Philip D Schuyler

Moroccan Andalusian Music

MoroccanAndalusianmusic(al-'ala al-andalusia) is partofone ofthe longest

continuoustraditionsof artmusic in the world.As the name implies,the tradi-
tioncame to MoroccofromsouthernSpain, whereMuslimcourtsflourishedfor
sevencenturiesin Cordova,Sevilla, and Granada.The beginningsofAndalusian
musiccan be traced to the early9thcenturyA. D., withthe arrivalof Ziryab,a
freedPersian slave, at the courtofAbderrahmaneII, in Cordova.Atthattime,
itwas commonpracticeforMoorishsultansto importmusiciansfromthe East.
Ziryab,however,foundeda conservatoryin Cordova,to spread and perpetuate
his musical ideas, and fromthat point,Arabic music in the WesternIslamic
worldbegan to take an independentdirection.
Ziryabhad been the favoureddisciple of Ishaq al-Mawsili,the leading musi-
cian in Baghdad. But Ziryabproved too apt a pupil,and threatenedto over-
shadow his master.When Ishaq gave himthe choice of exile or death, Ziryab
setto tryhis luckintheWest.
EvenafterZiryab'sflight, MiddleEasternmusiccontinuedto influenceAnda-
lusianmusic,and vice versa, buttherewere important differencesbetweenEast
andWeston the philosophyofmusic.In Baghdad,philosophersand mathemati-
cians, likeal-Kindiand al-Farabi,began to apply Greek theoryto the studyof
to relatethese earlytreatisesto contemporary
music.Whileitis difficult practice
ofArabicmusic,theirpreoccupationwithintervallic structureand modaldevel-
opmentcan stillbe seen today insuch MiddleEasternformsas the taqsimand
semai.
Ziryabwas longgone beforethe influenceofGreektheorywas fully feltinthe
East.Perhaps as a result,m odal analysis has neverbeen ofgreat concerntomu-
sicians or theoristsin Andalusia and Morocco, and modulationplays a rela-
tivelyunimportant roleinthemusic.Ziryab'sviewofmusicwas at once broader
and morespecificthanthatof his eastern counterparts.MiddleEasterntheo-
rists,likethe Greeks beforethem,recognized thateach mode had a certain
ethos.Ziryabwentfurther, and developed a systemoftwenty-four modes - one
foreveryhourofthe day, each with"inherent"temporal,seasonal, and emotio-
nal characteristics.At the same time,he set out detailed instructions forthe
formalstructureofa performance. The spirit,ifnotthe letter,of Ziryab'stheory
is verymuchalive in modernMorocco.Thereis generalagreementamong mu-
sicians and scholars about both the broad philosophicalimplicationsof the

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music,and about the structureof individualpieces; butwhendiscussion turns
to the realizationofa givenmode or rhythm, thereis certainto be a dispute.
The centuriesafterthedeathof Ziryabsaw thedevelomentoftwonew styles
ofArabic poetryin Spain, the muwashshahatand zajal. The newformswere a
revolutionin Arabic poetry,whichhad been dominatedforfivehundredyears
by the classical qasida. The basic formalunitof the qasida was the bi-partite
line. The metricpatternand rhymescheme were determinedin the firstline,
and everysubsequent line (usuallyfromtwentyto one hundred)had to repeat
that patternexactly.The muwashshahatmaintainedthe distichline form,for
the most part,butthe monorhyme and single metricpatternwere broken.The
basic unitof poetrybecame the stanza, as varyinglines were organized into
strophicpatterns.
The art of muwashshahatquicklygained popularity, and was practiced by
such poets as the physicianIbnZohr (Avenzoer)and the philosopherIbn Bajja
(Avempace). The muwashshahatalso spread to the Middle East, where the
genre remainedinfavorwithbothpoets and musiciansuntilthiscentury.
The othernew poetic form,zajal, was more revolutionary. Zajal poets took
greater libertieswithmeterand line form.Most significantly, theyexpressed
themselvesexclusivelyin colloquial Arabic,ratherthan in classical Arabic or,
as was thecase withthemuwashshahat,a mixtureofclassical and dialect.
By the 12thcentury,ifnot earlier,the muwashshahatand zajal were set to
music according to Ziryab'stheories,and the song cycles (nubat,sing,nuba)
ofAndalusianmusicwere born.Each ofthe major cities of MuslimSpain must
have had a variant(and competing)style.The music continuedto flourish, in
spite of increasingmilitary conflictbetweenMuslimsand Christians.Between
the 12th and 15th centuriesA. D., as Muslimcity-statesfell to the Catholic
reconquista,the Moors emigratedfromSpain to different cities in NorthAfrica.
The refugeesleftmanytreasuresbehind,buttheycarriedtheirmusicwiththem,
as a livingreminderofthe gloriesofold Andalusia.
Today, ineach ofthethreecountriesofthe Maghred,theAndalusiantradition
withdivergences in terminology,
is treated slightlydifferently, theory,modal
practice, and repertory.These regional differencesmay reflectthe migration
patternsfromSpain to NorthAfrica.For example, Moroccans identify Algerian
Andalusianmusicas Gharnatla,or Granada style.The divergenceshave become
exaggerated over time,as each stylechanged graduallyin isolation,subject to
differentoutside influences.
The presentrepertory of/-'ala l-andalusiain Morocco is based primarily on
a compilationof song texts collected in the late 18th centuryby a musician

