Articles
December 2010, Page 55
Music & Arts
Dr. Riad Abdel-Gawad Discusses Egyptian Sufi Musical Traditions
The Middle East Institute hosted a discussion of Egyptian Sufi musical traditions with violinist and composer Dr. Riad Abdel-Gawad on Sept. 22 in Washington, DC. Dr. Abel-Gawad, a graduate of the University of Southern California, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and of Harvard University, where he earned a Ph.D. in music, studied for more than a decade with the renowned Abdo Dagher, who has himself recorded with the two most famous musicians of 20th century Egypt, Um Kulthum and Mohammed Abel-Wahab.
Abdel-Gawad described how Dagher's musical school is similar to the north Indian "gharana" tradition and emphasizes taqseem (improvisation). The tradition has medieval roots and is based on local Qur'anic and Sufi chants. Abdel-Gawad drew on his own experience to compare the classical and Sufi approaches to music education. At American universities, he studied a mostly 19th century repertoire using an analytic approach that distinguishes playing from learning. With Dagher, he explained, he worked with a living composer in a holistic manner. Since Dagher does not read or write notated music, his students play an important role in writing down their lessons to preserve the tradition. Abdel-Gawad described the process as learning slowly by osmosis, with students repeating the guru's example note by note.
While there is no exact English translation for tarab, Abdel-Gawad spoke of this emotional effect of music in Egyptian culture and its link to ecstasy. When audience members wanted to hear some of his playing, he took out his violin and demonstrated a maqam, a set of notes that would most closely resemble a major or minor mode in Western classical music. In response to audience questions, he confirmed that it is a struggle to keep this rich tradition going, but said that some support has been forthcoming from select nonprofits and heritage program grants from the United Nations. His own ambitions include trying to create a salon similar to Dagher's in the U.S.
In addition to his remarks at the Middle East Institute, Abdel-Gawad also appeared at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, including two performances with his musical troupe from Cairo and a week-long course for music teachers. His music, which fuses Western and Eastern genres, has been recognized with numerous honors, awards and grants from organizations including the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers; the Akademie Schloss Solitude in Germany; BMI; Harvard University; and the MacDowell Colony. His CDs—including his latest release, "Egypt: Mother of the World"—are available from music stores, Amazon and his own Web site, <www.riadabdelgawad.com>.
—Anne O'Rourke
