My name is Nawar. I was born in Cairo, Egypt. Coming from a Middle Eastern country, one would assume that it must be difficult for me to be involved with western European classical music. That was never the case for me because I started playing classical piano at the age of four and I was enrolled in the Cairo Conservatory at the age of eight. Since Classical Music has been part of my life, growing up in Egypt made it hard for me to find belongingness in Egyptian traditional music. I often felt disengage and disconnected whenever I attended any Arabic Traditional Music concert or listened to recordings of it. As ironic as it seems, the music and traditional musical practices of my own country has always been foreign to me.
The main reason why I never felt comfortable with traditional music is that it was written in a simple musical form. A harmonic structure that depends on the use of primary chords. Intensive use of monophony. The use of quarter steps in and ornaments. It was not until I finished my undergraduate degree in 2002, and I was invited by a good friend of mine who studied in the Cairo traditional school of music to play with him in concert in lat January, 2003. His name is Hazeem and he was majoring in Aod performance. Aod is a string instrument that is based on a Turkish older and different version. To be able to play the instrument, one would have to learn how to play quarter steps, which is one of fundamental characteristics of Middle Eastern Music.
I was supposed to accompany him in his concert, and at first I felt uncomfortable. The sound of the Aod playing those quarter step notes was really annoying, and the improvisational aspect of playing was difficult for me to comprehend. However, the more I played with him in rehearsals, I started exploring the beauty in the simplicity of a style of music that I once felt distant from. In many ways I found playing traditional Arabic Music fulfilling to me in ways classical music would not. It was an experience and a lesson in life to me.
To have that flexible mentality of thinking that would make me a better musician. Hazeem and I ended up forming a traditional Arabic musical band that performs its compositions. We toured the Middle East, and released a best selling album in 2004.
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This is all really interesting, Nawar. Yes, quarter steps can take some getting used to--just wait until we get to the music of Indonesia, which has some tuning systems that can sound even farther away from Classical music.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me think of a good friend of mine who's currently playing trombone in the Jordan Symphony. Since the trombone is one of the few Western instruments that can easily play quarter tones, he's spending a good amount of time trying to adapt to playing Middle Eastern-style music on his trombone.
I'm looking forward to you sharing the music of Egypt with us.
Hi! It's Marjorie! This was really awesome!You ROCK MY WORLD! (Thus saith the Marjorie) Have a great evening.
ReplyDeleteNano! This is a really cool post :) The part about the aod being annoying made me smile. By the way, Remal is totally the best song from that best selling album.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed learning more about your background. I am very impressed that you started playing piano when you were only four; also, that you were enrolled at the Cairo Conservatory only four years later speaks volumes your talent and dedication. I was moved when I read that embracing your musical roots was fulfilling as a performer, and it has clearly enhanced your life. Congratulations on the best selling album!
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