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Morocco: Chartshowingthe modes ot Andalusianmusic, designed by Mouiay
Larbiel-Ouezzaniel-Mlahi
fromTetuan named al-Haik.Al-Haikorganized the materialhe gathered into
eleven nubat (song cycles). Each nuba was identifiedwitha musical mode
(taba', pl. tubu',lit.: nature,naturalendowment),and the textswere chosen to
complement theemotionaland temporalassociationsofthemode.Forexample,
the mode Maya conveys images of ending and farewell,and is mostsuitable

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for performanceat sunset. 'Ushshaq, on the otherhand, is a dawn mode, ex-
pressingthe influx, or beginning,of life,as the followinglinesdemonstrate:
Rise fromyourdreams.Here,now,thedawnhas risen.
And gaze upon the wisdomof the Creator(and) whathe has created.
O don'tyou see the morning?Itsglad tidingshave gone forth,
And likea sword,burnishedbythe sun, itglistens. (Chottin1931: 29)
Moroccansno longeradhere strictly to thetimesequence ofthenubat.Ramal
I'Maya,forexample,was a midnight mode,butbecause itcontainedthe idea of
"mightand splendor",all the textsof the nuba were devotedto praise of the
ProphetMohamed,and thenuba is thussuitableforperformanceat anytimeof
day. Otherpopularnubatare played out oftheirtheoreticaltimeframe,withno
excuses made. This may be the resultof recorded performanceson the radio
and on discs, whichfirstpermitted the musicto be heard at the listener'sdis-
cretion.Musicians are, however,stillsensitiveto the temporalassociations of
theirmusic.Whenasked whycertainunpopularor difficult nubat, like'Ushshaq
are seldom heard,musiciansreplythattheyneverhave the opportunity to per-
formthenuba at the properhour.
It is oftendifficult
to findmusicalreasons forthe modal classificationofthe
nubat.Ramal l-Mayaand Isbihanhave theidenticalscale structure (b c /D E F G
A BbC d), and thetwonubateven share at least one melody.Generally,Isbihan
emphasizes the lower ranges of the scale, but at times onlythe texttells the
listenerwhichnuba he is hearing.On the otherhand, the mode Rasd has at
least two manifestations: Rasd Andalusi (FGABbCDEf), and the morecom-
mon Rasd Gnawi (DEGACd), so named because its pentatonicstructureis
reminiscentofthe Africanmelodiesofthe Gnawa religiousbrotherhood.
Moroccanmodal practiceis likethebeveled mirrorina Fes mansion,reflect-
ing simultaneouslythe traditionsof the 9th centuryBaghdad and 11thcentury
Spain, as well as 16thcenturyEgypt,and 18thcenturyFrance. ManyMoroccan
and MiddleEasternmodes have similarnames and scale structures.Compare
for example the Moroccan Hegaz el-Kabir(D EbF1G A BbC d) and the Turko-
EgyptianHijaz (DEß F^GAB^Cd). But the microtonalintervalstypicalof the
Middle East do notseem to play an important role in Andalusianmusic. Most
Andalusianmusiciansand conservatory teachersnowmaintainthatthereare no
microtonesat all. The disappearance of non-tempered intervalsmaybe attribut-
able to the piano, introducedby the Frenchbothas a tool forteachingsolfège
in the conservatoryand as an instrument of the orchestra1.Yet the non-tem-
1 Alexis whotriedlongandhardtoharmonize
Chottin, Andalusianmusic,admitted
thatthesecond
degree theonlymodehestudied
of'Ushshaq, indetail,
fellbetweenE andEb.Buthewent onto
claim that
forpractical couldbeplayed
thepitch
purposes, as Ebonthepiano.

