Mike's Oud Forums

What are the 50 best must hear songs of the middle east!

majnuunNavid - 2-6-2014 at 08:47 AM

Last week I compiled a list of some favorite songs of the middle east to help people getting into this genre to hear some good tunes.

I would really appreciate if anyone reading this thread could give some more song suggestions that are not on my list, especially good songs for Oud players.

http://www.oudforguitarists.com/best-50-middle-eastern-songs-you-ha...

Jody Stecher - 2-6-2014 at 10:36 AM

My own list would probably overlap yours to some extent but I question your characterization of some of this repertoire as "songs". If, for instance, Sama'i Rast is a "song", what are the words? The technical challenges of Jamil Bashir's "Caprice" on the oud are small compared to the challenge it would present a singer. If the Caprice is "a song " then it is by definition meant to be sung. Even without words, that would be great to hear. Seriously, "song" usually means vocal music in which verse (metered words) is wedded to melody.

In my opinion the distinction is practical, not merely semantic.

majnuunNavid - 2-6-2014 at 12:29 PM

I grapple with this in my head all the time. Clearly it is not an accurate use of the word song, it is in fact misleading in many ways. But for lack of a better word I have called them songs. You make a good point, I should indicate this in the article.

Jody Stecher - 2-6-2014 at 01:13 PM

Quote: Originally posted by majnuunNavid  
I grapple with this in my head all the time. Clearly it is not an accurate use of the word song, it is in fact misleading in many ways. But for lack of a better word I have called them songs. You make a good point, I should indicate this in the article.


Thank you. Maybe you can call it "repertoire", "musical pieces", "musical items" or something else. I went to your website expecting to find a list of 50 titles of vocal music. Not everyone thinks as I do. And you are by no means the only one to use the word "song" to mean any sort of musical composition. But I think it's a significant distinction because songs and tunes in most musical genres have different characteristics. Typically present in many songs and typically absent from tunes (instrumentals) –especially in instrumentals composed for plucked string instruments – are tones of long duration. And the typical span from high to low is smaller in a song than in an instrumental.

I say that the difference is a practical matter because an instrumentalist, including an oud player, usually takes a different approach to playing vocal music than when playing instrumental music. For instance, an oud version of what a vocalist sings might sacrifice a vocal ornament that could be reproduced with the left hand and substitute rhythmic strokes with the right hand. Sometimes the vocal melody might be paraphrased rather than replicated exactly. This brings out oud beauty which is different from vocal beauty. A very skilled singer could reproduce with the tongue what the oud does with the plectrum and find a way to not sound silly. A very skilled instrumentalist can reproduce vocal ornaments and vocal sounds on their instrument. But these exceptional feats underscore the fact that playing (music) and singing are not exactly the same thing.

abc123xyz - 2-6-2014 at 05:07 PM

Quote: Originally posted by majnuunNavid  
I grapple with this in my head all the time. Clearly it is not an accurate use of the word song, it is in fact misleading in many ways. But for lack of a better word I have called them songs.

Maybe 'melodies' is the word you're looking for? It seems to apply to vocal and instrumental compositions without distinction.

Though as a speaker of N.-American English 'melody' used in your context sounds somewhat quaint to me.

"Popular Middle-Eastern Melodies!" seems like something you'd read on an album cover, lol.

And still not a single suggestion for your list.

Don't you love digression? ¦·D

David

Dr. Oud - 2-7-2014 at 05:43 AM

Sawwah - Abdel Halim Hafez (Baliga Hamdi)
Ya Gamil, Ya Gamil - Fareed (Said Darwish)
Gol Bang - M. Shajarian
Mazen Bardal - Shajarian
S'altek Habibi - Fairuz
Fi Yoam wa Leila - Warda
Ya Zalimni - Om Kalthoum

hartun - 2-7-2014 at 01:47 PM

Hi guys, just wanted to weigh in here.

Everything Jody said is absolutely correct. In fact part of what he said also shows that you can't say "melodies" because the actual melody created will be slightly different if sung than if played on an oud.

