Abdo Mousa (; 19271977) was a Jordanian singer, composer, and

rebab ''Rebab'' (, ''rabāba'', variously spelled ''rebap'', ''rubob'', ''rebeb'', ''rababa'', ''rabeba'', ''robab'', ''rubab'', ''rebob'', etc) is the name of several related string instruments that independently spread via Islamic trading rout ...

player, active during the 1960s and 1970s. He was a member of the Bani Murra, a Dom community in Jordan known for its musical traditions. Musa is regarded one of the prominent rebab players for his contributions to Bedouin folklore music and the popularization of rebab in Jordanian music.

Biography

Musa was born in

Irbid Irbid (), known in ancient times as Arabella or Arbela (Άρβηλα in Ancient Greek language, Ancient Greek), is the capital and largest city of Irbid Governorate. It has the second-largest metropolitan population in Jordan after Amman, with a ...

, Jordan in 1927. Orphaned and illiterate from a young age, Mousa was introduced to Jordan TV in 1958 by the then-Jordanian prime minister Hazza' Majali after hearing him play the rebab. He performed at various venues, including

King Hussein Hussein bin Talal (14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from 1952 until his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family of Jordan since 1921, Hussein was traditionally considered a 40th-generati ...

's palace. The then-prime minister

Wasfi Tal Wasfi Tal (; also known as Wasfi Tell; 1920 – 28 November 1971) was a Jordanian politician, statesman and military officer. He served as the 15th Prime Minister of Jordan for three separate terms, 1962–63, 1965–67 and 1970 until his assass ...

appointed a tutor to teach Mousa reading and writing. Mousa composed music for several prominent Arab singers, including Samira Tewfik, Salwa al-Aas, and Suad Tawfik among others. He also participated in various festival outside Jordan such as Syria, Tunisia, Bahrain, Lebanon, Turkey, London and Romania. He was awarded Hussein Medal for Excellence, the Best Singer, and Best Instrumentalist in 1971 at Tunis festival.

References

1927 births 1977 deaths Jordanian male singers Jordanian composers Arabic-language singers of Jordan {{DEFAULTSORT:Mousa, Abdo