged illness.
Noureddine Chekara, Abdessadeeq's son, has also been very instrumental in carrying on the family name. Noureddine played with his father Abdessadeq Cheqara in the ensemble since he was a young child, being the youngest member of the ensemble. He teaches violin (kamanja) and singing at the Tetuan Conservatory of Music since 1983. His innovative work in preserving and developing the Andalusian legacy continues with fellow Tetuani, Tarik Banzi of Al andalus ensemble
, or Radio Tarifa
.
In the 1940s, Cheqara travelled extensively in Morocco, performing with noted Moroccan musicians.In 1940, along with other artosts, he petitioned the Kalifa Mulay Hassan Ben Mahdi for a conservatorium for Morocco’s Andalusian musical heritage. The conservatorium was founded as the Hasani Conservatory of the Moroccan Music. After several name and location changes, the National Conservatory of Music and Dance was opened by King Muhammad V on May 26, 1957.
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
: عبد الصادق شقارة), was a Moroccan
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
singer of traditional Andalusian classical music
Andalusian classical music
Andalusian classical music is a style of Moorish music found across North Africa in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. It originates out of the music of Al-Andalus between the 9th and 15th centuries....
and Moroccan folk music
Music of Morocco
The music of Morocco ranges and differs according to the various areas of the country.-Berber folk music:There are three varieties of Berber folk music: village and ritual music, and the music performed by professional musicians....
. Known as the grand master of al-Ala (Andalusian music), he was also a violin and oud
Oud
The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
virtuoso
Virtuoso
A virtuoso is an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability in the fine arts, at singing or playing a musical instrument. The plural form is either virtuosi or the Anglicisation, virtuosos, and the feminine form sometimes used is virtuosa...
.
Life
Abdessadeq Cheqara was born in Tetuan, MoroccoMorocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, a city noted for its Andalusian influences. His father, Abdessalam Cheqara, was a famed singer and musician in Tetuan, while his mother, Assoudia Alharrak, was descended of a family of poets, musicians and philosophers.
From a young age, Cheqara was drawn to music and poetry, being influenced by his father, who gave him his first oud
Oud
The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
. Cheqara was also influenced by the Zawia Al-Harraqiya sufi movement, which practises devotion to Allah
Allah
Allah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
through the performance of Andalusian music. Many of the songs are also about beautiful Andalusia, beautiful women and good wine, remindful of the Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus was the Arabic name given to a nation and territorial region also commonly referred to as Moorish Iberia. The name describes parts of the Iberian Peninsula and Septimania governed by Muslims , at various times in the period between 711 and 1492, although the territorial boundaries...
period. By the age of fourteen, Cheqara already performed in a band, meeting Abdessalam Allouch, who taught him malhoun (the Arabic art of sung poetry).
Cheqara sang Andalusian and traditional Moroccan folksongs in mawawil (improvised solo), inshad (solo) styles, and his band was famous for their live instrumental improvisation (taqsim
Taqsim
Taqsim is the name of a melodic improvisation style that could be metric or non-metric, which usually precedes a composition in Arabic, Turkish, Greek, and other Middle Eastern music. The taqsim is usually performed by a solo instrument, yet sometimes the soloist can be backed by a percussionist...
). Many of his songs were based on poetry and folklore passed through families in Tetuan.
In the 1940s, Cheqara travelled extensively in Morocco, performing with noted Moroccan musicians. In 1940, along with other artists, he petitioned Spanish Morocco
Spanish Morocco
The Spanish protectorate of Morocco was the area of Morocco under colonial rule by the Spanish Empire, established by the Treaty of Fez in 1912 and ending in 1956, when both France and Spain recognized Moroccan independence.-Territorial borders:...
's Kalifa, Hassan Ben Mahdi, for a conservatorium for Morocco’s Andalusian musical heritage. The conservatorium was founded as the Hasani Conservatory of the Moroccan Music. After several name and location changes, the National Conservatory of Music and Dance was opened by King Muhammad V on May 26, 1957.
Also in 1957, Cheqara – along with several friends – founded the Tétouan Conservatory Orchestra, to conserve and perform the music of Tetuan and Morocco. Later, Cheqara founded the Cheqara Orchestra of Tétuan.
