Firqa
Encyclopedia
Firqa is a musical ensemble
or orchestra
in Middle Eastern music
. While a similar ensemble called takht
typically comprised between two and five musicians, the firqa generally numbers eight or more.http://books.google.com/books?id=TF-5mvvS13oC&pg=PA203&lpg=PA203&dq=music+firqa&source=web&ots=UZJ4hWGAYF&sig=M4rr6rL-IeWapRfuc_rjUMmAl0A&hl=enhttp://books.google.com/books?id=TF-5mvvS13oC&pg=PA203&lpg=PA203&dq=music+firqa&source=web&ots=UZJ4hWGAYF&sig=M4rr6rL-IeWapRfuc_rjUMmAl0A&hl=en
Beginning in the 1930s, the Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum was accompanied by a firqa.
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
or orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
in Middle Eastern music
Middle Eastern music
The music of Western Asia and North Africa spans across a vast region, from Morocco to Afghanistan, and its influences can be felt even further afield. Middle Eastern music influenced the music of India, as well as Central Asia, Spain, Southern Italy, the Caucasus and the Balkans, as in chalga...
. While a similar ensemble called takht
Takht (music)
For uses of Takht in contexts other than music, see Takht.Takht is the representative musical ensemble, the orchestra, of Middle Eastern music...
typically comprised between two and five musicians, the firqa generally numbers eight or more.http://books.google.com/books?id=TF-5mvvS13oC&pg=PA203&lpg=PA203&dq=music+firqa&source=web&ots=UZJ4hWGAYF&sig=M4rr6rL-IeWapRfuc_rjUMmAl0A&hl=enhttp://books.google.com/books?id=TF-5mvvS13oC&pg=PA203&lpg=PA203&dq=music+firqa&source=web&ots=UZJ4hWGAYF&sig=M4rr6rL-IeWapRfuc_rjUMmAl0A&hl=en
Beginning in the 1930s, the Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum was accompanied by a firqa.