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Ababda Music photography + MP3 recording ............. |
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The five-string tamboura is plucked vigorously when accompanying almost any sort of singing. The instrument has a round, square or triangular body sometimes made from carved wood. Two posts extend from the body, with a cross-piece connecting each post. Cords (now often metal) are attached to the body and to wooden tuning pegs on the cross-piece. The tamboura is very similar to other instruments of the region: the Ethiopian krar or kissar and the kinnor of the ancient Hebrews, the instrument of King David. Early travellers derived these instruments from the ancient Greek lyre (kithara), which travelled up the Nile from Egypt to Sudan and to other areas of Western Africa since well before 2000 BC.
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Every Ababda man knows how to construct his own tamboura.
Sometimes it is elaborately decorated, but most often the instrument is roughly assembled by using pieces of old wood and wire. The Ababdas play tamboura not only to create simple sounds but also for the ecstatic rhythms so important to their music, which has dancing as its origin. The additional rhythm sounds are produced by clapping hands and drumming empty plastic jerrycans. However, the most sophisticated rhythmic effects are performed by the group of human voices accompanying the solo singing. This parallel chorus sounds like an additional group of instruments. The singing men produce pulsating vocal accompaniments, whose rhythmic and vocal structure is specific for different sorts of the Ababda's music. Because of intensive rhythms, body movements, and hyperventilating this singing evokes a sort of collective trance. In every sort of music additional shrill zaghareet (ululations) may be vocalised by women who nevertheless stay apart from the exclusively male group of musicians . Zaghareet is heard during happy events such as weddings, homecomings, and parties. The fragments of the Ababda music which you are probably hearing after downloading of this and next pages were recorded by Zbigniew Kosc in Manazig and Wadi el-Khareet during 1999-2000 and by Theo Soeteman during our expedition to the wadis of the Eastern Desert in 2001. The original recordings are converted to the MP3 files. The music could be received if you have Apple Quick Time plug-in installed Please contact me (z.kosc@chello.nl) if you are interested in purchasing of the CD containing complete recordings and a supplementary booklet about the Ababda Bedouins. If you cannot hear any music at this and next pages your browser needs plug-ins to be downloaded. pages 1...........2...........3...........4...........5...........6...........7...........8 see Ababda dancing in Sheh Maleh near Qusseir, 2007 more Abada photographs | Ababda color photographs | Ababda farmers | Ababda in the desert | Ababda files | references | entire text | map | Zbigniew Kosc | publications | exhibitions | All photographs & music recording All Rights Reserved mail to: z.kosc@chello.nl | Home | Links | Stock images | Copyrights |
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