El Tanbura

Simsimiyya

This instrument is largely specialized to the people of this region of the Arab world, despite it making appearances in other desert communities as well. The simsimiyya is a five-stringed instrument of the lyre family. Originally, the body was made of wood in a bowl/box shape, covered with stretched goat or camel skin. The strings, once various intestinal parts, are now made of wire. Sometimes a can was used as an "amplifier." The instrument has five strings and is tuned using diatonic notes with a neutral third, minor third, or major third. The minor third is the most common tuning variation. The names of the strings are Buma, Duka, Watar, Huseini, and Sararah. The playing is largely rhythmic, given that there is an emphasis within the group on percussion. The form is predominantly call and response, and an appreciative and active audience is expected. The repertoire selectively features songs from a variety of sources: the radio, folk tunes, and songs from the Bedouin community. The simisimiyya is a fisherman's instrument; it is related to instruments in Ethiopia, Sudan, Yemen, and Saudi; and the Bedouin people of Sinai consider the simsimiyya as part of the Red Sea musical territory. In modern contexts, it has been found in other coastal communities along the Red Sea.

The Tanbura

The tanbura is a large 6-string lyre and is often used in the private healing ceremonies during the 19th century following the Egyptian conquest of Sudan. The Tanbura is very similar to the Simsimiyya. However, compare to the Simsimiyya, the strings of the Tanbura is softer and it has the addition of tuning pegs which can expanded melodic range and nylon replacing dried animal gut strings allowing for more refined tuning and intricate performances.

The Tanbura became one of the fundamental instruments of El Tanbura. There are lots of performances with the Tanbura featured on "Between the Desert and the Sea", which was played by Mohamed Shohib.

The Siren

The origins of both fascinating instruments are traced in Zakaria Ibrahim's short documentary film called The Siren, which often shows at Egyptological events coinciding with El Tanbura tour dates.

La Simsimiyya de Port Said

The very first album of El Tanbura was published in 1999.

Ahwa Qamar

This album published four years after the first album which is 2003. This album was the gathering of the band's most requested songs from their weekly concerts at Port Said's Meqma Café. It was produced by the El Mastaba Center for Egyptian Folk Music in Cairo features studio. The album material can be found in the soundtrack to Philippe Dib's film "El Tanbura: Capturing a vanishing spirit".

Between the Desert and the Sea

This is the third album of El Tanbura and was released in 2006. It is a fascinating album which involved mix of Egyptian folk melodies, Sufi verses and sea shanties from antiquity. El Tanbura used the Arabian grooves to play with the sound of the simsimiyya and underpoinned.

Friends of Bamboute: 20th Anniversary Edition

This is the lates album of El Tanbura and was published in 2009. The album was produced to celebrate the two decades as the guardians of simsimiyya. It was recorded in Cairo and on location in Port Said, the album recounts tales of the 19th century Bambutiyya merchants who frequented the old-time cafés and smoking dens along the path of the Suez Canal and also showcases devotional Sufi songs from the Egyptian Delta.

