Malhun
Encyclopedia
Malhun or milhun meaning "the melodic poem", is a Moroccan music that borrows its modes from the Andalusian music
. It is a kind of urban, sung poetry
that comes from the exclusively masculine working-class milieu of craftsmen's guilds.
under the name of "qasida
" (meaning "poem") (Arabic
: القصيدة) or "zajal" (Arabic
: الزجل). Combined with music
, it quickly spread across the country where it acquired fame particularly among artisans.
) of the malhun is based on two essential elements: the overtures preceding it and the parts of which it is composed. Aqsam (Arabic
: الاقسام) verses sung solo interrupted by the harba refrain (meaning launch) (Arabic
: الحربة). Harba, the origin of which goes back to the 16th century, is a refrain
taken up between the verses by the sheddada (Arabic
: الشداشة), a group of singers and instrumentalist-singers). Another refrain called dridka (Arabic
: الدريدكة) is a simplified form of the harba, taking off from an accelerated rhythm
to announce the end of a qassida.
The qasida however preserved the division of the text in stanza
s as in the Andalusian song
: the verse (ghson, meaning "branch") can include from eight to sixteen verses, a short refrain or harba offers an alternation which makes it possible to break the monotony of the musical discourse of the Malhoun song. This gave rise to the suruf, subsidiary procedures employed by singers to produce an even greater effect on the audience
and above all to correct the rhythm
. Abdelaziz al-Maghrawi
(16th 17th centuries) created from "dān", a word that has no meaning, verse
s which were used as the basis for versewriting by Moroccan folk poets. (e.g. Dān dāni yā dāni dān dān yā dān).
and Abderrahman El Majdoub
(died 1568) who was famous for his mystical
quatrains. In 18th and 19th centuries, Morocco knew a great number of poet
s who, from Fez, Meknes
or Marrakech
spread popular poetry
who adopted the melhoun. In modern days, Haj Houcine Toulali (1924–1998) was the most prominent figure in the malhun 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....
. It is a kind of urban, sung poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
that comes from the exclusively masculine working-class milieu of craftsmen's guilds.
Origins
The melhun, originally a pure literary creation, emerged as a poetic art today known in MoroccoMorocco
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...
under the name of "qasida
Qasida
The qaṣīdaᵗ , in Arabic: قصيدة, plural qasā'id, قــصــائـد; in Persian: قصیده , is a form of lyric poetry that originated in preIslamic Arabia...
" (meaning "poem") (Arabic
Arabic alphabet
The Arabic alphabet or Arabic abjad is the Arabic script as it is codified for writing the Arabic language. It is written from right to left, in a cursive style, and includes 28 letters. Because letters usually stand for consonants, it is classified as an abjad.-Consonants:The Arabic alphabet has...
: القصيدة) or "zajal" (Arabic
Arabic alphabet
The Arabic alphabet or Arabic abjad is the Arabic script as it is codified for writing the Arabic language. It is written from right to left, in a cursive style, and includes 28 letters. Because letters usually stand for consonants, it is classified as an abjad.-Consonants:The Arabic alphabet has...
: الزجل). Combined with music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, it quickly spread across the country where it acquired fame particularly among artisans.
Music
The qasida (laqsida in Moroccan arabicMoroccan Arabic
Moroccan Arabic is the variety of Arabic spoken in the Arabic-speaking areas of Morocco. For official communications, the government and other public bodies use Modern Standard Arabic, as is the case in most Arabic-speaking countries. A mixture of French and Moroccan Arabic is used in business...
) of the malhun is based on two essential elements: the overtures preceding it and the parts of which it is composed. Aqsam (Arabic
Arabic alphabet
The Arabic alphabet or Arabic abjad is the Arabic script as it is codified for writing the Arabic language. It is written from right to left, in a cursive style, and includes 28 letters. Because letters usually stand for consonants, it is classified as an abjad.-Consonants:The Arabic alphabet has...
: الاقسام) verses sung solo interrupted by the harba refrain (meaning launch) (Arabic
Arabic alphabet
The Arabic alphabet or Arabic abjad is the Arabic script as it is codified for writing the Arabic language. It is written from right to left, in a cursive style, and includes 28 letters. Because letters usually stand for consonants, it is classified as an abjad.-Consonants:The Arabic alphabet has...
