Matar Muhammad (Liban, 1939-1995). Hommage à un maître du buzuq

×

Matar Muhammad (Liban, 1939-1995). Hommage à un maître du buzuq

Close

Matar Muhammad (Lebanon 1939-1995). A tribute to the master of the buzuq
Recorded 1972, published 1996 | ASIN : B00000B0O6 | Inédit | MP3 320kbps + scans 300 dpi | 131 MB

×

Matar Muhammad (Liban, 1939-1995). Hommage à un maître du buzuq

Close

Matar Muhammad was born in 1939 in the Bekaa plain (Lebanon). He came from a family of Gypsies, wandering musicians from father to son. From the age of seven onwards, his father and elder brother initiated him into buzuq playing. He made his professional debut in the early sixties, through the BBC's Arab programmes, but he really became famous through the performances of "Arduna ila al-abad" during the Festival of Baalbek. After that, his reputation extended throughout the Arab world and beyond. Heir to an oral tradition, his inbred gifts allowed him to practice a truly sophisticated art in an empirical manner. His course has been that of an outstanding soloist and an imaginative improviser who nevertheless remained faithful to the spirit and theoretical principles of Arab music.

The issuing of these recordings, made during public performances at the Beirut Theater in 1972, is one of the last tributes to his art. Indeed, afflicted for several years by a partial paralysis which prevented him from playing his instrument, Matar Muhammad died prematurely on December 7th, 1995 while he was waiting for this last record to be released. Faithful to the spirit of his forebears, he has been making a point of transmitting this tradition to his young son who is nine years old.

This recording presents four taqsîm improvised on the buzuq on maqâm or classical musical modes. (1)

(1) The Arab modal system includes more than a hundred different modes or maqâm. Rodolphe d'Erlanger's work, La musique arabe vol 5. catalogues exactly 119 and ancient treatises attest to the existence in the past of some 400 maqâm.

The buzuq belongs to the large family of tanbûr, long-necked lutes, the existence of which has been traced back to Al-Farâbi – Al-kitaâ al-musîqi al-kabîr [The Great Book of Music] – who describes it as identical to the tanbûr al-baghdâdi. The pear-shaped sound-box measures approximately 40 cm long and the neck about 80 cm. The latter carries twenty six frets (adjustable ligatures). The two double metal strings are usually tuned to the octave and plucked with a horn or quill plectrum (rishah).

×

Matar Muhammad (Liban, 1939-1995). Hommage à un maître du buzuq

Close

1. Maqâm Bayât al-nawâ

The maqâm bayâti is with the maqâm rast one of the most typical of Arab music. Its theoretical scale is based on D (dugâh), but Matar Muhammad here transposes it on G (nawâ). In the course of his improvisation, he introduces modulations (talwîn) in the saba, nahawand and huzâm modes.

2. "Farewell" – maqâm Atar kâr

Introduction, theme and variations. This extremely rare and chromatic maqâm would seem to belong to a popular tradition. Some experts consider it as derived from the maqâm bayâti. Its hindustani character reminds us here of the Indian origins of the Gypsy people. To play it, Matar Muhammad tunes his instrument an octave lower than he usually does.

3. Maqâm Hijâz kâr

Throughout this improvisation, Matar Muhammad succeeds in maintaining the interest of his public in confining himself, with a few exceptions, to exploiting the hijâz kâr mode.

4. Maqâm Bayâti

After the introduction of a popular theme, the artist abandons himself to a kind of rash (continuous flow) on a variation of the maqâm bayâti and on the maqâm sikâh and saba.