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pered intervalshave remarkableendurance,and, witholdermusiciansat least,
havea way of slippingback intoa performance whenthereare no temperedin-
struments aroundto overridethemusicians'naturaltendencies.
Whilemode establishes the mood of a nuba, and its general melodic shape,
rhythm determinesboththe formofthe melodies in time,and the structureof
thesuite as a whole.A nuba is dividedintofivelarge "movements",each in a
differentrhythmic mode. These movements(called mizan,pl. miyazn,fromthe
wordfor balance, or rhythm) are in turnsubdividedintotwo sections, slow
(muwassa',lit.:largo) and fast(insiraf.lit.:departure).A mizanaccelerates grad-
uallyfromthe beginning,and by the end the tempomay be morethandouble
the originalspeed, butthisaccelerationis discernibleonlyat a bridge,where
thereis an abruptchange of tempo and an alterationof the rhythmic accen-
tuation.
Each mizan is made up of a series of songs (san'a, pl. sna'i' lit.:craft,art)
whichare enchainedwithoutpause. The musicalformofthe songs reflectsthe
strophicorganizationofthe poetry.Thatis,therepetitionand alternationofmu-
sical phrases withina sana'a is roughlydeterminedby the rhymescheme of a
stanza. In the firstexample of poetrycited above, the rhymescheme was AA
BBB AA,whilethe musical phrases are arrangedAB BBB AB. Atthesame time,
musicalformis distinguishedfrompoetic formby the additionof instrumental
aftersome lines of text,and by the use of textlessmelodic phrases,
ritornelli
sung inso-called nonsense syllables.
A.J.Arberryhas noted,in respect to thetraditionof classical Arabic poetry,
that"naturalendowment(tab') requiredthe enhancementof art (san'a)." (Ar-
berry1965:12) Andalusiansong cycles representthe meticulousrealizationof
the concept in music,fromthe general affectofthe mode (tab') to its specific
expressionin song (san'a).
The Plan ofa nuba
_ 9 muwassa' sna'i'
mizanBasit v 12
(4 + 2 = 6/4) . . ,
insiraf snaV
mizanQaim u Nuss (16/8 8 + 8 muwassa' sna'i'
or 6 + 4 + 6) insiraf sna'i'
Nuba ^ ... ^ .. muwassa' sna'i'
. ,x mizanBtaihi (16/8 6 + 6 + 4)'
v . . ,
(Tab ) insiraf snaV
. /0/0 0 3 ^ muwassa' sna'i'
mizan Derj (8/8= 3 + + 2) ¡ns¡raf
mizanQuddam (6/8 3 + 3, or muwassa' sna'i'
4 + 2) insiraf sna'i'

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 An entirenuba is neverplayed inone sitting- and probablyneverwas, since
a single mizan may last forover an hour.Even an individualmizan is usually
shortenedby eliminatingseveral stanzas fromeach san'a. Thus, the plan of a
nuba given here should not be confusedwithdescriptionsof Middle Eastern
song suites, the fasilor wasla. This plan is nota diagramof performance, but
rathera kindof index,or table of contents,fromwhichelementsof a perfor-
mancecan be drawn.Furthermore, theclassificationsystemdeals withmeasured
vocal music alone, buta performanceincludesseveral otherformsas well:
The mshelia (or bughia), a short prelude in free rhythm, establishes the
characterofthe mode beforethe song suite begins.The mshelia mayoriginally
have been a solo improvisation, likethe taqsim,butitis nowa fixedcomposi-
tion,playedbytheentireorchestra.
The tushia (pl. tuwashi)is a measuredorchestraloverture,usuallyabout five
minutesin length.The repertory includesseven tuwashi, invariousmodes. One
or moretuwashiare playedat theverybeginningofan evening'sperformance.
The taqsim and its vocal equivalent(muwwalor bitein)are used to demon-
strate the virtuosity of the musicians of the orchestra,and to separate the
movementsofa nuba3.
In a typicalperformance,at a weddingor otherprivateparty,the orchestra
minutesto an hourin length.Atone
plays threeor more"sets", each forty-five
party,the openingset, inthenuba Hegaz ei-Msherqiš,
tookthe followingform:
Bughia Hegaz el-Msfrerqi
Tushia Hegaz el-Ms/?erqi
InsirafBasit Hegaz el-Msfrerqi
Muwassa' Qaim u Nuss Hegaz el-Msfterqi
InsirafQaim u Nuss Hegaz el-Msfrerqi
Note that,in this case, the movementsare arrangedfast-fast-slow-fast,
with
a slow prelude.Subsequent sets would leave outthe tushia,and mightinclude
selections fromtwo different nubat,witha taqsim and muwwaiservingas a
modulatingbridgebetweenthetwo.
2 Thepatterns
listed
heregiveonlytheroughestsketchoftherhythmsas theyareactually
performed.
Thepatternsarerealized inthemuwassa'
differently andinsiraf. eachinstrument
Furthermore, may
varythepattern beatswithin
bysubdividing thebasicoutline,andbyshiftingtheaccent
onminor
beats.
3 Mostmusicologists thattheterm
believe taqsim(lit:division,
structure, comesfrom
partition) the
internal ofthegenre,
structure which is basedonthedivisionofthescaleintotetrachords.
Itis not
thattheterm
however,
impossible, mayhavebeenderived fromthefunctionofseparating
pieces
ina songcycle.

