Music of Jordan
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The traditional music of
Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
has a long history. Rural
zajal Zajal () is a traditional form of oral strophic poetry declaimed in a colloquial dialect. While there is little evidence of the exact origins of the zajal, the earliest recorded zajal poet was the poet Ibn Quzman of al-Andalus who lived from 1078 ...
songs, with improvised poetry played with a
mijwiz The ''mijwiz'' ( ar, , DIN: ''miǧwiz'') is a traditional Middle East musical instrument popular in Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. Its name in Arabic means "dual," because of its consisting of two, short, bamboo pipes with reed tips p ...
, tablah,
arghul The ''arghul'' ( ar, أرغول or يرغول), also spelled ''argul'', ''arghoul'', ''arghool'', ''argol'', or ''yarghul'', is a musical instrument in the reed family. It has been used since ancient Egyptian times and is still used as a trad ...
,
oud , image=File:oud2.jpg , image_capt=Syrian oud made by Abdo Nahat in 1921 , background= , classification= * String instruments *Necked bowl lutes , hornbostel_sachs=321.321-6 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded with a plectrum , ...
, rabab and
reed pipe A reed pipe (also referred to as a ''lingual'' pipe) is an organ pipe that is sounded by a vibrating brass strip known as a ''reed''. Air under pressure (referred to as ''wind'') is directed towards the reed, which vibrates at a specific pitc ...
ensemble accompanying is popular. The transition of old cultural music into hit pop songs known worldwide Recently, Jordan has seen the rise of several prominent DJs and popstars.


Traditional Jordanian musical instruments

Jordanian music has a lot of diversity and a range of components that makes it a well known and popular art. Over the centuries music has evolved and so did its instruments. Jordanian music comes with variety of instruments. * Flute \
reed pipe A reed pipe (also referred to as a ''lingual'' pipe) is an organ pipe that is sounded by a vibrating brass strip known as a ''reed''. Air under pressure (referred to as ''wind'') is directed towards the reed, which vibrates at a specific pitc ...
known as ''Shababa'' *
Mijwiz The ''mijwiz'' ( ar, , DIN: ''miǧwiz'') is a traditional Middle East musical instrument popular in Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. Its name in Arabic means "dual," because of its consisting of two, short, bamboo pipes with reed tips p ...
*
Arghul The ''arghul'' ( ar, أرغول or يرغول), also spelled ''argul'', ''arghoul'', ''arghool'', ''argol'', or ''yarghul'', is a musical instrument in the reed family. It has been used since ancient Egyptian times and is still used as a trad ...
known as ''Yarghul'' *
Oud , image=File:oud2.jpg , image_capt=Syrian oud made by Abdo Nahat in 1921 , background= , classification= * String instruments *Necked bowl lutes , hornbostel_sachs=321.321-6 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded with a plectrum , ...
* Tablah * Rebab * Al-Mihbash * Bagpipes known as ''Gerbeh'' * Riq * Daf *
Simsimiyya {{short description, Traditional Egyptian string instrument The ''simsimiyya'' (Egyptian Arabic: سمسمية, and سنسمية ''sinsimia/sinsimiyya''; pl. ''simsimiyyāt/sinsimiyyāt'') is an indigenous Egyptian stringed instrument that has its ...
, found in the port city of
Aqaba Aqaba (, also ; ar, العقبة, al-ʿAqaba, al-ʿAgaba, ) is the only coastal city in Jordan and the largest and most populous city on the Gulf of Aqaba. Situated in southernmost Jordan, Aqaba is the administrative centre of the Aqaba Govern ...
and the southern desert