Egyptian Folk art

This is a state-funded project focusing on the transmission of Egyptian cultural heritage to English, French, and German-speaking communities. Through an introduction to folk literature, music, arts and handicraft, and habits and customs, the ministry aims to promote and transmit the unique distinctiveness of the Egyptian folk arts. The very first topic is the discussion of folk literature, exploring myth in popular tradition, folklore in Ancient Egypt, folklore in the Memeluke and Ottoman eras, and lastly, Egyptian folk literature. Elaborating on the historical roots and qualities of religious music, as well as introducing popular musical instruments. Suleiman Gamil, one of the project members, provides a timeline for the constant presence of music throughout Egypt's rich musical history. His first section explores music in the Ancient temple, the celebrations that took place for the feast of Ipet, and the celebration of the Moulid of Sheikh Youssef Abul Haggag. The next discusses is about music in the Coptic Orthodox church, and the third addresses music of Moslem religious songs in Egypt. This section is then broken down into discussions of the Koranic recitation, the adhan (Call to Prayer), the entreaty tunes from the Sufi literary texts, the takbirat tune in the two feasts prayers, and finally, the tune of Sufi presence for the followers of Hamidia Shazlia. Moreover, Farag El-Antary, the other project member, continue the next discussion which is the most relevant to El Tanbura. He begins with a chronological introduction to the musical eras of Ancient Egypt and the instruments that are featured during that period. He progresses to a discussion of music in Islamic civilisation and the instruments most commonly associated with it. Writing a passage for each of the instruments, in the "string" section he details the tanbour and the semsemeya. The tanbour, he argues, is the instrument of Nubia. With five metal strings and a body of wood covered by leather, the instrument is commonly used across this area. The semsemeya–referred to in this text as the "Canal Tanbura"–"emigrated" from Nubia to the Suez Canal during the migration of workers throughout its construction. It settled in Port Said, Ismailia, and Suez to comfort people from feelings of dislocation and struggles. The tuning changed from that of the 'original' Nubian tanbura (pentatonic) to feature a diatonic scale. Fisherman reconfigured this instrument from the recycled materials found at Al-Arish and Al-Tur. The name is thought to have originated from the "murmur" heard by the rhythmic self-tempo of this plucked instrument. The semsemeya lends itself well to songs that include clapping, dancing, drumming, and a chorus. Art and handicraft in Egypt was focusing on wood turnery craft, glass, Al-Moulid Doll, jewellery, furniture, costumes, tattoos in folk art, pottery and ceramics, and ornamental "units" in old Nubia.

Egyptian Music: transition and 'New tradition'

The origins and development of Egyptian music is closely related to Egyptian religious song. There are four types of songs discussed in the religious concept, which are inchad, zikr, hadra, and mulid. The first occasion examined is the zikr – a practice that takes place during the Sufi hadra. This ritual focuses on rhythm and the united chanting of the names of God. This ceremony also includes the inchad (praise of God, the Prophet, and the Saints). The mulid (a "folk celebration") celebrates the Muslim or Christian saint. The leader of this celebration is the munchid, who performs sung poems accompanied by a takht. "Diverse communities" are also explored in this text, suggesting that Egyptian minority groups' songs and folklore are presented and reinterpreted somewhat romantically in various contexts. These groups include "the peasants from the banks of the Nile, nomads from the desert and mountains, Bachareyas, and Arab gypsies, Al Arbaane (50). She then introduces the mawal – an improvisatory sung form accompanied by a single instrument. She suggests that this is the origin of the Egyptian folk song genre (chaaby). She writes that until the twentieth century, scholars and musicians had to attend the kottab (religious school) and Al-Azhar (a university in Cairo). Reading religious texts and learning the art of recitation are argued to be fundamental to musical and poetic composition. The author then discusses how Egyptian music is based on the al-maqam scale, composed of whole tones, half tones, and micro tones. Egyptian musicologist, Dr. Mahmoud Ahmad el-Hefny, revolutionized the musical education system in Egypt through his extensive research. During the nineteenth century, Chehab Eldine and El-Masloub largely impacted the Egyptian musical soundscape of the time. However, the author suggests that Sheikh Mohamed Rif'at is one of the fathers of the contemporary music of Egypt. The poet, Sayid Darwiche, and singer Abdou Al-Hamouli were also largely influential in the development of Egyptian art music. Sayed Darwiche transformed musical forms, composing muwashah, oprettas, dour, national songs, taqtouqas, monologues, and qassida poems. Most notable is his nationalist song: Bilady. Sheikh Zakareya Ahmed was an influential composer from the 1920s–1960s. Most famously, he wrote for the legendary voice of Egypt, Oum Kalsoum. Oum Kalsoum greatly shaped contemporary Egyptian music, mastering the art of structured song and driving many popular musical developments. Briefly, the author then introduces multiple individuals and organizations that have worked to maintain and preserve Egyptian musical heritage. In conclusion, she introduces a discussion of Western musical influences and their impact on Egyptian music education.