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 Therehas neverbeen a rigidformat fortheAndalusianorchestra.The inclusion
and exclusion of certaininstruments depends in part on fashionand on the
availabilityof musicians.The essentialinstrumentsoftheorchestra4are now:
The rebab, a two-stringed, boat-shapedviol,usuallyplayedbythe leader;
kamartja, a western violin,ofteng-d-g-d,and played on the knee, like a
viola da gamba;
kaman,thewesternviola;
'ud, a fretlesslutewitheleven strings,arrangedinfivedouble courses, witha
single bass string;
tar, a small tambourine,as littleas 12 cm in diameter,whichcontrolsthe
tempoofthe orchestra;

Morocco: Guinbri,ud,derbugaand tar

4 TheAndalusian isalsoplayed
repertory byseveral
other types ofensemble, somefolk
including and
popular
groupsinthenorth,andtheRoyalArmy band.Intheseinstances,themusicis called
khamsau khamsin from
(fifty-five)theproduct
oftheelevenmodesandfiverhythm cycles.The
Royal
Army bandincludes
ghaita-s aswellas alltheinstruments
(shawms) ofa French
brassband.

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 derbuga, a goblet shaped drum,witha single head, 17- 25 cm in diameter;
the derbuga is a folk instrument, added to the orchestrain the past thirty to
fortyyears.
In a normalperformancesituation,the orchestraincludes up to six or more
violinsand violas, about three 'ud-s, and one each of the otherinstruments.
The musiciansthemselvesdo mostofthe singing,in chorus,butan extrasinger
or two maycome along to providethe improvisedvocal solos (muwwal).Fora
radio or televisionperformance, the orchestrais still larger;violinsand 'ud-s
increase in number,and otherinstruments are added. The additionalinstru-
mentsmayincludefolkinstruments likethesuisin (a tear-dropshaped lutewith
three strings),but European instruments, like the piano or saxophone, enjoy
greaterprestige.To completethe effect,a chorusof trainedsingersjoins the
group.Alltogether,the groupmaynumberforty performers.
Several sources on Arabicmusic historymentionorchestrasconsistingofone
hundredlutes,butthereis no doubtthatthetraditionalensemble,inbothNorth
Africaand the Middle East, included perhaps fourto eight musicians. The
growingsize of the orchestrahas affectedboththe sonorityand thetextureof
I-ala l-andalusia.Here,as inall heterophonicmusic,thereis one basic melody,
buteach musicianor singervariesthe tune,bothrhythmically and melodically,
according to his own inspirationand the idiomatic of his instru-
characteristics
ment.This styleis obviouslymostsuitedto a small ensemble,whereeach voice
can be distinguishedfromthe others.In a largergroup muchofthe subtletyof
the musicis lost.
The violinhas become, numerically and as timbre,the mostimportantinstru-
mentin the orchestra.The violinwas probablyintroducedto Morocco during
the 19thcentury,butthefulleffectofthe instrument was notfeltuntilwell into
this century,whengutstrings,whichblendedwellwiththe'ud and rebab, were
replaced withsteel. Steel stringshave changedthetimbreoftheorchestraas a
whole,makingit approach whatunfortunately seems to be the newsound ideal
inArabicmusic- the Egyptianfilmorchestra.
Withthe ascendancy of the violinhas come the decline of the rebab. The
rebab is generallyconsideredto be the heartofthe Andalusianorchestra.Yet
thereare onlya handfulofrebab playersin Morocco,and mostofthese are in
the mostrespected
factin their60's. None has achievedthe statureof el-Brihi,
musicianof this century,who literallyentrancedhis listenerswithtaqasim on
the rebab. Today, some orchestraseven do withouttherebab, replacingitwith
a cello or saxophone.