Popular music

Generally there are two types of Jordanian music, all of which have unique platform and various tracks. The cheer/fun/happy cultural songs and strong meaning patriotic songs. Over the years, New varieties of singers and composers have emerged to become very popular and well known. Jordan’s music is a particularly fascinating insight, the music formed from the strong bedouin and sub Arabian area. It is full of diversity and variety of elements which creates a unique platform. Jordanian bands and artists are taking a blend of Arab-western electronic pop to the world stage, Over the years, a New variety of singers and composers have emerged to become very popular and well known. Over the past decades artist such as Omar al Abdallat, Diana karazoon and others were the most popular among the mass audience, in mid 2000's indie bands such as JadaL, Autostrad band and others has emerged and found fair amount of success amongst the youth in Jordan and the region. The musician and composer
Sameer Baghdadi Samir (variantly spelled Sameer) is a male name found commonly in the Middle East, Central Asia and Europe. In Arabic, Samir () means holy, jovial, loyal or charming. In Albanian, it translates literally as “so good” but the connotation is clo ...
, the Bedouin singer Omar Al-Abdallat (known for his patriotic song "Hashemi, Hashemi"), Diana Karazon (winner of the Arab version of ''Pop Idol''),
Toni Qattan Toni Qattan ( ar, طوني قطان; born 11 August 1985) is a Jordanian–Palestinian singer, songwriter, and producer. His musical talent was born to him, at the age of eight he began learning to play guitar in addition to piano. He then studi ...
and singer Hani Mitwasi (the winner of the Jordan Awards 2010)Jordan Awards 2010 are perhaps Jordan's biggest stars.Badley and al Jundi, pg. 392 Other well-known Jordanian musicians are
Qamar Badwan Qamar (Arabic: قمر) is an Arabic name used both as a masculine and feminine, which means the "Moon", "natural satellite", "moonlight" - a broader meaning is "brighter by the light of the moon". Qamar may refer to: * Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar ...
, who won the golden prize in the 2000
Cairo Song Festival Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
,
percussionist A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...
Hani Naser, and the
pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...
, and composer Khalid Asad. A
new age New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars consi ...
group called Rum has gained regional and international popularity since its inception in 1998. Rum is considered the most successful Jordanian musical group, and has gained a wide range of fans from all over the world. Rum has performed in
Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...
,
Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...
, Syria, Palestine,
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
,
Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, and the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. A very important factor that contributed to Rum group's huge success is the fact that the group performs original compositions by Tareq al Nasser (the composer, founder and leader of the group), many of which were composed for Arabic TV drama series that gained wide popularity in the Arab world, including the TV drama series ''Nihayat Rajol Shuja'', ''Al Jawareh'' and ''Al Kawaser'', ''Al Malek Farouq'', ''Yawmeyyat Mudeer Amm'', and many others. The group performs instrumentals, songs, and rearranged Jordanian folklore. Rum group has represented Jordan in many international events, including at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, in March 2009 as part of the "Arabesque .. Arts of the Arab world" festival in the United States. In Amman, the capital of Jordan, there has been a movement of alternative music in the last two decades.
Rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
bands that mix western and eastern influences are becoming more popular. Rock and underground bands in the late 1990s and early 2000 such as Ethereal, sign of thyme and others were known for mixing oriental with rock or jazz music. The alternative Jordanian music scene flourished with bands such as JadaL (2003),
Autostrad (band) ِAutostrad ( ar, أوتوستراد) is a Jordanian indie band from Amman, Jordan, formed in 2007.
(2007), Akher Zapheer (2007),
El Morabba3 El Morabba3 ( ar, المربّع meaning "The Square") is an Arabic rock band from Amman, Jordan, formed in 2009. Biography The Jordan-based group was formed in 2009 as an Arab rock band. In July 2012 they released their debut album, titled ''El ...
(2008),
Aziz Maraka Aziz Maraka (Arabic: عزيز مرقة; born 22 June 1983), is a Jordanian composer, singer, performer, and producer. Maraka created a music style called "Razz", an Arabic Rock-Jazz fusion that garnered regional attention. He also released mater ...
, Yazan Haifawi and others reaching regional success and international recognition. Arabic hip hop and Arabic rap artists in Jordan have added to the musical scene. These artists includes names like
El Far3i Tareq Abu Kwaik (Arabic: طارق ابو كويك), known by his stage name El Far3i (Arabic: الفرعي), is a rapper, singer, songwriter, and drummer. He is Palestinian-Jordanian, currently a member of the Shamstep band 47Soul, and was form ...
,
Amer Al Taher Amer may refer to: Places * Amer (river), a river in the Dutch province of North Brabant * Amer, Girona, a municipality in the province of Girona in Catalonia, Spain * Amber, India (also known as Amer, India), former city of Rajasthan state ** Am ...
, U-Seff Qasrawi, Khotta Ba, Torabyeh, Arab Mc's and Al Hevy. Jordan also has an underground heavy metal scene with bands such as Tyrant Throne ( death metal), Relics of Martyrs (
