Category Archives: Ethnomusicology

by | May 3, 2025 · 6:00 am

The marriage of sounds and music in the Arab world: An annotated bibliography

The library of the Institut du Monde Arabe (Arab World Institute) in Paris is home to an extensive collection of writings on music from the Arab world, a region stretching from the Atlas Mountains to the Indian Ocean. This series of blog posts highlights selections from this collection, along with abstracts written by RILM staff members contained in RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, the comprehensive bibliography of writings about music and music-related subjects. In 2026, the Institut du Monde Arabe will host an exhibition on wedding cultures in the Arab world, and the institute’s library will hold an on-site exhibition of its book collection covering this topic.

In the Arab world, weddings unfold through a series of ceremonies where daily preparations and references to the sacred intertwine to initiate and bless the union of two families. From the first promises of the engagement ceremony to the morning after the wedding night, each step is guided by social norms and enveloped in society’s ideals of generosity, community, and gender roles. Whether it takes place in a single day or over the traditional seven days, each step of the wedding is intentionally marked by specific melodies, rhythms, and sounds. Prior to the actual wedding ceremony, during the night of ḥinnaẗ, natural dye is applied to the bride’s hands and feet as women praise the her beauty and recount love’s woes in song. Then, joyous zaġārīd (trills) through the air to declare the news to all, near and far, as the cantillation of the Qur’an or other sacred prayers proclaims the couple’s union in front of God. As upbeat drums of the zaffaẗ announce and accompany the procession of the newlyweds, a subtler percussion chimes from the ẖilẖāl, the bride’s anklet, gifted from the groom to the bride to honor her femininity. These sounds intertwine with the most refined cultural expressions–skillfully crafted jewelry, intricately embroidered adornments, fragrances, and the finest cuisine, all blended  together in celebration.

Le mariage by Tunisian painter Ahmed Hajeri. Source: Altaïr portal of the Institut du Monde Arabe. Copyright: Musée de l’Institut du monde arabe/Philippe Maillard.

Even as the rush of modern life permeates every aspect of society in the Arab world, weddings continue to preserve many of the age-old customs. The related ceremonies create a momentary pause in the relentless flow of life to mark new social bonds and a transformation from singularity to family. The writings and research related to this lifecycle event covered in the annotated bibliography below explore the enduring customs across various regions of the Arab world: from the Tuareg tribes of the Sahara Desert and the Nubian tribes of the Nile Valley to urban dwellers in Cairo and Mosul. They document lyrics, transcribe melodies, describe instruments, and detail the roles of men and women in musical performances–all in an ongoing effort to understand and preserve this rich heritage of wedding customs and music.

Annotated bibliography

ʿAlī, Muḥammad Šiḥātaẗ. أغاني النساء في صعيد مصر: الأعراس، البكائيات، التحنين [Women’s songs in Upper Egypt: Wedding, lament, and pilgrimage songs] (al-Qāhiraẗ: al-Hayʾaẗ al-Miṣriyyaẗ al-ʿĀmmaẗ li-l-Kitāb, 2015). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2015-92222; IMA catalogue reference]. 

Transcribing orally transmitted songs in Upper Egypt is crucial, especially as many of them are at risk of being forgotten due to the passing of older women who have memorized them. Song texts were collected as the result of ethnographic research in villages in the al-Badārī province of the Asyut governorate. The three main categories of the transcribed repertoire are songs related to rites of passage, such as weddings and their associated ceremonies, funeral and lament songs known as bukāʾiyyāt, and songs known as taḥnīn, performed in preparation for the pilgrimage. An appendix with photos capturing women’s activities in various aspects of life, including domestic chores, agricultural work, food preparation, and market activities is included.

ʿArnīṭaẗ, Yusrá Ǧawhariyyaẗ. الفنون الشعبية في فلسطين [Popular arts in Palestine] (Rāmallāh: Dār al-Šurūq li-l-Našr wa-al-Tawzīʿ, 2013). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2013-54151; IMA catalogue reference]

The tangible and intangible forms of folklore–encompassing popular musical expressions, embroidery customs, and ceremonial practices associated with marriage and celebrations–serve as testimony to the enduring heritage and cultural continuity of the Palestinian people. The present effort to document select aspects of Palestinian folklore serves several purposes: first, to safeguard these manifestations of popular culture and ensure their continuity; second, to forge a robust connection between the present and history; third, to uncover the creative dimensions inherent in Palestinian folklore; and ultimately, to inspire fellow researchers in music and the arts to undertake similar endeavors in documenting Palestinian folklore. Folk songs should be approached with the same urgency to study and preserve such as other Palestinian traditions. Popular songs’ characteristics are detailed, including the characteristics of colloquial dialects, the melodic content, maqam structure, ornaments, and more. Transcriptions of the melodies of 66 songs, along with their transcribed lyrics, are included and are chosen as hailing from different cities. The songs are grouped by topic or occasion, as follows: children’s songs and lullabies, songs of religious holidays and celebrations; love and wedding songs; songs of war and encouragement; work songs; drinking, satirical, and political songs; dance songs; funeral chants and laments; songs of stories and tales. Popular song is a reflection of the Palestinian peoples’ ways of life and social customs and is a spontaneous expression of collective feelings and aspirations. 

al-ʿĀṣimī, Ğamīlaẗ. أغاني نساء مراكش: اللعابات، الطقيطقات، الهواري، التهضيرة [Women’s songs in Marrākuš: The laʿābāt, the ṭaqīṭaqāt, the hawārī, and the tahḍīraẗ] (Marrākuš: Muʾassassaẗ Āfāq li-l-Dirāsāt wa-al-Našr wa-al-Ittiṣāl, 2012). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2012-50441; IMA catalogue reference].  