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 Forsome critics,the gradualdisappearance oftherebab mightsymbolizethe
declineofAndalusianmusicas a whole.Afterall, Ziryab'stheoryprovidedfor
twenty-four nubat,and al-Haikfoundonlyeleven,plus a fewfragments he called
itama(orphans).Onlyone majornuba (Istihlal)has been composed since 1492,
and that in the early 18th century.It would seem, then,that creativeeffort
ended withthe expulsionofthe MoorsfromSpain, and thatthe onlychange in
therepertory has been one ofattrition.
The truepictureis not entirelyso gloomy.Attrition ofthe repertory is notas
serious as mightbe supposed, because, in all likelihood,there were never
twenty-four nubat in existence at a single time.The potentialrange of modal
expressionseems as broad as ever: in the currentrepertory, thereare modu-
latorypassages, aside fromal-Haik's "orphans",in twenty-sixmodes. Though
limited,new compositionin poetry,and even music,goes on to thisday5. Most
important, thereis a healthyrivalrybetweenthecentresofAndalusianmusicin
Morocco. Variations,bothtextualand musical, have grownin the repertories
of Fes, Rabat, Tetuan, and even Marrakech.These differencesare enhanced
bythe jealousy withwhicheach cityguards the new unique pieces in its reper-
tory.Each city scoffsat the others,claimingthatthe truetraditionsurvives
onlyin Fes (or Tetuan, or wherever).The most stunningand enjoyable proof
of this rivalryis seen each year in the contests and festivalsof Andalusian
music,organizedbyamateurmusiclovers.
Still,the traditionis in danger. Onlya part of the knownrepertoryis com-
monlyplayed,and some pieces are knownonlyto one or two ageing masters.
Sometimes,a mastercan findno pupil he deems worthyof learninga piece, so
a segmentofthe repertory dies withthatmusician.In orderto counteractsuch
decline,the Frenchfoundeda conservatorysystemin the 1930's. Hajj Abdel-
krimRais, the directorof the Fes Conservatory, and the successor to el-Brihi,
has created a curriculumforthe firstfouryears of conservatoryeducation.
This curriculumincludes a san'a or two fromeach of the fifty-five miyazn.In
addition, he has published anotherbook withmore complete textsforsubse-
quentyears. Most important, he is currentlyengaged in a projectto transcribe
all the textsand music of the Fes tradition.This monumentaltask will be a
greatgiftto posterity, forit means thatthe traditionwillbe preservedin one
form,even ifthe presentmastersdo notmanage to pass on all theirknowledge
directly to theirstudents.
5 Most is occasional,
ofthenewpoetry composed
especially forstateoccasions,
suchas theFeastof
theThrone
orIndependenceDay.I knowofatleastonenewnuba, anexperimental
compositionin
modeNahawand.
theeastern ItwaswrittenbyMoulay Larbiel-Ouezzani
el Mlahi,
a scholarof
Andalusian anda member
music, ofa famous ofmusicians.
family

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 Such projects are not an unmitigatedboon, however.Justas the growing
ensemble has ironedout some of the subtle kinksof heterophony,so radio,
recordings,and the conservatoriesmayeventuallyerase regionaland personal
idiosyncracies. Radio and records, of course, offerstandard performances
which,by force or repetition,become ingrainedin a young musician's con-
sciousness as the onlyway to performa given piece. At the same time,it is
likelythatthe Rais collectionwillbe used as the basic textin all the conser-
vatories, and thus, like the published radifin Iran, will limitindividualand
regionalvariationswhichgive lifeto the tradition.Moreover,the transcriptions
will not be able to includeall the various kindsof ornamentation currentlyin
use, and so, as oftenhappens in performancesof baroque music, renditions
may become stiffer and less spontaneous.The veryact of preservationcould
killthetradition.
So far,Andalusianmusichas resistedbothdeathand thetendencyto become
a museumpiece. It has survivedthe move intothe 20thcentury,just as itsur-
vivedthemovefromAndalusiato Morocco.The adaptabilityofthemusicis both
a hope forthefutureand a lesson fromthe past. Today's musicis hardlymore

Morocco: MouIay Abdallahel-Ouezzani,ud, and MohamedShabuni,rebab

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likethatof al-Haik'stimethanthe musicof Cordoba was likethatof Baghdad
or ancientGreece. But somethingof the past has always been retained,and
inthe studyofl-'ala l-andalusiawe can learnmuchabout the history
of music,
inbothEast and West.