thrash Thrash may refer to: *Thrashing (computer science), where increasing resources are used to do a decreasing amount of work *Thrash (surname) * Thrash, mascot of the Atlanta Thrashers *'' Thrash Rally'', a top-down perspective rally racing video gam ...
/death metal), Chalice of Doom (
doom Doom is another name for damnation. Doom may also refer to: People * Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed * Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist * Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher * ...
/death metal), Bilocate (doom/death metal), Esodic (thrash/death metal),
Eternal Insomnia Eternal(s) or The Eternal may refer to: * Eternity, an infinite amount of time, or a timeless state * Immortality or eternal life * God, the supreme being, creator deity, and principal object of faith in monotheism Comics, film and television * ...
(
melodic death metal Melodic death metal (also referred to as melodeath) is a subgenre of death metal that employs highly melodic guitar riffs, often borrowing from traditional heavy metal (including New Wave of British Heavy Metal). The genre features the heavine ...
), and Ajdath, who currently reside in
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
. Other bands, like Augury (
black metal Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, a shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, raw (lo-fi) recording, unconventional song structures, and an emp ...
) and Darkcide (doom/death metal) had to stop due to lack of support or to band members leaving the country. Some of the most important musicians in Jordan are the Faqir family, which extends back for more than 100 years. Jordan's western radio station, Play 99.6, works towards exposing new local artists, including many western pop singers such as Humam Ammari, Al'a Ayyoub, and Walid Karadsheh. And of various industries and music genres, the number of female musicians and composers of Jordanian nationality is growing. Some to mention are: Ghiya Rushidat
Hana MalhasRuba Saqr
Sahar Khalifeh
Suad Lakišić Bushnaq
an
Zeina Azouqah
The thriving
indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...
scene was achieved thanks to artists such as Kais Khoury, Ibrahim Baggili, Hani Mitwasi and Yousef Kawar, as well as the Cowboys from Jordan, a band managed by Yousef Kawar. Other notable genres in Jordan are hip hop; which was popularized through DJ Shadia (Shadia Bseiso) through her regional radio show ''The 5th Element'', the only show in the Middle East to broadcast in three countries every week (Jordan, Lebanon and Syria) from 2005 to 2008. DJ Shadia had previously opened for global stars such as
Akon Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P ...
, 50 Cent, Sean Paul and
Massari Sari Abboud ( ar, ساري عبّود; born December 10, 1980), better known by his stage name Massari ( ), is a Lebanese Canadian R&B pop recording artist. His music combines Middle Eastern culture with western culture. He started his musical ca ...
. Other popular hip hop artists include Last Standing Poet and MC Niz-r. Musician Ahmed Radaydeh "RADAYDEH" is a professional Jordanain/Australian musician, composer, arranger and music educator. He is a guitar, cello and Oud player with over 20 years experience performing and teaching with international musicians like Andrea Bocelli from Italy and Moein from Persia. He has a Master of Music from Monash University/ Melbourne and performed and taught in Jordan, Switzerland, Australia, Dubai and Qatar. In addition to his latest instrumental albums “INFERNO” & “HUMAN CONDITION” He recently released a new album that paradoxically titled "SENTIMENTAL RAGE" that was mastered by Soundpro studios in Switzerland. The album got approved by Virgin Megastore to be distributed all over the GCC and Falkreations Music (BMI) as the online distributor. Radaydeh will continue his collaboration with some of the finest musicians around the world; as he is continuing with his music tours. Latest album available on: https://www.amazon.com/Sentimental-Rage-K-Radaydeh/dp/B07CQMM6XK Kais Khoury, Ibrahim Baggili, Hani Mitwasi and Yousef Kawar, as well as the Cowboys from Jordan, a band managed by Yousef Kawar. Other notable genres in Jordan are hip hop; which was popularized through DJ Shadia (Shadia Bseiso) through her regional radio show ''The 5th Element'', the only show in the Middle East to broadcast in three countries every week (Jordan, Lebanon and Syria) from 2005 to 2008. DJ Shadia had previously opened for global stars such as
Akon Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P ...
, 50 Cent, Sean Paul and
Massari Sari Abboud ( ar, ساري عبّود; born December 10, 1980), better known by his stage name Massari ( ), is a Lebanese Canadian R&B pop recording artist. His music combines Middle Eastern culture with western culture. He started his musical ca ...
. Other popular hip hop artists include Last Standing Poet and MC Niz-r. As of recent times, Jordan's
electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroa ...
scene is rising rapidly among the Jordanian youth, and house music has become a staple in the musical tastes in Jordan. Many raves and underground techno gatherings occur, and electronic music is currently reaching number one status among music genres in Jordan. A classical composer
Zade Dirani Zade Dirani (Arabic: زيد ديراني, born in 1980), is a Jordanian American pianist, composer, and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for the Middle East and North Africa, of Damascene descent, whose genre blending songs are inspired by Latin, p ...
, an internationally known composer and pianist, releasing his newest album named ''Mediterrani''.