Women’s songs in Marrākuš are transmitted orally from one woman to another, they are unauthored and composed collectively. Based on fieldwork with professional women performers, song forms and texts are transcribed alongside documentation on the accompanying percussion instruments and the names of the women’s groups performing each piece. Twenty-four song texts from the laʿābāt, a women’s ensemble that performs during weddings and related ceremonies, are included. Additionally, 20 song texts of the ṭaqīṭaqāt, a song form that is also performed by the laʿābāt groups on festive occasions and features articulate lyrics and steady rhythms, are transcribed. Twenty-nine song texts from two types of the hawārī song form are included, and 11 song texts of the tahḍīraẗ form, performed by groups of women during weddings, promenades, or private gatherings, are presented. An appendix contains 12 transcriptions of short excerpts from songs and the notation for each percussion section of the two hawārī song forms.

al-Asyūṭī, Darwīš. أفراح الصعيد الشعبية: من طقوس ونصوص احتفاليات الزواج والحمل والولادة والختان [The weddings of Upper Egypt: Rituals, texts, and ceremonies of marriage, pregnancy, and circumcision] (al-Qāhiraẗ: al-Hayʾaẗ al-Miṣriyyaẗ al-ʿĀmmaẗ li-l-Kitāb, 2012). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2012-52032; IMA catalogue reference].

Describes the rituals and customs associated with engagement and marriage preparation in Asyut, Upper Egypt. It covers various traditions, including the dowry presentation, the shopping process for establishing a new bridal household, the ḥinnaẗ night for the bride, and the ritual shower for the groom, among other related ceremonies. It also includes transcriptions of song lyrics collected from narrators in Asyut, as well as others memorized by the author.

Bayrūk, ʿAzzaẗ. الغناء الحساني بين التنظيم والتلقائية [Hassanian singing between structure and spontaneity] (al-Rabāṭ: Markaz al-Dirāsāt al-Ṣaḥrāwiyyaẗ/Centre des Études Sahariennes, 2015). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2015-92229; IMA catalogue reference].

The singing of the Ḥassānī tribes can be categorized into two branches: structured singing, also known as the hūl, which has been shaped by the influences of Arab, African, and Berber traditions and developed during the Ḥassānī rule in the Western Sahara during the 15th and 16th centuries; and a second branch that is unstructured and spontaneous, encompassing prophetic praise, wedding songs, rain songs, work songs, and lullabies, among others. The analysis includes a selection of song texts and their social contexts.

al-Daywahǧī, Saʿīd. تقاليد الزواج في الموصل [Marriage traditions in Mosul] (al-Mawṣil: Muʾassasaẗ Dār al-Kutub, 1975). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 1975-28979; IMA catalogue reference]. 

Explores the social customs associated with marriage in Mosul, from the etiquette of selecting a bride or groom to the week-long wedding celebrations and the social norms governing interactions between the families of the bride and groom. Transcriptions of the lyrics of 32 wedding songs are included. Thematically, these songs celebrate the bride and groom, describe their virtues and beauty, express the families’ emotions as they bid farewell to their daughters and sons, and highlight societal expectations of marriage, among other topics.

El Mallah, Issam. The role of women in Omani musical life/Die Rolle der Frau im Musikleben Omans (Tutzing: Hans Schneider, 1997). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 1997-11646; IMA catalogue reference].

The role of women in the transmission and preservation of Omani traditional music is significant, as is their influence. Women take on roles as singers, drummers, dancers, instrumentalists, and leaders in organizing dance and singing groups. The participation of women in musical arts can be grouped into two categories: arts exclusively practiced by women and those practiced alongside men. The ones involving men and women include collective dance, collective drumming, and work songs. The art forms exclusively practiced by women include women’s drumming circles, women’s work songs, Bedouin dances, wedding songs and dances, traditional healing ceremonies, and arts involving young girls. A description of the setting and context of each art form is included.

Ibn Ḥarbān, Ǧāsim Muḥammad. الزواج في المجتمع البحريني عاداته، تقاليده، فنونه [Marriage in Bahraini society: Customs, traditions, and arts] (Bayrūt: al-Muʾassasaẗ al-ʿArabiyyaẗ li-l-Dirāsāt wa-al-Našr, 2000). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2000-84970; IMA catalogue reference].  

Weddings in Bahrain involve a wealth of cultural expressions. The process of marriage includes various customs such as dowry arrangements and the elaborate preparation of both the groom and the bride. There are specific dress codes for men and women, along with jewelry, embellishments, and perfumes designated for each. The food prepared for weddings is also central to the ceremony. Women musician ensembles known as the ʿiddaẗ typically perform at these events. The song forms and accompanying dances, including the dizzaẗ and the zaffaẗ, are described, along with the rhythms and percussion instruments used. Related arts and customs are also discussed, such as the practice of naḍir–a ritual where individuals offer physical or symbolic gifts in hopes of fulfilling a wish or prayer; the ʿāšūrī which involves women performing drums and dance ceremonies; the ẖammārī, a women’s dance where participants are covered with a body cloth; and the naǧdī mawwāl, a song form sung by women, among other events. Transcriptions of some song texts and rhythms are included.

Mahfoufi, Mehenna. Chants de femmes en Kabylie: Fêtes et rites au village–Étude d’ethnomusicologie [Women’s songs in Minṭaqaẗ al-Qabāʾil: Celebrations and rites in the village–An ethnomusicological study]. (Paris: Ibis Press, 2005). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2005-16247; IMA catalogue reference].

A study of village song in Minṭaqaẗ al-Qabāʾil, focusing on the songs of women that accompany various festivals and the rhythm of daily life: birth, marriage, the expression of love, lullabies, bouncing (a game that consists of bouncing babies on one’s lap), death, and religious song. The songs are transcribed and translated, and their musical form is described and analyzed. The accompanying CD features wedding songs in tracks 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13. 

Mécheri-Saada, Nadia. Musique touarègue de l’Ahaggar (sud algérien) [Tuareg music of the Ahaggar in southern Algeria] (Paris: Awal; Paris: L’Harmattan, 1994). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 1995-9971; IMA catalogue reference].

The Ahaggar in southern Algeria is the homeland of Tuareg culture. Tuareg music is linked to the context of its performance, notably village festivals. Principal Tuareg instruments include the imzad (one-string fiddle), the tazamar (end-blown flute), and drums. Five musical genres are differentiated, including women’s marriage songs (āléwen) and the chanted poetry accompanied by drums, the tindé. The music’s texts, their themes, their social significance, and their poetics are analyzed.

Kamāl, Ṣafwat. “أفراح النوبة” [The weddings of the Nubia], al-Funūn al-šaʿbiyyaẗ 100 (yanāyir-dīsambir, 2015) 51–75. [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2015-92886; IMA catalog reference].