Philip D. Schuyler
Die andalusische Musik in Marokko (Zusammenfassung)
Dieandalusische MusikinMarokko steht die Stropheals Grundform der Dichtung
ineinerderältesten Kunstmusiktraditionen. ersetzt.Der muwaschah wurdebald sehr
Sie kam über Südspanien,insbesondere populärund fandauch im NahenOsten
überCordoba,Sevilla und Granada,die Verbreitung. Dersadschal,dieandereneue
währendder siebenJahrhunderte langen Form,war revolutionärer, da der Dichter
islamischenHerrschaft blühendeMetropo- im UmgangmitMetrum und Reimfreier
lenwaren,nachMarokko. Die Anfänge der war.Im12.Jahrhundert wurdendermuwa-
andalusischen Musikreichenbis zumBe- schahunddersadschalden TheorienZi-
ginndes 9.Jahrhunderts unsererZeitrech- ryabsentsprechend vertont:so entstanden
nungzurück, als ZiryabnachCordobakam die Liederzyklen (naubat,Einzahlnaubah
unddortein Konservatorium gründete,um oderauchnubatbzw.nubah)derandalu-
seineneigenenmusikalischen Konzeptio- sischenMusik.
nen allgemeineGeltungund Zukunft zu Heutewirddie andalusische Traditionin
Seitdembegannsichdie ara- den dreiLänderndes Maghrebaufleicht
verschaffen.
bischeMusikdes Maghreb trotzdergegen- unterschiedliche Weise gepflegt;es gibt
seitigenBeeinflussung der andalusischen Abweichungen in der Terminologie, der
undderorientalischen Musikeigenständig Theorie,der Verwendung der Tonarten
zu entwickeln.Ziryabentwickelte ein Sy- und dem Repertoire. In Marokkobasiert
stemvon24Tonarten, wobeijede einerbe- dieseMusikheutevorallemaufeinerLie-
stimmtenStundedes Tagesentsprach und dertextsammlung vomEnde des 18.Jahr-
die genauenMerkmale derTonarten vom hunderts, die in 11 naubatunterteilt ist.
Wetter,von den Jahreszeiten und von JedenaubahistdurcheineTonartgekenn-
menschlichenStimmungen abhängigwaren. zeichnet,unddie Textesindso gewählt,
Auchfürdie formale Organisationdermu- daß sie die emotionalen undzeitlichenAs-
sikalischen
Aufführung stellteerdetailliertesoziationen,die die Tonartweckt,ergän-
Regelnauf. Seine Theoriehat - wenn zen. So erinnert zum Beispieldie Tonart
schonnichtterminologisch, so dochzumin- mayaandenTod,denAbschied undeignet
destimGeiste- auchnochim heutigen sichbesondersfüreine Aufführung inder
Marokko Geltung. Abenddämmerung, währenddie Tonart
NachdemTodeZiryabs entwickeltensich uschschaq der Morgendämmerung ent-
inSpanienimLaufederJahrhunderte zwei spricht, da sie dasErwachen bzw.dieEntste-
neue Stilrichtungen arabischerDichtung,hungdesLebenszumAusdruck Doch
bringt.
der muwaschahund der sadschal. Der heutewirddieseBeziehung zudenverschie-
muwaschah hat das klassischeDistichon denenTageszeitenindernaubahvonden
derkasidaimwesentlichen bewahrt;doch Marokkanern nicht mehrso genaubeachtet.
die einreimigen Verse und das einfache VieleTonarten habeninMarokko undim
Versmaß verschwanden undwurdendurch NahenOstendenselbenNamenunddie-

