Traditional music and dance
The tradition of pearl fishing is one of the pillars of Qatari cultural identity. And not surprisingly, the poetry, songs and dances of the marine world are also central to the country's folklore. Collective songs were an integral part of every sea voyage, usually sung to encourage or entertain the crew. Some of these songs are still in the popular repertoire and it is anything but rare to hear a Qatari humming them.
That being said, the most iconic traditional practice in Qatar is undoubtedly theardah
.Both a poetic genre, with finely chiseled stanzas, and above all a bravura dance of martial origin, theQatari ardah is a cousin of the Emirates'ayyala in its configuration, but differs from it in that it is performed in a more nervous, more dynamic manner. Two rows of men brandishing swords (increasingly replaced by rifles) face each other, repeating verses in turn. Between them, musicians play various percussion instruments, such as theal-ras, a large drum, in harmony with the men's voices. In the past, theardah
had the particularity of presenting the poet perched on the shoulders of a participant in order to better impress the enemy by his height of voice. Then, he would land on the ground to declaim four times a phrase intended to galvanize his comrades. This practice has disappeared and has been replaced by another one where the percussions answer each other by "muscling" and accelerating the rhythm. Still very popular, this dance is often performed during social, religious or patriotic events. The recited or vocalized texts are generally drawn from the popular repertoire and consist of small versified pieces.Present in other Gulf countries, ṣawt is also heard in Qatar , a complex form of urban music, performed on the oud (the iconic short-necked lute found throughout the Arab world and in Armenia) and mirwas
(hand drum). One of the most respected ṣawt singers in Qatar is Ibrahim Ali.Apart from the oud and mirwas, the rebaba, a hurdy-gurdy common in the Arab world and Southeast Asia (also known as rebab), as well as the ney, a reed flute, or percussion instruments such as the daf, a frame drum, or the tabl
, a timbale, are also played in Qatar. Two special events to witness traditional songs and dances are the Dhow Festival, where the famous pearl fishing competitions take place, and the Souq Waqif Spring Festival, featuring music, theater and dance, and open-air performances of all kinds.Popular music
On the radio, on TV and, in fact, just about everywhere, what you hear most is khaliji . Literally meaning "music of the Gulf," khaliji is a contemporary music, a true pop of the Persian Gulf inviting modern productions, traditional music such as liwa (from neighboring UAE) or ṣawt. Qatar has seen the emergence of some important khaliji
singers, such as Fahad Al Kubaisi (1981) the most prominent star of the field in the country, and whose fame goes far beyond Qatari borders. In another genre, Dana Al Fardan has established herself as the first Qatari singer-songwriter to gain national recognition by singing in English. While she is best known for her very western pop with strong Arabic accents, she also composes a lot of contemporary classical music, which is regularly performed by the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (of which she is the cultural ambassador). Full of surprises, she has notably adapted the poetry of Khalil Gibran in a musical, Broken Wings, which was sold out at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London.Classical music
Qatar does not have a tradition of classical music in the Western sense of the word, but it does have a dynamic ensemble: the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra. Founded in 2007, the orchestra performs both Western and Middle Eastern works, trying to promote both repertoires to a very cosmopolitan audience. Great means have been put in place to ensure the quality of the ensemble, allowing international recruitment of musicians and the possibility of attracting big names such as the famous Lebanese musician Marcel Khalife, artistic director of the place until 2010, or to welcome each year prestigious conductors such as Lorin Maazel.
