Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

is well known in the region for its exploration of many different and new forms of music and dance.Badley, Bill. "Sounds of the Arabian Peninsula". 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 351-354. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. Kuwait is the birthplace of various popular musical genres such as sawt. Kuwait is widely considered the centre of

traditional music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...

in the GCC region.

History

Kuwait is the birthplace of various popular musical genres, such as sawt and

fijiri ''Fidjeri'' (Arabic: الفجيري; sometimes spelled ''fijri'' or ''fidjeri'') is the specific repertoire of vocal music sung by the pearl divers of Eastern Arabia's coastal Gulf states, especially Bahrain and Kuwait. A lead singer is backed up ...

. Traditional Kuwaiti music is derived from the country's seafaring heritage. In pre-oil times, Kuwait was regionally renowned for its music and 20–30% of Kuwaitis were professional musicians. Kuwait is widely considered the centre of traditional music in the Persian Gulf. Traditional Kuwaiti music reflects the cosmopolitan influence of many diverse cultures. The

Habbān The habbān (or hibbān) is a type of bagpipe used in the coastal regions of the Persian Gulf (especially Kuwait). The term ''ḥabbān'' (''هبان'') is one of several Arabic terms for the bagpipes. The term is drawn from ''Hanbān'' (هنبا ...

is a popular Kuwaiti music instrument. Kuwait's seafaring tradition is known for songs such as " Fidjeri". "Fidjeri" is a musical repertoire performed traditionally by male pearl divers. It involves singing, clapping, drums and dances with earthen water jars. " Liwa" and "

Fann at-Tanbura Fann aṭ-Ṭanbūra ( ar, فن الطنبورة) is a traditional music and dance genre in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, especially Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman. Musically, the '' tanbūra'' instrument plays a central role, along with several dr ...

" are types of music performed mainly by Kuwaitis of East African origin. "Al Arda Al Bahariya" is a well-known Kuwaiti sailor song, as are the " al-Nahma", a class of songs that accompanied many

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cou ...

activities. Kuwait pioneered contemporary Khaliji music. Kuwaitis were the first commercial recording artists in the Gulf region. The first known Kuwaiti recordings were made between 1912 and 1915. Kuwait is known as the center for " sawt", a bluesy style of music made popular in the 1970s. Saleh and Daoud Al-Kuwaity pioneered the Kuwaiti sawt music genre and wrote over 650 songs, many of which are considered traditional and still played daily on radio stations both in Kuwait and the rest of the Arab world. Kuwait has a reputation for being the central music influence of the GCC countries. Over the last decade of satellite television stations, many Kuwaiti musicians have become household names in other Arab countries. For example, Bashar Al Shatty became famous due to ''

Star Academy ''Star Academy'', called ''Operación Triunfo'' ("Operation Triumph") in Spanish-speaking countries, is a highly successful television pop music talent contest with viewer voting and reality show elements. Format There are many versions of t ...

''. Contemporary Kuwaiti music is popular throughout the Arab world.

Nawal El Kuwaiti Nawal El Kuwaitia ( ar, نوال الكويتية; born Nawal Thaher Al-Zaid, 18 November 1966) is a Kuwaiti singer and actress. Career Nawal studied at the Music Institute in Kuwait. Nawal's first album was released in 1984. The majority of ...

, Nabeel Shoail and Abdallah Al Rowaished are the most popular contemporary performers.

Music education

Kuwait has academic institutions specializing in university-level music education. The Higher Institute of Musical Arts was established by the government to provide

bachelor's degrees A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in music. In addition, the College of Basic Education offers bachelor's degrees in music education. The Institute of Musical Studies offers music education qualifications equivalent to secondary school.

Notable landmarks

The

Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Centre The Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Centre (JACC), informally known as the Kuwait Opera House, is a cultural center in Kuwait, located on the Gulf Road in the capital Kuwait City. It is the largest cultural center and opera house in the Middle Eas ...

contains the largest opera house in the Middle East. Kuwait is home to various

music festivals A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), nationality, locality of musicians, or hol ...

, including the International Music Festival hosted by the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL). The annual Gulf Music Festival features internationally renowned jazz musicians and local musicians.

References

{{Middle Eastern music

History

Music education

Notable landmarks

See also

References