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 Dochdie fürden Nahen bestehtim wesentlichen
selbe Tonleiter. aus dem rebab,
Osten typischen Mikrointervallescheinen einerbootsförmigen ViolamitzweiSaiten,
inderandalusischen Musikkeinewichtige derkamangah, einereuropäischen Violine,
Rollezu spielen.Die Mehrzahl der „anda- dem kaman,einereuropäischen Bratsche,
lusischen"Musiker undderProfessoren an demud,einerhölzernen Kurzhalslaute,dem
den Konservatorien bestreitensogar,daß tar,einemkleinenTamburin, undderder-
es nochMikrotonstufen gibt.Fürdas zu- buga, einer Blechtrommel, die erst im
nehmendeVerschwinden der nichttempe-Laufederletzten 30 oder40 Jahrezu den
rierten kanndas vonden Fran- anderenInstrumenten
Intervalle hinzukam.
zosenimMaghreb eingeführte Klavier
ver- Beieinernormalen Aufführung setztsich
antwortlichgemachtwerden.Doch diese das Orchester etwaaus sechsViolinen und
Intervalle
sindzäh undschleichen sichzu- Bratschen,dreiudsundje einemderande-
mindestin die Aufführungen ältererMusi- renInstrumente zusammen.Meistensbil-
kerein,wennsichkeinetemperierten In- den die Musikerselbstden Chorzusam-
strumente den natürlichenNeigungen des men miteinemoder zwei Sängern,die
Interpreten
entgegenstellen. nichtzumOrchester gehörenunddie die
Während fürdie Stimmung unddie me- Solopartienimprovisieren. Bei Rundfunk-
lodischeGesamtform dernaubahdie Ton- oderFernsehaufnahmen istdas Orchester
artentscheidend ist,bestimmt der Rhyth- größerund kannbis zu vierzigMusiker
musdenAblaufderMelodieunddenAuf- umfassen.Doch ein kleineresOrchester
bau derganzenSuite.Einenaubahumfaßt entspricht dem heterophonischen Stildie-
fünfgroße„Sätze",die sich durchihren ser Musikbesser,die bei einemgrößeren
Rhythmus unterscheiden.Diese Sätze be- Ensemblevielvon ihrerFeinheiteinbüßt.
stehenihrerseitsaus einemschnellenund ZumTeilscheint die überlieferte Musikver-
einemlangsamenTeil.JederSatz enthält lorengegangen zu sein,obwohlauchheute
eineSerievon Liedern, die sichohneUn- nochneue dichterische und musikalische
terbrechunganeinanderreihen.Die musika- WerkeindiesemStilentstehen. Die Tradi-
lischeFormderLiederspiegeltderenEintei- tionist jedochbedroht.Nurein Teil des
lunginStrophen wider,an diesichjeweils gesamtenRepertoires istbekannt undwird
dieinstrumentalenRefrainsanschließen. gespielt,undmancheStückesindnureini-
Eineganzenaubahwirdundwurdewahr- gen altenMeistern vertraut. Dochdie an-
auchnieaufeinmalgespielt,da dalusischeMusikhatsichbisherdemUn-
scheinlich
einSatzalleinmehrals eineStundeinAn- tergang undderGefahr, musealzu werden,
spruchnehmen kann. Sie istunsbis ins20.Jahrhun-
widersetzt.
Die Größedes andalusischen Orchesters derthineinerhalten geblieben, undinMa-
war nie an starreRegelngebunden.Be- rokkoistsie nocham lebendigsten. Diese
stimmte Instrumente werdenje nachder Anpassungsfähigkeit istwohlnichtnureine
Tonartundder Verfügbarkeit derMusiker Erfahrung aus der Vergangenheit, sie läßt
oderweggelassen.
eingesetzt Das Orchester vielmehr auchfürdie Zukunft hoffen.

Philipp D. Schuyler
La musique marocaine andalouse (résumé)
La musiquemarocaineandalousefait longtemps. Elle a atteintle Marocpar le
partiede l'unedes traditionsde la mu- sudde l'Espagne,notamment parCordoue,
le plus SevilleetGrenade,
sique d'artqui se sontmaintenues capitalesprospères
pen-

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dantseptsièclesde domination musulmane. au fildes siècles.Le mouashshahat a con-
Lesdébutsdela musiqueandalouseremon- servéen grandepartiela formedistique
tentà la premièrepartiedu9èmesièclede classiquede la qasida; néanmoins, la mo-
notreère, avec l'arrivéeà Cordouede norimeet le mètresimplese disloquèrent
Ziryabquiy créa unconservatoire de mu- et furent remplacéspar la stancecomme
sique afinde diffuseret de perpétuerses unitéde base de la poésie.Le mouashsha-
conceptionsmusicales.Dès lors,la mu- hatdevintvitetrèspopulaireet gagna le
siquearabeduMaghreb commença à suivre Moyen-Orient. Le zajal, autreformenou-
uneévolution autonomemalgrél'influencevellede poésie,étaitplus révolutionnaire,
réciproque de la musiqueandalouseet de le poète prenantdavantagede libertés
celle du Moyen-Orient. Ziryaba mis au dans le maniement du mètreet du vers.
pointun systèmede 24 modescorrespon- Au 12èmesiècle, le mouashshahat et le
dantchacunà uneheurede la journée,et zajal furent mis en musiqued'après les
dontles caractéristiques propresétaient théoriesde Ziryab;ainsinaquirent les cy-
liées au temps,aux saisonset aux états cles du chant(noubat,singulier nouba)de
d'âme. Il a égalementdéfinides règles la musiqueandalouse.
détailléespourl'organisationde la forme De nos jours,la tradition andalouseest
de l'exécution.Sa théorieest encoreen traitéede façonlégèrement différentepar
honneur, dans l'esprit,
sinondans les ter- chacundes troispays du Maghreb, avec
mes,dansle Maroccontemporain. des variationsdans la terminologie, la
Aprèsla mort de Ziryab,deuxstylesnou- théorie,la pratiquemodaleet le réper-
veauxde poésie arabe, le mouashshahattoire.Au Maroc,le répertoire actuel se
et le zajal se développèrenten Espagne base avanttoutsur une compilation de