In Nubia, marriage involves customs and rituals ranging from the engagement period to the ḥinnaẗ night in preparation for the wedding, the offering of a dowry, a feast on the wedding day, and the exchange of gifts, among others. The celebrations typically last for seven days. Transcriptions of selected songs that accompany these rituals were collected before the displacement of the Nubian peoples following the building of the Aswan Dam in the 1960s and thus highlight traditional Nubian social values and religious beliefs.

Puig, Nicolas. Farah: Musiciens de noces et scènes urbaines au Caire (Arles: Actes Sud, 2010). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2010-54197; IMA catalogue reference].  

Faraḥ, which literally means joy or happiness, refers to the wedding ceremonies and street festivities in Egypt. Vibrant wedding nights, featuring musical ensembles, dancers, and many forms of socialization reflect social class and status. Musicians’ and singers’ negotiation of social norms and perceptions is approached as social performance. A proper understanding of marriage festivities in urban spaces is situated within the evolving attitudes towards public urban areas in Cairo, and in relation to other local festivities such as festivals and the celebration of saints’ mawlid. Since the mid-19th century, the modernizing reforms of public urban spaces have significantly influenced the venues for public music-making in Cairo, leading to changes in musical forms, the introduction of new instruments, and the adoption of new technologies. These changes have, in turn, affected the form and delivery of music during street weddings. A closer examination of the lives and work of four wedding musicians illustrates the numerous economic and social factors that shape their careers, their aspirations, and the challenges they encounter as wedding musicians in Cairo.

Written and compiled by Farah Zahra, Associate Editor, RILM

Related Bibliolore posts:

https://bibliolore.org/2024/09/07/writing-on-music-in-abbasid-baghdad-an-annotated-bibliography/

https://bibliolore.org/2024/07/12/palestine-in-song-an-annotated-bibliography/

https://bibliolore.org/2023/04/12/singing-the-revolution-in-the-arab-world-an-annotated-bibliography/

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by | April 29, 2025 · 6:00 am

The traveling organ

When the congregation of the Catholic Heilig-Geist-Kirche in the historic Hanseatic town of Lemgo, North Rhine-Westphalia, embarked on a renovation project from 2021 to 2023, they sought to replace their aging electronic organ with a proper pipe organ but were constrained by budget limitations. An opportunity arose to acquire a nearly century-old Wurlitzer Style D theater organ, built by the Wurlitzer factory in North Tonawanda, New York (near Niagara Falls), in 1924. The organ was first acquired in the late 1940s by Dr. Howard C. Stocker for his personal use in Los Angeles. By 1955, Stocker had moved the organ to San Bernardino (just east of Los Angeles), installing it in a custom-built home specially adapted to accommodate the instrument’s size and requirements. The house soon became a popular venue for concerts. In 1987, tragedy struck when a fire destroyed the entire house–but remarkably, the organ survived. Despite the unfortunate event, Stocker was quite relieved because he believed a house could be rebuilt, but the Style D organ was irreplaceable.

After Stocker’s death in 1993, the organ was temporarily stored in Kansas before being transported to Celle, Lower Saxony, Germany. There, cinema organ enthusiast Friedhelm Fleiter–who had long sought a Wurlitzer Style D–discovered it. For many years, Fleiter preserved and maintained the instrument as a personal passion project. To ensure its functionality, several components were carefully restored and modified for use in the church; however, preserving the original organ’s design and architectural integrity remained the top priority.

When the organ was relocated to the church, preserving the original Wurlitzer Style D façade proved impossible. Instead, a new organ case was designed to complement the church’s architectural style. The organ’s structure consists of two vertically stacked, roughly cube-shaped sections, along with a freestanding console. The upper section houses the pipework and features swell doors on two sides, which remain closed when the organ is not in use to ensure the enclosed pipes stay in tune. Although the new organ cannot fully replicate the musical fidelity of the original, it serves its purpose well in worship settings, particularly for accompanying congregational singing.

This according to “100 Jahre und kein bisschen leise: Eine Wurlitzer-Orgel (1924) für Lemgo” [100 years old and not a bit quiet: A Wurlitzer organ (1924) for Lemgo] by Ralf-Thomas Lindner (Organ: Journal für die Orgel 27/4 [2024] 26–30; RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2024-20513).

Listen to Singing in the rain performed on a Wurlitzer Style D organ below. The second video features a different model Wurlitzer organ.

Related Bibliolore posts:

https://bibliolore.org/2022/08/04/the-fokker-organ/

https://bibliolore.org/2019/02/04/how-to-destroy-an-organ/

https://bibliolore.org/2011/03/29/the-wanamaker-organ/

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by | April 19, 2025 · 6:00 am

Extreme metal and authoritarianism in Indonesia

In the mid-1990s, Indonesia’s authoritarian regime viewed extreme metal as a direct challenge to its enforced ideals of harmony and social stability. Live metal concerts were banned, and the government under President Suharto actively reinforced stereotypes of metalheads as communist-affiliated “folk devils”, a narrative perpetuated via mass media, government institutions, and religious leaders. This systematic marginalization pushed extreme metal to the fringes of the national music scene, forcing musicians and fans to rely on local communities in Yogyakarta, Jakarta, Bandung, and Bali—not only as spaces for musical expression but also as nodes for sustaining social networks. In response, extreme metal subcultures adapted their resistance strategies, embracing verbal and sonic transgressiveness, organizing independent do-it-yourself (DIY) gigs and independent recording and distribution, and maintaining strong intercity connections that kept the musical movement alive.

The crowd at the Jogjarockarta festival 2023. Photo by Umar R./MetalTalk

Since the fall of Suharto’s authoritarian regime in 1998 and the subsequent period of Reformasi (Reformation), the Indonesian government’s relationship with extreme metal subcultures has shifted. No longer vilified as a threat to social order, extreme metal is now viewed as a marketable commodity aligned with the country’s creative economic agenda. This shift is evident in the rapid expansion of regional metal music festivals that regularly draw thousands of fans, often sponsored by cigarette companies, mainstream clothing brands, and beverage corporations. Additionally, some Indonesian metal bands have secured grants from state-funded projects, enabling them to perform at international festivals and further integrate into the global metal scene.

Indonesia’s former president Joko Widodo sporting a Napalm Death t-shirt.

Widodo with his security detail at an Indonesian metal concert in 2014.

