tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192815591353027968.post8067892799207830865..comments2024-03-02T09:11:40.439-08:00Comments on Moroccan Tape Stash: Ashura in Marrakech - Daqqa Marrakchiyatim abdellahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11301786830697929252noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192815591353027968.post-34285868220041812742013-11-25T22:17:03.396-08:002013-11-25T22:17:03.396-08:00Hiya Hammer - wow, what a cornucopia of video and ...Hiya Hammer - wow, what a cornucopia of video and information. Thanks so much for contributing! Looking forward very much to hearing the tape!tim abdellahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11301786830697929252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192815591353027968.post-32865518683297351102013-11-25T14:52:04.098-08:002013-11-25T14:52:04.098-08:00At the end, the daqqa Marrakchyiah was always a un...At the end, the daqqa Marrakchyiah was always a uniting force of spiritual origin performed to remind the people of one district (usually, craftsmen) in Marrakech of their unison and harmony under the auspice and guidance of their leader (who's normally chosen as an elderly holy man). Today, and in Marrakech, there are several districts that still compete for 'completeness' and try their 'game' (literally, the performance is referred to in Moroccan dialect as '<i>le'aba</i>'; which means a competition or a 'game'), naming here but a few: Bin Salah, Bin Al-A'arassi, A-Sabbtien, Hay Al-Qasbah, Bab Al-Dabbagh, Darb Al-Debashi, Al-Mawqefh, Al-Zaouiyah, Al-Mawwassien, etc. where in each 'Houmah' this beautiful music is still being played.<br /><br />Music:<br />I uploaded a small album by one El-Hadj Mohammed Bin L'Mkadem (الحاج محمد بن المقدم; known as just 'Baba' whose picture is featured on the jacket of the cassette wearing a shoulder-bag or satchel) - <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?2k05n7338xtzkb7" rel="nofollow">Daqqa Marrakchyiah</a>. Enjoy.<br /><br />Video:<br />This <a href="http://www.hmongplus.com/OWtnZVFlSm1leXcz" rel="nofollow">link</a> has so many good videos to choose to watch from.<br /><br />Image:<br /><a href="http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o560/HythamHammer/FerqatDaqqaMarrakchyiah-1956_zps585ba728.jpg" rel="nofollow">Ferqat Daqqa Marrakchyiah</a>.<br /><br />H.H.Hammerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09462766826817071023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192815591353027968.post-16894008464444626772013-11-25T14:50:58.558-08:002013-11-25T14:50:58.558-08:00The Laila:
On the date of the also-called Laila Ma...The Laila:<br />On the date of the also-called <i>Laila Marrakchiyah</i> (Note: Ashura has many names in Morocco like Aiyshouri/ Aishour, Baba Aishuri, Ba Al-Shiek (northern parts), Abnashour (Amazigh), 'Hourma, etc.), people gather from all over the country to see the circle of men sitting on the floor or standing; each holding their <i>ta'arijah</i> drums (Arabic: التعريجة/ الطعريجة, known also in <i>darja</i> dialect as <i>al-kour</i> which is also used to denote the whole gathering of performing men). These men are what's used to be called as <i>al-Daqqaiqqiyah</i> and they sing and play their hand-drums while the L'Mkadem, plays his <i>tara</i> backed by the qaraqeb-player/s and they follow each other's syncopated beats strictly helped all the way by the leader of the band or <i>rayess</i> who sings adulatory poetic couplets beseeching <i>Allah</i>, <i>Mohammed</i>, and many so-called <i>ouliyah</i> (men of miracles), and the 'Seven Men' and they are: Sidi Youssef Bin Ali, Al-Qadhi A'ayadh, Abu Al-A'abass A-Sabthi, Imam Al-Jazouli, Sidi Abdel-Aziz Al-Tabba'a, Sidi Abdellah Al-Ghouzwani (a.k.a. Moul L'Ksour), and Imam Al-Souhaili who lived in the city, purportedly.<br /><br />The Musicology:<br />Normally, and in the past, each small district (Houmah) of Marrakech has its own distinct <i>daqqa</i> and the competition between each was fierce. The tunes thus varied and there are still some of these variations being performed by modern-day <i>al-Daqqaiqqiyah</i> such as <i>daqqat Houmah Al-Zaouiyah Al-A'bbassiyah</i> (Sidi Bin-Souleiman), <i>daqqat Houmah Bab Elan</i> (L'Ksour), and the winner daqqa <i>saylah</i> gets played by those who succeed in transmuting the rhythm from slow into very fast in the break-point called <i>dakhla</i>, or the 'intro'; which is the hardest part of the performance.<br /><br />Women Performers:<br />The women do not perform on that holy fasting day, but they go without their hair covers showing their freshly-<i>henna'd</i> locks singing with some <i>bendirs</i> the following, well-known <i>ahazoujahiat</i> or hymns: <br />"ذا عاشور ماعلينا الحكام ألالة، عيد الميلود كيحكموا الرجال أللا" (trans. This is Ashura and no longer we're ruled, and no men shall reign on this birth-date of the <i>meloud</i>), "عايشوري عايشوري، دلليت عليك شعوري" (Aishouri, Aishouri, I let loose my hairs on you). Other than this, women stay home and prepare the food to break the fast with; which is made from the usual couscous, and <i>al-fakkiah</i> (dried fruit salad; including almonds, mixed nuts, dates, figs and raisins mixed with boiled hummus beans), in addition to <i>q’did</i> and some specially-baked sweets called <i>qreshilat</i>, or <i>kea'ak'akiayt</i> that are like small cakes for the family to eat and give to the guests.