Songs of the Arabian Red Sea
A Cultural History
Songs of the Arabian Red Sea
A Cultural History
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Description
Song and music have always played an important part in the cultural identity of the mariners and coastal peoples of the Red Sea. While previous studies on the maritime culture of this region have focused on the sailing vessel, the dhow, and seafaring communities, this is the first book to examine its rich musical repertoire.
Using fieldwork conducted along the Hijaz and Upper Tihama coasts, The Songs of the Arabian Red Sea documents examples of different musical forms and styles as well as the stories of older mariners who describe the contexts in which songs were sung, from sea shanties during the working day to soulful ballads about home and loved ones at night. Presenting the songs and their lyrics in the context of the geography, culture, oral history and musicology of the region, the book reveals the complex and connected network that influenced their development and the vital place of song and music for diverse communities of the region.
Table of Contents
List of excerpts of audio recordings of sea songs
Acknowledgements
List of Abbreviations
Note on the transliteration system
Chapter 1 Songs of a seafaring people: the ahazij
Chapter 2 Meeting singers on the coastal towns of Red Sea Arabia
Chapter 3 The sea town landscape
Chapter 4 The sea and the mariner
Chapter 5 The musical landscape in a historical, literary, and cultural
context
Chapter 6 The musical instruments
Chapter 7 The nabwas: Sea shanties and their melodies
Chapter 8 The sea mawwals of the Arabian Red Sea
Chapter 9 Precursory raptures: the call of Northern Tihama
Chapter 10 The sea kasras of the Hijaz
Chapter 11 Sea ballads in poetry and song: the al-anashid al-shacabiyya
l-bahriyya
Chapter 12 Reflections and conclusions
Appendices
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
Product details
| Published | Aug 21 2025 |
|---|---|
| Format | Hardback |
| Edition | 1st |
| Extent | 256 |
| ISBN | 9780755634064 |
| Imprint | I.B. Tauris |
| Dimensions | 9 x 6 inches |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
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