Indonesia has emerged as a significant hub for large-scale heavy metal festivals, most notably Hammersonic–recognized as Southeast Asia’s largest annual heavy metal music festival–which most recently took place in Jakarta in May 2024 and is slated to return in 2025. This growing acceptance of the genre reflects a broader cultural shift, one that reaches even the highest levels of government. Former President Joko Widodo—widely known as Jokowi—has openly expressed his enthusiasm for heavy metal, signaling a rare alignment between subcultural music scenes and political leadership. As Pri Ario Damar, Dean of Performing Arts at Institut Kesenian Jakarta (Jakarta Institute of the Arts), explains, “Indonesia is a moderate Muslim country, which is why we’re more open to foreign influences, including heavy metal music, compared to some more conservative nations.”

Whether this openness will persist remains uncertain, particularly given Indonesia’s political trajectory. Elected in 2014 on a wave of reformist optimism, Jokowi eventually came to embody the dynastic and anti-reform politics reminiscent of earlier regimes. His successor, Prabowo Subianto, is a former military general who served under Suharto.

This according to “From our own voices: The meaning making of subculture among extreme metal musicians in Indonesia” by Oki Rahadianto Sutopo and Agustinus Aryo Lukisworo (Metal music studies 9/3 [2023] 359–367; RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2023-20530).

The photo at the beginning of this piece is of the hijab-wearing, female metal trio Voice of Baceprot, the first Indonesian band to perform at the 2024 Glastonbury Festival in the U.K.

Below, a vlog of an Indonesian metalhead’s journey to Hammersonic 2024.

Related Bibliolore posts:

https://bibliolore.org/2017/10/23/heavy-metal-and-antiquity/

https://bibliolore.org/2015/01/06/heavy-metal-cookbooks/

https://bibliolore.org/2018/07/02/karinding-attacks-heavy-metal-bamboo/

https://bibliolore.org/2025/02/28/nusantara-heavy-metal-and-malaysias-long-hair-ban/

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by | April 16, 2025 · 6:00 am

New titles for RILM Abstracts with Full Text in 2025

RILM Abstracts with Full Text will add eight more titles to its full-text journal collection this summer. The new titles are:

Българско музикознание [B”lgarsko muzikoznanie/Bulgarian musicology]. Sofiâ: B”lgarskata Akademiâ na Naukite, Institut za Izkustvoznanie, 1977–. ISSN 0204-823X

The only academic periodical dedicated to music and musicology in Bulgaria, this journal was established in 1977 as a musicological series and has been published quarterly since 1981. It features scholarly articles that explore phenomena and developments across both Bulgarian and international musical cultures.

Canadian winds/Vents canadiens: Journal of the Canadian Band Association/Revue de l’Association canadienne des harmonies. Toronto: Canadian Band Association/Association Canadienne de l’Harmonie, 2002–. ISSN 1703-5295

The professional journal of the Canadian Band Association, this publication was first issued in the fall of 2002. It features a broad range of articles related to wind band activity, interpreted in an inclusive and expansive manner. Striving to balance scholarly inquiry with pedagogical relevance, the journal is designed to be accessible to all instrumental music educators. While its primary audience is Canadian and many articles address issues specific to the Canadian context, the journal maintains an outward-looking perspective, aiming to foster dialogue and engagement with the international wind band community.

Fontes artis musicae. Madison: A-R Editions, 1954–. ISSN 0015-6191

The journal publishes articles aligned with the aims of IAML, with a particular focus on international music librarianship, documentation, bibliography, audiovisual materials, and musicology.

関渡音樂學刊 [Guandu yinyue xuekan]/Kuandu music journal. Taibei: Guoli Taibei Yishu Daxue/Taipei National University of the Arts, 2004–. ISSN 1814-1889

Named after Guandu, the area of Taipei where the university is located, the journal has been in publication since 2004, and is published by the School of Music at Guoli Taibei Yishu Daxue (Taipei National University of the Arts, TNUA). It features scholarly articles on a range of topics, including musicology, ethnomusicology, compositional techniques, music theory, and music psychology.

Journal of Christian musicology. Ilé-Ifẹ̀: Obafemi Awolowo University, 2020–. ISSN 2782-8433

Published annually by the Christian Music Research Forum in collaboration with the Christian Music Institute and Research Centre–an academic NGO based in Nigeria–this journal responds to the growing need for a systematic study of Christian music in all its diversity and distinctiveness. It advances global scholarship and practice in Christian music by publishing research on its various forms, disseminating theoretical perspectives across genres, and promoting the performance and application of Christian repertoire in a range of social and cultural contexts.

– Liuteria, musica e cultura: Organo ufficiale dell’Associazione liutaria italiana. – Cremona: Associazione Liuteria Italiana, 2006–. ISSN 1825-7054

The official publication of the Associazione Liutaria Italiana (Italian Violinmaking Association), this journal supports the Association’s mission to promote and preserve the culture of violin making. It welcomes contributions from scholars whose research interests intersect with the field of violin making, as well as the broader domains of organology and musical scholarship. Membership in the Association is open to individuals engaged in these areas of study.

– Studi musicali. Firenze: Leo S. Oschki, 1972–2009. ISSN 0391-7789 and eISSN 2037-6413

The official publication of the long-established Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, dedicated to the field of music culture. While the journal leans toward historical musicological studies–particularly those related to Rome–it also encompasses a range of other disciplines, including music criticism, sociology, ethnomusicology, and analysis. Given its international circulation, the journal accepts submissions in widely used scholarly languages within the cultural and academic spheres.

– Studien zur Musikwissenschaft: Beihefte der Denkmäler der Tonkunst in Österreich. Wien: Hollitzer Wissenschaftsverlag, 2017–. ISSN 0930-9578

Founded in 1913 by Guido Adler, this journal features studies closely related to the volumes of the Denkmäler der Tonkunst in Österreich (DTÖ), along with methodological reflections on musical philology, articles on the history of music in Austria, and editions of relevant textual sources.

These additions exemplify RILM’s commitment to providing full-text content that is truly international in scope, with coverage that embraces a diversity of languages, nations, subject matter, and approaches to music research. RILM Abstracts of Music Literature with Full Text is a comprehensive bibliography of writings on music, featuring citations, abstracts, and indexes. It covers over one million publications from the early 19th century to the present on traditional music, popular music, jazz, classical music, and related subjects, enhanced with full text.