Cheqara did much to popularize Andalusian music. Prior to the advent of Abdessadeq, Andalusian music was largely an elite music for Andalusians alone. Abdessadeq had a popular modern image and recorded with flamenco
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
ensembles. In this way, he helped to create the image that Andalusian music was "hip."
Much of the Andalusian popular songs or Cha'abi (Sha'abi) are believed to have been appropriated from female Andalusian musicians of Tetuan such as Hajja Shili and Hajja Shahaba. Because of sexism
Sexism
Sexism, also known as gender discrimination or sex discrimination, is the application of the belief or attitude that there are characteristics implicit to one's gender that indirectly affect one's abilities in unrelated areas...
, they were not permitted to record or perform if any males were present and are henceforth not well known. Reportedly Abdessadeq Chekara used to sit with Hajja Cha'haba and Hajja Shili and learn the women's songs, only to go on to record them. Many of the popular Andalusian songs (such as Ben't Bladi) are written from a women's perspective
Abdessadeq died on October 31, 1998, after a prolonged illness.
Legacy
The Tetuan Conservatory of Music was directed by Mohammed L'arbi Temsamani for many years until his death in 2002. The director is now Mohammed Amin Akrami, who is also head of the Tetuan Conservatory Ensemble that carries on the name of Abdessadeq Chekara.Noureddine Chekara, Abdessadeeq's son, has also been very instrumental in carrying on the family name. Noureddine played with his father Abdessadeq Cheqara in the ensemble since he was a young child, being the youngest member of the ensemble. He teaches violin (kamanja) and singing at the Tetuan Conservatory of Music since 1983. His innovative work in preserving and developing the Andalusian legacy continues with fellow Tetuani, Tarik Banzi of Al andalus ensemble
Al andalus ensemble
Al-Andalus Ensemble is a contemporary Andalusian musical ensemble whose core members are husband-wife team Tarik Banzi and Julia Banzi. They combine the music of Arabo-Andalusian, Spanish Flamenco, Medieval Spanish cantigas, Ladino melodies, Arabic rhythms, and vocals in Spanish, Arabic, Ladino...
, or Radio Tarifa
Radio Tarifa
Radio Tarifa was a Spanish World music ensemble combining Flamenco, Arab-Andalusian music, Arabian music, Moorish music and also influences of the Mediterranean, of the Middle Ages and of the Caribbean. The name of the ensemble comes from an imaginary radio station in Tarifa, a small town in the...
.
In the 1940s, Cheqara travelled extensively in Morocco, performing with noted Moroccan musicians.In 1940, along with other artosts, he petitioned the Kalifa Mulay Hassan Ben Mahdi for a conservatorium for Morocco’s Andalusian musical heritage. The conservatorium was founded as the Hasani Conservatory of the Moroccan Music. After several name and location changes, the National Conservatory of Music and Dance was opened by King Muhammad V on May 26, 1957.
Records and events
Other notable achievements include:- In 1961, Cheqara recorded eight nawbasAndalusi nubahAndalusi nubah is a musical genre found in the North African Maghrib states of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya but, as the name indicates, it has its origins in the Arabo-Andalusian music...
of Andalusian Music in association with UNESCOUNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
's Andalusian Music Fans Association – an initiative to preserve the Andalusian heritage of Morocco.
- In 1978, Cheqara was appointed Supervisor General of the National Conservatory.
- In 1982, Cheqara met Professor Jose Heredia in GrenadaGrenadaGrenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
, SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and collaborated to produce one of his most famous songs, Bent Bladi, a combination of Tétouani music and flamencoFlamencoFlamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
.
- In 1991, Cheqara collaborated with BritishGreat BritainGreat Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
-Jewish pianist Michael NymanMichael NymanMichael Laurence Nyman, CBE is an English composer of minimalist music, pianist, librettist and musicologist, known for the many film scores he wrote during his lengthy collaboration with the filmmaker Peter Greenaway, and his multi-platinum soundtrack album to Jane Campion's The Piano...
, releasing a CD titled "The Upside-Down Violin" (1992). The CD was recorded live at the 1992 World's FairWorld's FairWorld's fair, World fair, Universal Exposition, and World Expo are various large public exhibitions held in different parts of the world. The first Expo was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom, in 1851, under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All...
in SevilleSevilleSeville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
.
- Abdesadaq Cheqara Melodías de una vida • Melodies of a life time (historical recordings) PN-620