Naseer Shamma
Encyclopedia
Naseer Shamma is a renowned Arab
Iraq
i musician and oud
player.
He was born in 1963 in Kut
, a city on the Tigris
River. He is born to a Fayli Kurdish father and a Khazrajite Arab mother. He began studying the oud at the age of 12 in Baghdad
, following in the footsteps of Jamil and Munir Bashir
. When he was 11-years old, Shamma saw an oud for the first time, in the hands of a stylish music teacher. Although Shamma's father, a shop owner, was religiously conservative, he did not object to his son's artistic ambitions. In 1985, Shamma played his own compositions at his first concert, attended by several renowned Iraqi artists. At the time, he worked closely with the late Iraqi master Munir Bashir
. But Shamma wanted to blaze his own path. Master Munir invented the technique of contemplation with oud, but Shamma wanted his music to carry content, an idea or image that is shocking. He received his diploma from the Baghdad Academy of Music in 1987. He began to teach oud after three years at the academy, as well as continuing his own studies. Shamma has composed music for films, plays and television.
, and in 1999 he took the post of Director of The Arab House of Oud (بيت العود العربي) in Cairo
. He performs on the oud in a manner which combines traditional methods with his own modern compositions.
Naseer Shamma has also created an eight-string oud or lute following the manuscript of the 9th-century music theorist Al-Farabi. This new design (eight instead of six strings) expanded the musical range of the oud and gave it a distinct tonality. His innovations also include a new method of playing the oud with only one hand, which was originally invented by Salim Abdulkarim, so that children and soldiers injured during the Gulf War
could play and enjoy the oud.
in 1999 based on the workshop system which gives the musician a high value in the musical field and in his relationship with the instrument he plays. With the use of musical instruments for which the traditional Arabic orchestra (Al-Takht
) was known, they introduced other instruments that were added to the traditional Takht
. The Takht is a form of a band consisted of more or less than five musicians not more than seven, which was favored at the Abbasid era, and specifically during the days of Haroun Al-Rasheed and subsequent eras. The Takht was always present and changed commensurate with to the type of music and the prevailing cultural atmosphere.
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i musician 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...
player.
He was born in 1963 in Kut
Kut
Al-Kūt is a city in eastern Iraq, on the left bank of the Tigris River, about 160 kilometres south east of Baghdad. the estimated population is about 374,000 people...
, a city on the Tigris
Tigris
The Tigris River is the eastern member of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of southeastern Turkey through Iraq.-Geography:...
River. He is born to a Fayli Kurdish father and a Khazrajite Arab mother. He began studying the oud at the age of 12 in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, following in the footsteps of Jamil and Munir Bashir
Munir Bashir
Munir Bashir was an Assyrian musician in Iraq and one of the most famous musicians in the Middle East during the 20th century and was considered to be the supreme master of the Arab maqamat scale system....
. When he was 11-years old, Shamma saw an oud for the first time, in the hands of a stylish music teacher. Although Shamma's father, a shop owner, was religiously conservative, he did not object to his son's artistic ambitions. In 1985, Shamma played his own compositions at his first concert, attended by several renowned Iraqi artists. At the time, he worked closely with the late Iraqi master Munir Bashir
Munir Bashir
Munir Bashir was an Assyrian musician in Iraq and one of the most famous musicians in the Middle East during the 20th century and was considered to be the supreme master of the Arab maqamat scale system....
. But Shamma wanted to blaze his own path. Master Munir invented the technique of contemplation with oud, but Shamma wanted his music to carry content, an idea or image that is shocking. He received his diploma from the Baghdad Academy of Music in 1987. He began to teach oud after three years at the academy, as well as continuing his own studies. Shamma has composed music for films, plays and television.
Contribution
Between 1993 and 1998 he taught oud the Higher Institute of Music in TunisiaTunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, and in 1999 he took the post of Director of The Arab House of Oud (بيت العود العربي) in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
. He performs on the oud in a manner which combines traditional methods with his own modern compositions.
Naseer Shamma has also created an eight-string oud or lute following the manuscript of the 9th-century music theorist Al-Farabi. This new design (eight instead of six strings) expanded the musical range of the oud and gave it a distinct tonality. His innovations also include a new method of playing the oud with only one hand, which was originally invented by Salim Abdulkarim, so that children and soldiers injured during the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
could play and enjoy the oud.
Oyoun Group
Naseer Shamma established Al Oyoun Group in CairoCairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
in 1999 based on the workshop system which gives the musician a high value in the musical field and in his relationship with the instrument he plays. With the use of musical instruments for which the traditional Arabic orchestra (Al-Takht
Takht
Takht may refer in English to:* Takht , the temporal seat of power or throne of authority in Sikhism....
) was known, they introduced other instruments that were added to the traditional Takht
Takht
Takht may refer in English to:* Takht , the temporal seat of power or throne of authority in Sikhism....
. The Takht is a form of a band consisted of more or less than five musicians not more than seven, which was favored at the Abbasid era, and specifically during the days of Haroun Al-Rasheed and subsequent eras. The Takht was always present and changed commensurate with to the type of music and the prevailing cultural atmosphere.
Discography
- Le luth de Baghdad ("The Baghdad Lute") (1994, Paris)
- Ishrāq (1996)
- The Moon fades (1999)
- Maqamat Ziryab (2003)
- Ancient Dreams (2004)
- Meditation (2005)
- Hilal (2005)
- Ard Alsawad (2006)