If you do not already subscribe to RILM Abstracts with Full Text, please reach out to your EBSCO sales representative, or email information@ebsco.com.

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by | March 30, 2025 · 6:00 am

From life-giving symbol to instrument of worship

The sistrum, an ancient percussion instrument, was commonly shaken during religious ceremonies to signify the presence of a deity. In Egypt, it is believed to have mimicked the sound of rustling papyrus stalks. Unlike enclosed rattles, the sistrum features rings or discs on one or more rods, which produce sound externally. When these rods are set within a frame, they are referred to as frame or sliding rattles. In some sliding rattles, the rods themselves are movable, serving as the rattles. The sistrum discovered in Tutankhamun’s tomb uniquely combines snake-shaped rods with square discs as rattles. Similar design elements can also be seen in silver instruments used in Armenian and Syrian worship rituals.

Sistras on a wall relief from the Temple of Edfu.
Sistrum players in a relief from the tomb of Nunuter, 6th dynasty, Giza, Egypt.
A sound sample of an Anatolian sistrum.

Originally a sacred instrument dedicated to the goddess Hathor, the sistrum became a symbol of life-giving energies, rooted in ancient water and fertility rituals, as well as a tool in spiritual practices honoring various deities. In ancient Egypt, Rome, and Greece, it was widely adopted as a priestly instrument in the Isis cult (Apuleius). To this day, the sistrum holds significance in Coptic worship and is still used by Ethiopian Christians alongside the drum, albeit stripped of its pagan embellishments. Ancient Egyptian sistrums were often adorned with depictions of Hathor, Isis, the jester Bes, the sphinx, falcons, and other animal or plant motifs. Fired clay sistrums decorated with papyrus umbels point to the instrument’s mythological origins in a cult ceremony where young women honored the goddess by plucking aquatic plants from the Nile River and shaking them to produce a rustling sound. This act, known as “making a seshesh” inspired the instrument’s name, and in later practices, the sistrum was often shaken alongside bundles of plants.

This according to this month’s featured article on the sistrum in MGG Online.

Above, a short instructional video on the Egyptian sistrum.

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by | March 25, 2025 · 6:00 am

New, alternative, or underground? Youth music in the Arab world: An annotated bibliography

The library of the Institut du Monde Arabe (Arab World Institute) in Paris is home to an extensive collection of writings on music from the Arab world, a region stretching from the Atlas Mountains to the Indian Ocean. This series of blog posts highlights selections from this collection, along with abstracts written by RILM staff members contained in RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, the comprehensive bibliography of writings about music and music-related subjects. 

 ———

New, alternative, or underground music in the Arab world is not quite underground. It might be hidden, but in plain sight. Local in expression, it is global in its reach. Its new sounds defy and redefine the old. It protests it. It embraces it. It carries the youth’s inclination to break from norms as well as their yearning to belong. Classifying music as “new” in the Arab world can be fraught with assumptions indeed. From creating DJ samples that draw young clubgoers in Tunisia and protest hip hop in Ramallah to the remixing of ṭarab music in electronic music scenes, young Arab musicians are not short of imagination. These repertoires–the music of a young generation–reveal a whole new world.

In Tunisia, the words of rapper Hamada ben Amor became an anthem for the revolution, while in Libya, rapper Ibn Thabit gained prominence in 2009 for his critiques of the Gaddafi regime. In Egypt, the band Cairokee merged the Egyptian old with reggae beats and rock drums. In Lebanon, Mashrou’ Leila’s lyrics defied societal norms of gender and sexuality. In Morocco, Arabic and Berber became rap’s first tongue, and the local gnawa and chaabi came to incorporate elements of reggae and rock. Across the region, young women musicians have taken center stage, defying stereotypes and asserting the slogan ṣawt al-mar’aẗ ṯawraẗ صوت المرأة ثورة (a woman’s voice is a revolution). Outside of the Arab world, alternative, underground, and new music scenes have emerged among immigrant communities, notably in Europe and North America. Local and diasporic musical scenes  connect on streaming platforms and Instagram pages, through YouTube clicks, “like” buttons, and TikTok “repost”.

Mashrou’ Leila from Lebanon.

New or alternative music styles proliferated across the region in the aftermath of the 2011 Arab Spring, which provided an outlet for youth to express their frustrations with prevailing sociopolitical realities and articulate their aspirations for the future. As a revolutionary ethos dominated public discourse, activists created alternative public spaces for dissent, where they expressed their views on political and social issues and created art and music. These new musical forms became the soundtrack of popular movements, largely sustained by youth ages 15–29, a demographic constituting approximately 30 percent of the population of the Arab world in 2019.[1]

A performance by the Lebanese alternative rock band, Who Killed Bruce Lee, at the Institut du Monde Arabe in 2017.

Academic studies of emerging styles and scenes have remained limited as scholarly engagement is marked by long research periods and publication processes. However, other genres of writing have successfully captured and commented on these musical phenomena in real time. The annotated bibliography of journalistic, artistic, and academic writing below presents select titles that document, and in some cases analyze, the rise of the stylistic innovation that characterize the music of a new, young Arab generation.

Written and compiled by Farah Zahra, Associate Editor, RILM

[1] Arab Barometer, “Youth in Middle East and North Africa”, https://www.arabbarometer.org/wp-content/uploads/ABV_Youth_Report_Public-Opinion_Middle-East-North-Africa_2019-1.pdf

Annotated bibliography

Brehony, Louis. Palestinian music in exile: Voices of resistance (Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 2023). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2023-22405; IMA catalogue reference].

A historical and contemporary study of Palestinian music in exile in the Middle East, spanning half a century in disparate and undocumented locations. Based on seven years of research in Europe and the Middle East, stories show creatively divergent and revolutionary performances and compositions springing from conditions of colonialism and repression, and contributing to a transnational aesthetics of resistance. Interviews were conducted with musicians in Kuwait, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Gaza and the West Bank, and Turkey, including musician Rīm Kīlānī, singer and composer Tāmir Abū Ġazālaẗ, singer Rawān ʿUkāšaẗ, composers and ʿūd players Saʿīd Silbāq and Aḥmad al-H̱aṭīb, percussionist Fāris ʿAnbar, and guitarists Aḥmad Ḥaddād and Tāriq Ṣalḥiyyaẗ, among others.

