Various
Time Wept: Vocal Recordings from the Levant, 1906-1925
Stunningly beautiful, poignant music from BilÄÂd al-ShÄÂm -- "the countries of Damascus," known nowadays as Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine -- including performances from the very first recording sessions in the region. The legendary, moody Beirut singer BÅ«lus á¹¢ulbÄÂn is here -- some historians have him singing before Egypt's Pasha IbrÄÂhÄ«m BÄÂshÄ during his military campaign in Syria, in 1841 -- and ḤasÄ«ba Moshēh, Jewish "nightingale of the Damascene gardens." ThurayyÄ QaddÅ«ra from Jerusalem; YÅ«suf TÄÂj, a folk singer from Mount Lebanon; FarjallÄÂh Bayá¸ÂÄÂ, cousin to the founders of Baidaphon Records... Musical directors like the lutist QÄÂsim AbÅ« JamÄ«l al-DurzÄ« and the violinist Aná¹ÂÅ«n al-ShawwÄ (followed by his son SÄÂmÄ«); such virtuosi as the qanun-players Nakhleh IlyÄÂs al-Maá¹ÂarjÄ« and Ya'qÅ«b GhazÄÂla, and lutist SalÄ«m 'Awaá¸Â. Even at the time, notwithstanding such brilliance, public music-making was frowned upon as morally demeaning, especially for women. Musical venues were generally dodgy. á¹¢ulbÄÂn once cut short a wedding performance for the Beiruti posh, after just one song, he was so disgusted with the attitude of his audience. "If I had to tell you about the catcalls," one commentator wrote about musical theater in Beirut, "the stomping of feet, the sound of sticks hitting the ground, the noise of the water-pipes, the teeth cracking watermelon seeds and pistachio nuts, the screams of the waiters, and the clinking of arak glasses on the tables, I would need to go on and on and on..." Also includes tracks by Aḥmad al-Shaykh, Na'Ä«m Sem'ÄÂn, Ḥikmat ḤajjÄÂr, BÄÂsÄ«l ḤajjÄÂr, MuḥyiddÄ«n Ba'yÅ«n, Muḥammad al-'Āshiq, Aḥmad al-MÄ«r, IliÄÂs ShahwÄÂn, and YÅ«suf al-NaḥḥÄÂl.