: الحربة). Harba, the origin of which goes back to the 16th century, is a refrain
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
taken up between the verses by the sheddada (Arabic
Arabic alphabet
The Arabic alphabet or Arabic abjad is the Arabic script as it is codified for writing the Arabic language. It is written from right to left, in a cursive style, and includes 28 letters. Because letters usually stand for consonants, it is classified as an abjad.-Consonants:The Arabic alphabet has...
: الشداشة), a group of singers and instrumentalist-singers). Another refrain called dridka (Arabic
Arabic alphabet
The Arabic alphabet or Arabic abjad is the Arabic script as it is codified for writing the Arabic language. It is written from right to left, in a cursive style, and includes 28 letters. Because letters usually stand for consonants, it is classified as an abjad.-Consonants:The Arabic alphabet has...
: الدريدكة) is a simplified form of the harba, taking off from an accelerated rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
to announce the end of a qassida.
The qasida however preserved the division of the text in stanza
Stanza
In poetry, a stanza is a unit within a larger poem. In modern poetry, the term is often equivalent with strophe; in popular vocal music, a stanza is typically referred to as a "verse"...
s as in the Andalusian song
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....
: the verse (ghson, meaning "branch") can include from eight to sixteen verses, a short refrain or harba offers an alternation which makes it possible to break the monotony of the musical discourse of the Malhoun song. This gave rise to the suruf, subsidiary procedures employed by singers to produce an even greater effect on the audience
Audience
An audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature , theatre, music or academics in any medium...
and above all to correct the rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
. Abdelaziz al-Maghrawi
Abdelaziz al-Maghrawi
Abu Faris abd al-Aziz al-Maghrawi was a Moroccan poet and the first known author of a qasida written in malhun. He was one of the poets of the court of the Saadian sultan Ahmad al-Mansur . He is still well known in Morocco...
(16th 17th centuries) created from "dān", a word that has no meaning, verse
Verse (poetry)
A verse is formally a single line in a metrical composition, e.g. poetry. However, the word has come to represent any division or grouping of words in such a composition, which traditionally had been referred to as a stanza....
s which were used as the basis for versewriting by Moroccan folk poets. (e.g. Dān dāni yā dāni dān dān yā dān).
Famous figures
Among the former authors of melhoun, there is Abdelaziz al-MaghrawiAbdelaziz al-Maghrawi
Abu Faris abd al-Aziz al-Maghrawi was a Moroccan poet and the first known author of a qasida written in malhun. He was one of the poets of the court of the Saadian sultan Ahmad al-Mansur . He is still well known in Morocco...
and Abderrahman El Majdoub
Abderrahman El Majdoub
Sidi Abderrahman el Majdoub , also transcribed as Mejdub, full name Abou Mohamed Ben Ayad Ben Yacoub ben Salama Ben Khachachan Es Senhaji El Faradji Ed Doukkali el Majdoub , was a Moroccan poet. Many lines of his poems are known throughout the Maghreb, and his work is the source of many proverbs...
(died 1568) who was famous for his mystical
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
quatrains. In 18th and 19th centuries, Morocco knew a great number of poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
s who, from Fez, Meknes
Meknes
Meknes is a city in northern Morocco, located from the capital Rabat and from Fes. It is served by the A2 expressway between those two cities and by the corresponding railway. Meknes was the capital of Morocco under the reign of Moulay Ismail , before it was relocated to Marrakech. The...
or Marrakech
Marrakech
Marrakech or Marrakesh , known as the "Ochre city", is the most important former imperial city in Morocco's history...
spread popular poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
who adopted the melhoun. In modern days, Haj Houcine Toulali (1924–1998) was the most prominent figure in the malhun music.
See also
- Music of MoroccoMusic of MoroccoThe music of Morocco ranges and differs according to the various areas of the country.-Berber folk music:There are three varieties of Berber folk music: village and ritual music, and the music performed by professional musicians....
- Andalusian classical musicAndalusian classical musicAndalusian 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....
- Omar Bouri
- Hassan Slimani (is the first singer in french of malhoun)