<br /><br />C'td.Hammerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09462766826817071023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192815591353027968.post-6013280650776858902013-11-25T14:48:15.279-08:002013-11-25T14:48:15.279-08:00Well, Tim... After listening to the beautiful cass...Well, Tim... After listening to the beautiful cassette here, I'd like to offer you (as a token of thankfulness), some extra information that I'd only hope might be helpful to you.<br /><br />Religious Background:<br />Daqqa Marrakchyiah is a rare artform that some scholars trace all the way back to the A-Sa'adieyn ruling dynasty and is played nowadays in Morocco in <i>Ashura</i>; a holy day to most Muslims where they fast from dawn to dusk (Note: its name means 'the Tenth' and it's the tenth day of the lunar, so-called Arabic month of <i>Muharram</i>, and in Morocco, people refer to it as <i>youm Zamzam</i> in an allusion to old Jewish traditions (Note: it's believed to be the day when God parted the waters of the Red Sea, according to some literature, which is again common to Muslims' who also fast a day before it called <i>Tasoua'a</i>, or the ninth to distinguish theirs from Judaic fasting), and at the beginning of the fasting day, Moroccans throw water from Mecca's famous spring at each other's faces as a way of blessing and purification. The music playing is held usually after the late, <i>I'shaa</i> prayer when the sun is absolutely gone from the horizon, and it used to start very slowly, with repetitive beat (the name <i>daqqa</i>, or <i>a'dakka; dekka</i> meaning literally; 'the beat'), and then stretch all the way until the early dawn when the sun begins to appear from the east again, but these days, most performances do not exceed the half-hour limit.<br /><br />Origins:<br />The originating place is the city of Taroudant (Arabic: تارودنت), where it used to be called <i>daqqa Roudaniyah</i> (which is now almost extinct), but those who used to master this Islamic performance art moved to Marrakech by way of traders and craftsmen who travelled from Taroudant and finally settled there (and, ultimately started to attract its performers), in Marrakech until the genre became aligned to the name of the same city ever since the late 1800s. Today, some small-numbered groups of young performers try to imitate this old artform—calling their selves <i>al-Daqqaiqqiyah</i> (Arabic: الدقايقية); or as it's spelled here as <i>dqiqiyya</i>—having nothing to do with the older, and bigger ensembles that can be anything between 20-50 performing men, usually all of them are chosen based on their old age and experience.<br /><br />Instrumentalism:<br />The performance (called <i>taqqtiqqiyat</i>; which means simply percussive tunes), is led by a L'Mkadem, or lead-man who controls the 'beat' and sometimes carries on playing the main instrument of <i>tara</i> in what is known as the <i>afous</i> finale conjecture that speeds up all of a sudden after a lengthy monotony. The rest of the instruments and its performers are, the <i>qaraqeb</i>-player/s (and, those can also become dancers as well just like in gnawa music, and aissaouia/aissawa); the <i>aâyiet</i> (Arabic: العييط, plural is aâyateen), who sing the main verses through the whole performance in which their voices can stretch out, and last for hours accompanied by some <i>bendir l'kbir</i> players rattling this famous upheld percussion instrument that must has <i>s'nouj</i> or small copper zills attached on it, the hand-held <i>ta'arijah</i> small painted drum, and finally the oboe-like <i>naffar</i> that announces the Laila.<br /><br />C'td.Hammerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09462766826817071023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192815591353027968.post-54734877504773409962013-11-23T23:27:48.022-08:002013-11-23T23:27:48.022-08:00Dalila Al-Mghrebiyah (Arabic: دليلة المغربية), thi...Dalila Al-Mghrebiyah (Arabic: دليلة المغربية), this Anonymous must have meant. She is a pop singer of a mediocre following outside Morocco.<br /><br />I could be wrong, though.<br /><br />H.H.Hammerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09462766826817071023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192815591353027968.post-32297178005038093712013-11-17T18:00:06.273-08:002013-11-17T18:00:06.273-08:00Thanks for visiting! I don't believe I have an...Thanks for visiting! I don't believe I have any albums of Dalila. I checked on yala.fm - they have some music from a Chaba Dalila (Algerian) and a Berber singer called Dalila Brahim. Sorry I couldn't help.<br /><br />Best wishes,<br />Timtim abdellahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11301786830697929252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8192815591353027968.post-73611721365615633902013-11-17T11:48:30.956-08:002013-11-17T11:48:30.956-08:00Halo Mister Abdellah, I was searching for songs of...Halo Mister Abdellah, I was searching for songs of the 90s famous moroccan singer Dalila. Except some few videos in youtube, it's quit innexistant. Hope you got some records of her and know by the way what is she doing.<br />Much thanks Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com