Amina Alaoui
Encyclopedia
Amina Alaoui is a Moroccan
interpreter of Andalusian classical music. She sings in Arabic
, Classic Persian and Haketia
.
Amina was born in 1964 in an aristocratic family in Fez
, Morocco
. At the age of six, she started to learn Andalusian classical music in her own family environment. She learned to play the piano and was initiated in European classical music by the conductor Mohamed Abou Drar. Amina also studied at the conservatory
of Rabat
from 1979 to 1981 with Ahmed Aydoun and Mohammed Ouassini and studied modern dancing with Marie-Odile Loakira and classic dancing with Vera Likatchova.
Amina went to school at Lycée Descartes and studied philology
and Spanish
and Arabic
linguistics
at the University of Madrid
and the University of Granada
.
, Amina did personal research on Arab-Andalusian and oriental music
and she specialized in Andalusian classical music
, specifically in the gharnati (arabic for "Granada") style of music. She moved to Paris in 1986, where she studied gharnati music
with Rachid Guerbas and Ahmed Piro. There she also studied European Medieval music
with Henri Agnel and Persian classical music with Djalal Akhbari.
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
interpreter of Andalusian classical music. She sings in Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, Classic Persian and Haketia
Haketia
Haketia is an endangered Jewish-Moroccan Romance language, also known as Djudeo Spañol or Ladino Occidental , that was spoken and spread throughout the North of Morocco such as in Tetuan, Tangiers and the Spanish towns of Ceuta and Melilla, in the latter of which it has achieved partial...
.
Amina was born in 1964 in an aristocratic family in Fez
Fes
Fes or Fez is the second largest city of Morocco, after Casablanca, with a population of approximately 1 million . It is the capital of the Fès-Boulemane region....
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. At the age of six, she started to learn Andalusian classical music in her own family environment. She learned to play the piano and was initiated in European classical music by the conductor Mohamed Abou Drar. Amina also studied at the conservatory
Music school
The term music school refers to an educational institution specialized in the study, training and research of music.Different terms refer to this concept such as school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department or conservatory.Music instruction can be provided...
of Rabat
Rabat
Rabat , is the capital and third largest city of the Kingdom of Morocco with a population of approximately 650,000...
from 1979 to 1981 with Ahmed Aydoun and Mohammed Ouassini and studied modern dancing with Marie-Odile Loakira and classic dancing with Vera Likatchova.
Amina went to school at Lycée Descartes and studied philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
at the University of Madrid
University of Madrid
The Complutense University of Madrid is a public university in Madrid, Spain, and one of the oldest universities in the world.The University of Madrid may also refer to:* The Autonomous University of Madrid, a public university founded in 1968...
and the University of Granada
University of Granada
The University of Granada is a public university located in Granada, Spain that enrolls approximately 80,000 students. The university also has campuses in Ceuta and Melilla. Every year, over 2,000 European students enroll in the UGR through the Erasmus Programme, making it the most popular...
.
Andalusian classical music
While studying in GranadaGranada
Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
, Amina did personal research on Arab-Andalusian and oriental music
Middle Eastern music
The music of Western Asia and North Africa spans across a vast region, from Morocco to Afghanistan, and its influences can be felt even further afield. Middle Eastern music influenced the music of India, as well as Central Asia, Spain, Southern Italy, the Caucasus and the Balkans, as in chalga...
and she specialized in Andalusian classical music
Andalusian classical music
Andalusian classical music is a style of Moorish music found across North Africa in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. It originates out of the music of Al-Andalus between the 9th and 15th centuries....
, specifically in the gharnati (arabic for "Granada") style of music. She moved to Paris in 1986, where she studied gharnati music
Gharnati music
Gharnati refers to a variety of Moroccan and Algerian music originating in Al-Andalus. Its name is related, being derived from the Arabic name of the Spanish city of Granada....
with Rachid Guerbas and Ahmed Piro. There she also studied European Medieval music
Medieval music
Medieval music is Western music written during the Middle Ages. This era begins with the fall of the Roman Empire and ends sometime in the early fifteenth century...
with Henri Agnel and Persian classical music with Djalal Akhbari.
Discography
- Gharnati:Musique arabo-andalouse du Maroc (1995)
- Alcántara (1998)
- Gharnati: En Concert (2009)
- SiwanSiwan (album)Siwan is an album by pianist Jon Balke recorded in 2007/08 and released on the ECM label in 2009.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4½ stars stating "Every track here reveals something unusual, brings something hidden and alien to the fore even as it beguiles the...
(ECM, 2009) with Jon BalkeJon BalkeJon Balke is a Norwegian jazz pianist and composer currently known for his Magnetic North Orchestra.He began with classical piano, but switched to blues at 12, though today he performs within several genres. At the age of 18 he joined Arild Andersen's quartet. By the mid-1980s he worked on his own... - Arco IrisArco Iris (Amina Alaoui album)Arco Iris is an album by singer Amina Alaoui. The album, Alaoui's first work for ECM, is focused on singing and features light string accompaniment along with sparse percussion...
(2011, ECM)
Collaborations
- Rachid TahaRachid TahaRachid Taha is an Algerian singer and activist based in France who has been described as "sonically adventurous." His music is influenced by many different styles such as rock, electronic, punk and raï.-Early life:Taha was born in 1958 in Sig , Algeria, although a second source suggests he was...
: Diwan (1998) - Music From The Heart Of The World: Sounds True Anthology (2000)
- Women's Sacred Chants (2003)
- Rachid TahaRachid TahaRachid Taha is an Algerian singer and activist based in France who has been described as "sonically adventurous." His music is influenced by many different styles such as rock, electronic, punk and raï.-Early life:Taha was born in 1958 in Sig , Algeria, although a second source suggests he was...
: Diwan Live in Concert (2005)