Chaabi (Algeria)
Encyclopedia
Chaabi is a traditional music
of Algiers
(Algeria
), formalized by El Hadj M'Hamed El Anka.
Originally from the Casbah
, Chaabi first appeared in the late 19th century, inspired by vocal traditions of Arab Andalusian music, also the home of Flamenco music. Chaabi simply means "folk" in Algerian.
A typical song features mournful, Arabic/Berber vocals, set against an orchestral backdrop of a dozen musicians, with violins and mandolins swelling and falling to a piano melody and the clap of percussion beats. While it shares many set themes with Flamenco
- love, loss, exile, friendship and betrayal, Chaabi is part of a deeply conservative tradition and its lyrics often carrying a strong moral message.
At first Chaabi remained a scandalous genre, thriving behind closed doors or in specific locations called "Mahchachat" (cannabis dens), where the admirer of this music would go to drink coffee, tea or smoke. By the late 1950s, however, it had become the people's music, played at weddings and religious festivals; and El Hajj Muhammad El Anka
, "the father of chaabi" also nicknamed "the cardinal", ran courses at the Algiers conservatoire. El Anka dedicated 50 years of his life to Chaabi, and died in 1978.
Traditional music
Traditional music is the term increasingly used for folk music that is not contemporary folk music. More on this is at the terminology section of the World music article...
of Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
(Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
), formalized by El Hadj M'Hamed El Anka.
Originally from the Casbah
Casbah
The Casbah ) is specifically the citadel of Algiers in Algeria and the traditional quarter clustered around it. More generally, a kasbah is the walled citadel of many North African cities and towns...
, Chaabi first appeared in the late 19th century, inspired by vocal traditions of Arab Andalusian music, also the home of Flamenco music. Chaabi simply means "folk" in Algerian.
A typical song features mournful, Arabic/Berber vocals, set against an orchestral backdrop of a dozen musicians, with violins and mandolins swelling and falling to a piano melody and the clap of percussion beats. While it shares many set themes 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....
- love, loss, exile, friendship and betrayal, Chaabi is part of a deeply conservative tradition and its lyrics often carrying a strong moral message.
At first Chaabi remained a scandalous genre, thriving behind closed doors or in specific locations called "Mahchachat" (cannabis dens), where the admirer of this music would go to drink coffee, tea or smoke. By the late 1950s, however, it had become the people's music, played at weddings and religious festivals; and El Hajj Muhammad El Anka
El Hajj Muhammad El Anka
El Hadj M'Hamed El Anka, also known as Hadj Muhammed Al Anka, El-Hadj M'Hamed El Anka , was considered The Grand Master of Andalusian classical music and Algerian chaâbi music.-Early life:He was born on May 20, 1907, under the name Aît Ouarab Mohamed Idir Halo, on 4...
, "the father of chaabi" also nicknamed "the cardinal", ran courses at the Algiers conservatoire. El Anka dedicated 50 years of his life to Chaabi, and died in 1978.
Musicians
- El Hadj M'Hamed El Anka
- Maâzouz Bouadjadj
- Boudjemaâ El Ankis
- El Hachemi GuerouabiEl Hachemi GuerouabiEl-Hadj El Hachmi Guerouabi was an Algerian singer and composer of Chaâbi and one of the Grand Masters of the Algiers-based Chaâbi music.He was born in El Mouradia and grew up in Bélouizdad . Two passions occupied Guerouabi's childhood: Football and music...
- Amar EzzahiAmar EzzahiAmar Ezzahi, born Amar Ait Zai on January 1st,1941 at Ain El Hammam, Tizi-Ouzou , is an algerian Chaabi music performer.Amar Ezzahi was first charmed by Chaabi when he was listening Boudjema El Ankis. In 1963, Amar Ezzahi met Cheikh Lahlou and Mohamed Brahimi who gave him some old Qacidats and...
- Kamel Messaoudi
- Abdelkader Chaou
- Dahmane El HarrachiDahmane El HarrachiDahmane El Harrachi , , was an Algerian Chaâbi singer of Chaoui Berber origin. He is mostly remembered for his song "Ya Rayah" which has since been made famous again by Rachid Taha....
- Cheikh El HasnaouiCheikh El HasnaouiCheikh El Hasnaoui was a Berber singer born in small town near Tizi ouzou in Algeria. He sung Algerian chaabi music, and was, along with Slimane Azem, responsible for laying the foundations of modern popular Kabyle music in the 1950s and 60's....
- Hamid Bedjaoui
- Reda Doumaz
- Aziouz Raïs
- Nadia Benyoucef
- Abdelmadjid Meskoud
- Mourad Djaâfri
- Radia Adda
- Lili BonicheLili BonicheLili Boniche , born to a Sephardic Jewish family in the Kasbah area of Algiers, was a singer of Andalusian-Arab music. He died in Paris...
- Reinette L'OranaiseReinette L'OranaiseReinette l'Oranaise was an Algerian singer, who helped preserve Arab-Andalus music, as well as introducing the genre to European audiences....
- Maurice El Médioni