Damascus, Dec. 17 (SANA) Aleppo is preparing for its anticipated campaign “Aleppo for All,” a city that has shaped a distinctive identity across many fields, including music and its rich vocal heritage, one of the most prominent components of Syrian cultural identity. For centuries, Aleppo has been synonymous with qudud and muwashahat, which were never merely musical genres but a complete artistic school that helped shape Arab musical taste.
Aleppine Muwashahat… Andalusia with a Levantine soul
The art of muwashahat is one of Aleppo’s most valued musical traditions. It reached its peak in the late 19th century, when Aleppine musicians refined the Andalusian form with exceptional craftsmanship, transforming it into what later became known as Aleppine Muwashahat. These compositions are distinguished by their rhythmic diversity and rich modal structures, giving them a unique artistic character that remains both authentic and ever-renewing.
Aleppine Qudud… one melody, many stories
Aleppine qudud form the second pillar of Aleppo’s musical identity. Initially inspired by Andalusian melodies, they evolved into a deeply rooted popular art. The term qudud refers to songs built on familiar tunes with entirely new lyrics, allowing singers to express emotions and human stories in a direct and sincere manner.
Types of Qudud… diverse sources, one spirit
Aleppine qudud are divided into several types, most notably:
– Popular Qudud: traditional songs passed down through generations, with unknown authors and composers.
– Muwashah-based Qudud: built on the classical muwashah structure with new wording, drawing from three main sources:
- traditional muwashahat and religious chants from Sufi gatherings
- folk and heritage songs
- foreign melodies, especially Turkish and Persian.
The uniqueness of Aleppine Tarab
Aleppine tarab is distinguished by a unique blend of spirituality and classical artistry. Rooted in religious chanting and expanding into secular singing, it relies on Eastern maqams such as Rast, Bayat, and Saba, along with precise and varied rhythms. This distinctiveness established Aleppo’s tarab as a musical school of its own, producing figures who shaped the course of Arab music.
Evolution of melodic structure… a critical reading
Musician Mohammad Qadri Dallal notes in his book Religious Qudud that some modern qudud feature complex and challenging melodies with wide intervallic leaps, requiring highly trained voices, especially in muwashah-based qudud and those built on instrumental compositions.
And Tunisian writer Ilyas Boudan notes…
that the origins of Qudud trace back to religious songs performed in Sufi gatherings before their sacred lyrics were replaced with romantic ones while preserving the original melody, hence the name Qudud, meaning “according to the measure of the old tune.”
Icons of Aleppine Tarab… voices that shaped history
Aleppines enriched their musical heritage with diverse genres such as Qudud, Muwashahat, Mawwal, and Taqtuqa, which later evolved at the hands of major Arab musicians.
Sheikh Omar al Batsh is considered one of the most prominent muwashah composers, having trained many renowned singers and composers, including Sabri Mudallal and Abdul Qader Al Hajjar.
Aleppo produced giants of Arab music such as Sabah Fakhri, Sabri Mudallal, and Shadi Jamil, who carried qudud and muwashahat to global audiences. The late Sabah Fakhri, in particular, revived this heritage with his powerful voice and classical training, presenting it to new generations in an accessible and captivating form. Among the most famous qudud are Ya Mal Al Sham, Qadduk Al Mayyas, and Taht Hawdajha.
Aleppine Qudud on the UNESCO Intangible Heritage List
In December 2021, during its 16th session in France, UNESCO inscribed Al-Qudud Al-Halabiya (Aleppine Qudud) onto the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, recognising it as a crucial step for preserving Syria’s national identity and a source of resilience, with this traditional music performed in Aleppo’s cultural spaces.
The Jordanian Journal of Arts noted that this recognition encouraged specialized studies on the history, origins, and artistic characteristics of qudud. Aleppine researcher Mohammad Qajja described UNESCO’s decision as an honorary achievement for Aleppo and for Syrian and Arab musical heritage.
With the inclusion of Aleppine Qudud on the global heritage list, the responsibility of cultural institutions and local communities grows to safeguard this legacy and transmit it to future generations through lectures, festivals, and exhibitions—affirming that Aleppo will remain the capital of Arab tarab, a haven of culture and art, and a living musical identity that endures.
MHD