Philosophical Party Music

Rachel Aspden Meets El Tanbura, an Egyptian Group Who Are Adapting Folk Traditions to the Upheaval of their Modern Surroundings

Journalist Rachel Aspden presents a performance of El Tanbura "in a backstreet of the old workers' quarter of Port Said" during the celebration of the spring festival Sham al-Nessim. She discusses the diversity of the audience that attended the performance, stating that the group primarily plays in Egyptian coffeehouses and throughout the streets. The ensemble features vocals, the simsimiyya, a triangle, castanets, a reed flute, drums and tambourines, and, of course, the tanbura. Both audience and performers dance along with the music, and the performance lasts for several hours. The songs they perform capture the community's complex relationships with trade, immigration, and conflict, documenting transitions through their songs and lyrics. Creator, Zakaria Ibrahim, suggests that the simsimiyya became "the sound of the resistance." A dominant instrument of the canal cities of Port Said, Ismailia, and Suez, the author suggests that the group blends the sounds of the bambouti and the Sufi damma tradition. There is a struggle to preserve this music with increasing pressures from the government and the global, western-oriented music industry. Ibrahim told the journalist that the tanbura is most often used in zar ceremonies, and that El Tanbura was the first to bring it to the public community. Ibrahim then takes her to a zar ceremony to see another context in which the tanbura is often used. She concludes with a discussion of the preservation goals of the group, highlighting the importance of documenting the community of Port Said through performances of these deeply embedded, reflective musical practices. The group has even set up a school in Port Said and Ismailia to educate children and youth about the traditional musical practices of the region. Largely an introduction to the group, this article provides a foundation from which to explore other literature and sources related to traditional music and religious practices of the region. - AS

Popular Culture and Nationalism in Egypt

This article discusses the origins and development of Egyptian music. The author introduces the concept of religious song, discussing the inchad, zikr, hadra, and mulid. The first occasion examined is the zikr – a practice that takes place during the Sufi hadra. This ritual focuses on rhythm and the united chanting of the names of God. This ceremony also includes the inchad (praise of God, the Prophet, and the Saints). The mulid (a "folk celebration") celebrates the Muslim or Christian saint. The leader of this celebration is the munchid, who performs sung poems accompanied by a takht. "Diverse communities" are also explored in this text, suggesting that Egyptian minority groups' songs and folklore are presented and reinterpreted somewhat romantically in various contexts. According to the author, these groups include "the peasants from the banks of the Nile, nomads from the desert and mountains, Bachareyas, and Arab gypsies, Al Arbaane (50). She then introduces the mawal – an improvisatory sung form accompanied by a single instrument. She suggests that this is the origin of the Egyptian folk song genre (chaaby). She writes that until the twentieth century, scholars and musicians had to attend the kottab (religious school) and Al-Azhar (a university in Cairo). Reading religious texts and learning the art of recitation are argued to be fundamental to musical and poetic composition. The author then discusses how Egyptian music is based on the al-maqam scale, composed of whole tones, half tones, and micro tones. Egyptian musicologist, Dr. Mahmoud Ahmad el-Hefny, revolutionized the musical education system in Egypt through his extensive research. During the nineteenth century, Chehab Eldine and El-Masloub largely impacted the Egyptian musical soundscape of the time. However, the author suggests that Sheikh Mohamed Rif'at is one of the fathers of the contemporary music of Egypt. The poet, Sayid Darwiche, and singer Abdou Al-Hamouli were also largely influential in the development of Egyptian art music. Sayed Darwiche transformed musical forms, composing muwashah, oprettas, dour, national songs, taqtouqas, monologues, and qassida poems. Most notable is his nationalist song: Bilady. Sheikh Zakareya Ahmed was an influential composer from the 1920s–1960s. Most famously, he wrote for the legendary voice of Egypt, Oum Kalsoum. Oum Kalsoum greatly shaped contemporary Egyptian music, mastering the art of structured song and driving many popular musical developments. Briefly, the author then introduces multiple individuals and organizations that have worked to maintain and preserve Egyptian musical heritage. In conclusion, she introduces a discussion of Western musical influences and their impact on Egyptian music education. - AS