Burkhalter, Thomas, Kay Dickinson, and Benjamin J. Harbert (eds.). The Arab avant-garde: Music, politics, modernity (Middletown: Wesleyan University Press, 2013). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2013-8734; IMA catalogue reference]

From jazz trumpeters drawing on the noises of warfare in Beirut to female heavy metal performers in Alexandria, Arab culture offers a wealth of exciting, challenging, and diverse musics. The plethora of compositional and improvisational techniques, performance styles, political motivations, professional trainings, and intercontinental collaborations that claim the mantle of innovation within Arab and Arab diaspora music are examined. Engaging the “avant-garde”–a term with Eurocentric resonances–disturbs that presumed exclusivity, drawing on and challenging a growing body of literature about alternative modernities. (publisher blurb)

Clémente-Ruiz, Aurélie. Hip hop: Du Bronx aux rues Arabes [Hip hop: From the Bronx to Arab streets] (Paris: Institut du Monde Arabe; Gent: Snoeck, 2015). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2015-89747; IMA catalogue reference]. 

Issued as part of the exhibition Hip Hop, du Bronx aux Rues Arabes organized by the Institut du Monde Arabe in 2015. Hip hop is approached not simply as a genre but as an aesthetic, a lifestyle in perpetual evolution and a continuous transformation. Articles by multiple authors covering various topics and aspects of hip hop history and its adaptation by contemporary Arab artists are included.

Caubet, Dominique and Amine Hamma. Jil Lklam: Poètes urbains [Jil Lklam: Urban poets] (Mohammedia: Senso Unico Éditions; Casablanca: Éditions du Sirocco, 2016). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2016-56443; IMA catalogue reference]. 

The Moroccan music scene that emerged in the mid-1990s has become a crucial part of the overall cultural scene of the country. Rappers, slammers, reggae musicians, creators of metal music and nonmusic genres such as graffiti and break dance have all initiated an urban movement that mixes genres and contributes to a multicultural Morocco. The evolution of discourse emerging from the underground scene to the public sphere is explored, with attention to the lyrics of songs expressing a young generation’s interest in taboo subjects, cool music, and tough texts. Eloquent, humorous, sensitive, angry, and poetic, this creative and rebellious generation expresses, in multilingual tongues—vernacular Amazigh mixed with French, English, and Spanish–its love for its homeland along with its desire for dignity, freedom, and a better future. This generation adapted the U.S. counterculture’s ethos of do-it-yourself and solidarity while using new technology and social media to share its music. Interviews with experts on the new music scene, a selection of song texts shared in their original language and translated to French, and rich iconography are included. (publisher blurb)

Daoudi, Bouziane and Hadj Miliani. Beurs’ mélodies: Cent ans de chansons immigrées du blues berbère au rap beur [Beur melodies: One hundred years of immigrant song from Berber blues to Beur rap] (Paris: Séguier, 2002). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2002-17097; IMA catalogue reference].

More than any other form of expression, North African immigrant song recounts the often painful chronology, frustrations, hopes, and imaginings of thousands of men and women who came to France beginning in 1890. North African artists are unique in the French musical landscape, expressing themselves through multiple musical vectors such as chanson, rock, rap, reggae, and raï. (translated from the publisher blurb)

Deval, Frédéric. “Les échelles du Levant” [The scales of the Levant] Qantara 54 (hiver 2004-05) 21–23. [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature,  2004-47631; IMA catalog reference].

An interview with the Lebanese composer and pianist Zad Moultaka about his composition techniques integrating elements of Western art music and the Arab maqām. The piece Zarani for piano, ʿūd, and darbūkaẗ is analyzed.

Domat, Chloé. “L’effervescence de la scène ‘indé’ libanaise” [The effervescence of the Lebanese indie scene] Qantara 91 (printemps 2014) 22-23. [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature,  2014–96209; IMA catalog reference].

The Lebanese indie music scene has seen the flourishing of groups drawing on multiple musical sources. Born spontaneously in an eclectic musical landscape, the scene’s musicians have appropriated underground spaces which they maintain through new technologies and away from the commercial music industry. (translated from the article’s introduction)

El-Sakka, Abaher. “Mohammed Assaf: Portre-parole d’une jeunesse mondialisée” [Muḥammad ʿAssāf: A spokesperson for a globalized youth], Le monde arabe existe-t-il (encore)?, ed. by Chirine El Messiri. Araborama 1 (Paris: Institut du Monde Arabe; Seuil, 2020) 52–55. [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2020-76899; IMA catalogue reference].

In 2013, the young Palestinian singer Muḥammad ʿAssāf from Gaza rose to fame as the winner of the second season of Arab idol, a singing talent TV program produced by MBC TV. His background as a refugee from a Palestinian camp resonated with audiences, evoking a sense of empathy and solidarity. Since his victory, ʿAssāf has toured internationally and served as a goodwill ambassador for UNESCO and UNRWA. Through his tours and performances, he used media, youth culture, and his artistic talent, to reach audiences beyond national boundaries.

Palestinian singer Muḥammad ʿAssāf performs on Arab Idol.

El Zein, Rayya. “Resisting ‘resistance’: On political feeling in Arabic rap concerts”, Arab subcultures: Transformations in theory and practice, ed. by Layal Ftouni and Tarik Sabry. Library of modern Middle East studies (London; New York: I.B. Tauris, 2016) 83–112. [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2016-56445; IMA catalogue reference].

Explores the ways in which young Arab rap artists navigate the contradictions in the urban and public spheres in everyday life. The discourse of resistance permeating scholarship on rap and hip hop in the Arab world is critiqued and perceived as an expression of neoliberal power. Within the context of the rap scenes in Beirut and Ramallah, political feeling is expressed through objection, confrontation, repetition—a set of processes that hinges on collective action and solidarity rather than individual agency. Interactions, as such, should not be labeled as political but should be approached as subversive in their own terms. Conclusions are based on ethnographic studies conducted in Beirut and Ramallah, where interviews and conversations were conducted and exchanges between artists and audiences were observed.

Houssais, Coline. “La Tunisie entre rap et rage” [Tunisia between rap and rage] Qantara 99 (printemps 2016) 22–23. [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature,  2016-60281; IMA catalog reference].

