"Variations on the Present" Evening

Traditional Arabic music faces problems related to the way it is presented. Presenting it to the recipient live or recorded ensures its popularity and continued circulation among people. Based on this, the Nation Building Movement concluded its cultural activities for the year 2018 with a musical evening entitled “Variations on the Present.”​

The musical evening began with a brief explanation of the history of musical notation and the notations of Safi al-Din al-Urmawi, which are considered among the oldest Arabic musical notations, with reference to the historical shortcomings in the subject of musical notation among the Arabs, which made an important part of ancient music vulnerable to loss and oblivion.

This was followed by a professional and dazzling trio performance by the musicians Anas Murad, Hisham Al-Daabal, and Amer Al-Taroudi, where the performance was distinguished by its sobriety and its deep approach to the essence of the maqam in this type of music, as the musicians were evident and demonstrated their great ability in singing and presenting these Arabic and oriental musical works, which delighted all the attendees who applauded repeatedly with great enthusiasm.

During this evening, a group of Arabic and oriental instrumental and vocal musical works were presented, selected from various historical periods starting from the late thirteenth century and the beginning of the fourteenth century, specifically the end of the Abbasid era in Baghdad during the Ottoman period, as well as the beginning of the twentieth century, which witnessed the second Arab renaissance at the hands of Sheikh Muhammad Uthman, Abu al-Ola Muhammad and Zakaria Ahmed. A group of songs and musical pieces were also performed, dating back to the late twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century.