On the other hand, I think most inhabitants of North America, especially the native born, especially those coming from from a rock or pop background, are apt to be attracted to the idea of a list of the "top 50 songs" and are also not going to be disappointed to find a whole lot of instrumentals because their concept of the word "song" just means any piece. For example they could have a list of 100 greatest rock songs of all time and put Dick Dale's version of "Misirlou" on there. Musical pieces or "Top 50 pieces in Middle Eastern music" is more correct, but "pieces" sounds to the average American dry and like its referring to classical music - although most of the instrumental near eastern music indeed is "classical". So it comes down to who is your intended audience. If you are trying to draw outsiders into Middle Eastern Music through your site, I think "Top 50 Songs" is a great title. If its meant for people such as use this forum, then yeah the word "pieces" is better. "Compositions" is another word that works, but again, that sounds like you are talking about classical music.

BTW Siroon Aghchig is not Turkish its Armenian. I don't mean just because Udi Hrant was Armenian; the lyrics are actually written in the Armenian language. Of course he plays "Turkish style" oud....if that's what you intended to refer to.

Also is this supposed to be like the 50 most popular or the 50 best recordings? or best songs? or most famous?

Also the writer of Longa Hijazkar is Kemani Sebuh or can be written "Sebooh" not "Spookh)

also I would have a completely different list under "Turkish". I tend to listen to more older style and the repertoire that the Armenians from Turkey play which mostly comes from 100 years ago but my list of Turkish songs, assuming I'm only allotted 10 as in the list, would be:

Nihavent Longa (Kemani Kevser Hanim)
Kadifeden Kesesi
Huseyni Saz-Semai (Samai Husayni) (Tatyos Effendi)
Oglan, Oglan
Rumeli Karsilama
Bir Ihtimal Daha Var
Cile Bulbulum Cile
Gel Gel [Minnosum Sen Gel] (ok only Armenians play this song anymore, thats why this is biased but sorry :)
Hastayim Yasiyorum (Udi Hrant)
Gesi Baglari

hartun - 2-7-2014 at 10:49 PM

OK i think my list needs a little work. I still stand by the first 6 on my list but I have some alternative for the last 4

Konyali (Hani Benim Alti Dirhem Pastirmam)
Aman Memo
Siseler
Fincan
Istemem (Kizim Seni Aliye Verayim Mi)
Halvaci Halva
Sala Sana
Sut Ictim

yes I know this is a lot more than but I couldn't decide. a lot of these are "simple" folk songs maybe thats not what you are looking for. Come to think of it I don't know whether these songs are particularly the best for oudists. These are just songs I like that are fairly common, nothing too obscure (I am primarily a singer but I also play clarinet and oud). all of the songs above are very old folk songs in Turkish dating to the 19th century at least. the same goes for Kadife, Gesi Baglari, Rumeli Karsilama and probably Oglan Oglan (there are a lot of variations of "Oglan", the one I am familiar with was popularized by Marko Melkon, I don't know how old it is, but it's got to date at least to the 1920s)

also I wouldn't use Udi Hrant's "Siroon Aghcheeg". "Parov Yegar" is a far better song as well as "Serdis Vera Kar Me Ga". compared to them "Siroon Aghchig" is a "simple folk song" indeed. Interesting is that Parov Yegar and Siroon Aghchig are remarkably similar in melody and lyrics. Some people play them together as a medley which in my opinion is a big mistake since they are too similar. "Siroon Aghchig" is easier to make into a chifte-telli but in my opinion Parov Yegar is the better song musically and lyrically, although non Armenians are not as familiar with it since there is no recording of it by Hrant himself (at least not available anywhere). Richard Hagopian recorded it on "Best of Armenian Folk Music" but his recording is "OK", when he plays it live though he really kills it with that song.

as far as Armenian songs also John Berberian's so called "Oud Fantasy" (which is actually based on a Greek hasapiko), "Hele Hele Ninnaye" and "Sheg Mazerov" as played by R. Hagopian, Tamzara which is a folk dance of which there are many variations but either the "standard" one which is actually kind of hard to find, its so well known (among Armenians) that nobody seems to want to record it....
Another really great Armenian song is "Bardezum" which has been recorded by Richard Hagopian, John Berberian with Onnik Dinkjian, and Ara Dinkjian with Onnik Dinkjian. Interestingly this song is from Eastern Armenia and traditionally was played on the (Persian/Caucasian) tar and not the oud, but it has become popular with American-Armenian oudists.