The Tunisian rap scene has become the forum for a youth generation deprived of their revolution. Neglected by political power, young Tunisians turn to rap to express their frustrations and aspirations. The documentary Tunisia clash (2015) directed by Hind Meddeb covers the rap scene during and in the aftermath of the 2011 Tunisian Revolution. (translated from the article’s introduction)

Isherwood, Gustav. “The hip-hop resistance: Forging unity in the Arab diaspora”, Review of Middle East studies 48:1-2 (2014) 24–33. [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2014-86897; IMA catalogue reference].

Examines the role of hip hop in motivating, supporting, and unifying political resistance movements and revolutionary activity in various Arab countries.

Mezouane, Rabah. “Alger qui rappe, Oran qui raï” [Algiers raps and Oran plays raï] Qantara 26 (été 1999) 22–23. [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature,  1999-66771; IMA catalog reference].

Describes the rap music scene in Algiers and the raï music scene in Oran. In each city, young singers and musicians are shaping the sounds of Algerian popular music and reaffirming their cultural identity.

Pillault, Théophile. “Les mondes de Deena Abdelwahed” [The worlds of Deena Abdelwahed] Qantara 104 (été 2017) 19–20. [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature,  2017-93296; IMA catalog reference].

With her recent release on the prestigious electronic music label InFiné, Tunisian DJ Deena Abdelwahed introduced her compositions to the heart of the new Mediterranean electronic scene. (translated from the article’s introduction)

Deena Abdelwahed’s 2019 Tawab (Remixes) album cover.

Listen to the album here: Tawa Remixes EP | Deena Abdelwahed

Pillault, Théophile. “Au coeur de la nouvelle scène tunisienne” [At the heart of the new Tunisian scene] Qantara 96 (été 2015) 22–23. [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature,  2015-92520; IMA catalog reference].

All the way through a revolution, three years of institutional crisis, a new constitution, political tensions, and the horror of the Bardo National Museum attack, Tunisia was fighting for a space of freedom. At the same time, Tunisian youth went out and experienced new music on dance floors. A short interview with DJ Haze-M is included. (translated from the article’s introduction)

Poché, Christian. “L’Occident, nouveau creuset de la musique arabe” [The West: The new melting-pot of Arab music] Qantara 66 (hiver 2007–08) 22–23.  [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature,  2008-53699; IMA catalog reference].

Arab music displays some original and unexpected aspects in the West. Whether addressing an Arab diaspora or a European audience, Arab musicians explore influences, present confrontations between genres, perform with musicians of different origins, all while revisiting their own musical traditions. (translated from the article’s introduction)

Salah, Alaa and Martin Roux. Le chant de la révolte: Le soulèvement soudanais raconté par son icône [The song of the revolution: The Sudanese uprising as told by its icon] (Lausanne: Favre, 2021). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2021-108638; IMA catalogue reference].

In April 2019, the Sudanese revolution entered a decisive phase. At the end of four months of repressed demonstrations, protesters reached the outskirts of the army headquarters: they demanded the resignation of General Omar al-Bashir, the dictator in place in Khartoum for 30 years. His reign was marked by wars in South Sudan and Darfur and the oppression of women and all dissident voices. The youth of the country, where more than half of the population was under 25, dreamed of freedom. Suddenly, an image imposed this revolution on television news and the front page of international daily newspapers. Ālā’ Ṣalāḥ appeared a few days before the leader’s fall. Draped in white, an angry index finger pointing towards the sky, the young woman overlooked a crowd of thousands of demonstrators. As she chanted her revolutionary poetry, her gesture propelled her to the rank of a revolutionary icon and gave the Sudanese uprising a title: the revolution of women. Ultimately, Ālā’ became a leading figure in a revolution of a generation that finally tasted hope and a country engaged on a fragile path towards democracy. (translated from the publisher blurb)

Shalaby, Nadia A. “A multimodal analysis of selected Cairokee songs of the Egyptian revolution and their representation of women”, Women, culture, and the January 2011 Egyptian Revolution, ed. by Dalia Said Mostafa (London: Routledge, 2017) 59–81. [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2017-90149; IMA catalogue reference].

Analyzes the music videos Ṣawt al-ḥurriyyaẗ (Voice of freedom), Yā al-mīdān (Oh, Tahrir Square), and Iṯbat makānak (Stand your ground) by the Egyptian band Cairokee. The three music videos were released during the year following the breakout of the Egyptian revolution on 25 January 2011, and each reflects the popular mood accompanying the phases of the revolution. The creation and reception of meaning through these music videos is a product of lyrics, music, and other semiotic resources such as visual cues, photographs, camera angles, framing, range of shots, and gaze. The visual design of each music video is discussed to show how multimodal discourse is formed through the employment of various visual, verbal, and musical modes. Finally, the presence and the agency of women in the three music videos are analyzed following the same analytical model.

Cairokee from Egypt.
Above, Cairokee’s performs Yā al-mīdān (Oh, Tahrir Square), featuring Aida El Ayouby.

Stocker, Valérie and Guillaume Thomassin. “Libye underground” [Underground music in Libya] Qantara 82 (hiver 2011-12) 22–23. [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature,  2011-54272; IMA catalog reference].

The underground music scene in Tripoli reflects societal shifts beyond mainstream visibility and in response to state-sponsored musical genres and censorship. Since 2011, the increasing availability of the Internet has provided young Libyans access to global musical genres, which they have adapted to articulate the unique concerns and identities of their generation. French reggae, rap, and pop-rock have been adapted and used as vehicles for social commentary and resistance.

Zegnani, Sami. “Le public du rap: Un révélateur des transformations de la société” [The rap audience: An indicator of social change], Tunisie, l’après 2011: Enquête sur les transformations de la société tunisienne [Tunisia, post-2011: Survey about the transformations of Tunisian society], ed. by France Guérin-Pace and Hassène Kassar (Aubervilliers: Institut national d’études démographiques, 2022) 197–211. [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2022-28461; IMA catalogue reference].

Investigates the socio-demographics of Tunisian rap fans, considering age, gender, education level, profession, economic level, place of residence (urban and rural), political and religious affiliations, and extent of access to the Internet.