Morocco:Folkmusiciansin Marrakech
, showingtheviolintechnique

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textesde chantsrecueillisversla findu Unenoubacomplètene se joue pas, et
18èmesiècle et répartisdans 11 noubat. ne s'est probablement jamaisjouée,d'une
Chaque nouba se caractérisait par un seule traite, car unmouvement peutdurer
modemusical,et les textesétaientchoisis à luiseulplusd'uneheure.
de façonà compléter les associations émo- La taillede l'orchestre andaloun'a ja-
tionnelles et temporelles du mode.Ainsi, maissuivides règlesrigides.Certainsin-
parexemple,le modemayaévoquela fin struments viennent s'y ajouterou sonten-
et l'adieu,et ilse prêteparticulièrement à levésen fonction de la modeet des musi-
l'exécutionau crépuscule,tandisque le ciensdisponibles. L'orchestre se compose
modeoushshaqconvient à l'auroreparce principalement du rebab,violeà deuxcor-
qu'ilexprime l'éveil,ou le début,de la vie. des en formede barque,de la kamanja,
Cependant,aujourd'hui, ce rapportavec violonoccidental, du kaman, l'altoocciden-
les différentsmoments de la journéedans tal,de l'oud,luthà manche courtsansfret-
la nouba n'est plus strictement respecté tes,du tar,petittambourin, de la derbuga,
parles Marocains. tambouren formede vase, qui est venu
De nombreux modesportent des noms rejoindre les autresinstruments au cours
identiques avec la mêmestructure de gam- des trente à quarante dernières années.
mesau Marocet au Moyen-Orient. Néan- Dansuneexécution normale, il peutêtre
moins,les micro-intervalles propresau composéde six violonset altos,de trois
Moyen-Orient ne semblentpas jouer un oud-setde chacundes autresinstruments.
rôleimportant dansla musiqueandalouse. Ce sont les musicienseux-mêmesqui
Le plupartdes musiciens«andalous»et chantent le plus souvent, en choeur,avec
des professeurs de conservatoire affirmentunchanteur ou deuxqui nefontpas partie
maintenant qu'il n'y a pas de microtons.de l'orchestre et qui improvisent les par-
On peutrendrele piano,introduit au Magh- ties solo. Pourla radioou la télévision,
reb par les Français,responsablede la l'orchestre est plusgrandet peutatteindre
disparition des intervalles non-tempérés.jusqu'à quaranteexécutants.Cependant,
Cependant, ceux-ciontla viedureet ilsse un petitorchestre convient mieuxau style
faufilentdansles exécutions, toutau moins hétérophonique de la musique,qui perd
des vieuxmusiciens,lorsqu'iln'y a pas une grandepartiede sa finesseavec un
d'instruments tempérés pours'opposeraux ensembleplusgrand.Le vieuxrépertoire
tendancesnaturelles de l'exécutant. sembleaussi s'êtreen partieperdu,bien
Tandisque le modedonnel'atmosphèreque de nouvellescompositions en poésie
de la noubaet sa formemélodiqued'en- et en musiquese créentde nos jours.Ce-
semble,le rythme détermine à la foisla pendant,la tradition est menacée.Seule
formede la mélodiedans le temps,et la unepartiedu répertoire connuestjouée et
structure de toutela suite.Unenoubase certainsmorceauxne sont plus familiers
compose de cinq grands«mouvements»qu'à un ou deux maîtresâgés. Mais la
ayantchacununmoderythmique différent.musiqueandalousea résistéà la mortet
Ces mouvements se subdivisent à leurtour à la tendanceà devenirune pièce de
en deuxsections,rapideet lente.Chaque musée. Elle a survécujusqu'au 20ème
mouvement comporte unesériede chants siècle; c'est au Marocqu'elle est encore
qui s'enchaînent sans interruption, et la la plusvivante, et l'on peutdire que sa
formemusicaledes chantsreflète la divi- facultéd'adaptationn'est pas seulement
sionde la poésie en strophesauxquelles un enseignement du passé, mais aussi
s'ajoutentdes refrains instrumentaux. espoirpourl'avenir.

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