Traditional music
Traditional music and dance go hand in hand in Oman. Foreign influences (Africa, India, Portugal...) can be found in the rhythms and steps, as well as in the instruments used. The bagpipe, for example, has become a part of the customs. Song and dance mark the privileged moments of life: marriage, celebration of the death of the Prophet, breaking the fast... They used to accompany the departure for war and the victorious return. Each region has its own dances and songs. These are generally very festive: instruments, words and steps are mixed together and an incredible energy emanates from them! Through them, the Omani people speak and reveal themselves, allowing us to penetrate a little into their History, to caress their beliefs and their culture. It is the texts, works of poets and storytellers, which allow traditional songs to be classified by genre. Thus, we find war songs, which evoke the exploits and heroism of warriors, sea songs (midemah and shubani), which exalt the courage of sailors, songs of the desert, such as 'ayyâla the songs of Bedouins or songs of religious celebrations such as malid, mauled, taumina, shabaniya, tahlula and ahmad al-kabir
.In traditional Omani music, the spoken word dominates and the instruments follow. Usually percussion begins. With complex and highly ornamented rhythms - a signature of Omani music - they are most often played by drums made of goatskin, such as the high-soundingalkassir or the wider, lower-soundingalrahmani
. Sometimes a polyrhythm is created by crossing several drum rhythms and superimposing hand claps.Wind instruments, on the other hand, are made from natural materials. The buq is a carved shell that produces a unique and very special sound; the burghum is an oryx or deer horn. Omani musicians also like to use the oboe, here called mizmar. Finally, among the stringed instruments, we should mention a kind of lyre, tambutah
, native to Africa. Of all the country's tribes, only the Bedouins of Oman do not use instruments.Among the great interpreters of Omani music, Salim Rashid Suri, is a must. This singer and oud player of the 20th century nicknamed the "singing sailor" travelled the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Gulf in his youth aboard merchant ships. It was these travels that led him to mix the strains of ṣawt from the northern Persian Gulf with Indian styles, giving rise to Ṣawt al-Khaleej
("Voices from the Gulf"), the leading musical genre that made him legendary. Another illustrious Omani artist, Salah Al Zadjali remains famous for mixing local traditional music with the astonishing Swahili music of Zanzibar. A name that is becoming more and more widespread in the Arab world.In order to preserve and enhance the richness of the music, the Omani Centre for Traditional Music was created in 1984. This place, which compiles and archives everything relating to the country's folk music, won the UNESCO prize in 2002 in recognition of its efforts to preserve the national heritage.
Amajor event in the country taking place from mid-January to the end of February, the Muscat Festival is a must to immerse oneself in Oman's past and traditions. On the programme: local crafts, folk dances, theatre, concerts... A real showcase for the country and its riches.Classical and scholarly music
If in Oman, learned music is related to that of the Arab world - it is structured according to the maqams, a system of organization of melodic scales present from the Maghreb to China -, classical music heard according to the Western sense is indeed present. In 1985, Sultan Qaboos, a great lover and connoisseur of European classical music, began the creation of the Royal Symphony Orchestra of Oman (or ROSO), composed solely of Omani musicians (both men and women). Since the creation of the Royal Opera House in Muscat, the number of concerts has increased, as have the invitations addressed to the big names on the world circuit. And this famous opera, let's talk about it. Some 142 years after the opening of the Cairo Opera House, the Sultan offers great music this showcase, inaugurated at the end of 2011 by Franco Zeffirelli's Veronese Turandot, with Placido Domingo at the baton. The main auditorium is classy and the programme is very varied with operas, ballets, symphony orchestras, shows and concerts by artists from the Arabian Peninsula. A must for music lovers.Popular music
The music heard today on the FM band comes mostly from foreign groups, mainly Indian given the size of the Indian community in the territory, as well as from other countries in the Gulf and Western countries. However, Omani radio tries to diversify its programmes and offers a daily theme slot (Afro, techno, Hispano...). Popular contemporary Omani artists include Sham Maskari, the stage name of Hisham Maskari, a rapper and singer used to the top of the local charts.