See also

* Tawfiq Al-Nimri


References

* Badley, Bill, and Zein al Jundi. "Europe Meets Asia". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), ''World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East'', pp 391–395. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. * * *


External links


Sakher Hattar's Music From Jordan Playlist on Youtube

BBC Radio 3 Audio (60 minutes): The Bedouin.
Accessed November 25, 2010.
BBC_Radio_3_Audio_(60_minutes):_Amman:_Ilham_Al_madfai,_ BBC_Radio_3_Audio_(60_minutes):_Amman:_Ilham_Al_madfai,_Toni_Qattan
_and_Shou_Al_Ayam.">Toni_Qattan">BBC_Radio_3_Audio_(60_minutes):_Amman:_Ilham_Al_madfai,_Toni_Qattan
_and_Shou_Al_Ayam.Accessed_November_25,_2010.
BBC_Radio_3_Audio_(60_minutes):_Jordan_–_Amman:_Ilham_Al_Madfai.
Accessed_November_25,_2010.
Jordanian_songs

JadaL_band

Kais_Khoury
.external'
JORavers.com
*_http://www.joravers.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Music_Of_Jordan Jordanian_music.html" ;"title="Toni_Qattan
_and_Shou_Al_Ayam..html" ;"title="Toni Qattan">BBC Radio 3 Audio (60 minutes): Amman: Ilham Al madfai, Toni Qattan
and Shou Al Ayam.">Toni Qattan">BBC Radio 3 Audio (60 minutes): Amman: Ilham Al madfai, Toni Qattan
and Shou Al Ayam.Accessed November 25, 2010.
BBC Radio 3 Audio (60 minutes): Jordan – Amman: Ilham Al Madfai.
Accessed November 25, 2010.
Jordanian songs

JadaL band

Kais Khoury
.external'
JORavers.com
* http://www.joravers.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Music Of Jordan Jordanian music">Jordanian music Jordanian culture Asian music Arabic music