Related Bibliolore posts:

https://bibliolore.org/2024/07/12/palestine-in-song-an-annotated-bibliography/

https://bibliolore.org/2023/04/12/singing-the-revolution-in-the-arab-world-an-annotated-bibliography/

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by | March 20, 2025 · 6:00 am

The contemplative Karnatak singer Jayashri Ramnath

The Indian singer Jayashri Ramnath (better known as Bombay Jayashri) was introduced to Karnatak music in her early childhood, influenced by her parents’ roles as music teachers. Jayashri began her performing career at the age of 28, and having grown up in cosmopolitan Mumbai (formerly Bombay), she was exposed to a wide range of music genres, including bhajans, film music, Hindustani classical, and light music. Despite this diverse musical background, Jayashri’s passion for Karnatak music remained at the core of her identity. During her childhood and college years, she kept her Karnatak training a secret while also exploring other musical opportunities, including singing jingles. Her voice, shaped by Hindustani training, combined with her soulful delivery drawn from her eclectic musical experiences, made Jayashri a distinctive performer.

Jayashri also has ventured into other genres, frequently collaborating with a variety of instrumentalists and vocalists. Boldly, for a Karnatak classical singer not yet widely established, she sang for films in multiple South Asian languages, including Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu. Many of these film songs became huge successes, earning her the title of best female playback singer in Tamil Nadu province. Until today, her music is characterized by a contemplative quality known as sruti suddham. Initially criticized for offering sweet music rather than more profound depth, Jayashri’s style has matured into a serene and resonant presence. Her stage demeanor exudes dignity, free from unnecessary gestures, reflecting her deep connection to the beauty of raga. As a composer, she has also earned recognition for her collaborations with artists like Chitra Visweswara, Parvathy, and others.

Jayashri with her son, Amrit.

The most exceptional aspect of her musical career, however, is her immense popularity, which spans across regions and extends worldwide. She has truly become an internationally beloved star, forging a unique connection with diverse audiences through her hypnotic and compelling voice. Beyond her musical talents, she is known for her warmth and kindness in post-concert interactions, leaving lasting memories not only of her remarkable music but also of her humble and genuinely kind nature.

This according to “Bombay Jayashri Ramnath–Notes of resilience: Reflecting with grace and gratitude” by Shailaja Khanna (Sruti: India’s premier magazine for the performing arts 31/1 [2024] 20–25; RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2024-10526). Find it in RILM Abstracts with Full Text.

Below, Jayashri performs at a concert in Sri Lanka.

Jayashri performs Valli devasenapate.

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by | March 16, 2025 · 6:00 am

Music education and citizenship in Venezuela

From 2007 to 2017, El Sistema–Venezuela’s national music education system–experienced a remarkable rise, followed by an equally dramatic decline. While it may be tempting to dismiss this decade as an anomaly in the history of music education, it more accurately represents a significant return to a long-standing rationale for music education: social activism. By placing this brief yet impactful period of El Sistema’s influence within a broader historical context, including Venetian Ospedali, British Brass Bands, and American Settlement Music Houses, El Sistema and similar music education initiatives highlighted the potential of music education to directly address societal inequities.

Cover of a DVD featuring performances of the National Children´s Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela at a European festival in 2013.

Research on El Sistema-inspired (ES-i) programs has identified key program characteristics and potential outcomes for students, such as fostering student pride and persistence, creating a sense of community within ensembles, providing low-barrier access, promoting peer mentoring, offering frequent performance opportunities, and enhancing emotional regulation skills and psychosocial well-being. However, despite these positive impacts, El Sistema and its derivatives remain highly controversial. Reports of abuse within El Sistema in Venezuela have been described as an open secret, and philosophical critiques highlight issues with the model’s ties to the Venezuelan government, its failure to address deep structural problems in society, and its reliance on propaganda to exaggerate claims of social change.

Jose Luis Alvaray, age 11, a Venezuelan musician in the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra, performs as director during a presentation at a ceremony in Caracas on 8 June 2013. Photo: Juan Barreto/AFP/Getty Images.

In this context, post-El Sistema programs may provide an additional lens through which to view musical contexts for citizenship education. These programs must confront the challenge of redefining the El Sistema model, determining whether the program serves to normalize and reproduce social structures or to foster political participation.

This according to “Ritornello: El Sistema, music education, and a centuries-long narrative of socio-musical activism” by Stephen Fairbanks (Music education research 24/1 [2022] 18–30; RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2022-21042) and “Teaching citizenship through music education: A case study of a community youth orchestra program” by Amanda E. Ellerbe (Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education 236 [spring 2023] 43–57; RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2023-14178).

The week of 17 March is International Teach Music Week.

Below, a performance by the Teresa Carreño Youth Orchestra, featuring some of Venezuela’s best high school musicians, led by Gustavo Dudamel, playing Shostakovich’s symphony no. 10, 2nd movement.

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by | February 28, 2025 · 6:00 am

Nusantara heavy metal and Malaysia’s long hair ban

In 1989, the Malaysian band Search became a cultural phenomenon across the maritime Southeast Asia region (locally known as nusantara, or archipelago), successfully exporting their unique style of Malaysian hard rock and heavy metal, which came to be known retrospectively in the Malay language as rock kapak (literally “axe rock”). Their success paved the way for cross-border collaborations in Indonesia and elsewhere, including recordings, tours, and a feature-length film. Following the release of their 1985 debut album Cinta buatan Malaysia (Love made in Malaysia), Search emerged as leaders in the emerging Malay hard rock scene. As heavy metal and rock music gained popularity among youth across the country, Malaysian authorities attempted to limit its spread by imposing a ban on long-haired rockers in 1992. The government justified this measure by associating rock and metal with antisocial behavior, drug use, and other undesirable activities. Search found themselves at the heart of this controversy, as the ban restricted the broadcast of their music on national radio and television. Instead of altering their appearance, Search chose to defy the ban, leading to concert permit denials by government officials.

The Cinta buatan Malaysia cassette tape.

This episode underscores the connections and tensions stirred by Malay rock, which acted as both a crossing of nation-state borders and a challenge to religious and moral boundaries. The former can be understood in the context of inter-regional popular music exchanges within the nusantara region, while the latter reflects Malay rock’s resistance to authoritarian moral policing. The boundary crossings enacted by Search illustrate how the mobility of Malay rock, seen as an informal cross-nusantara movement predominantly led by male, working-class youth, opposed the conservative policies of ethnonational states. While Search’s movement across the region represented a porous crossing of domestic and regional borders, it was the emotionally resonant aspects of their popular ballads that attracted a wide audience across maritime Southeast Asia and even influenced politicians who sought to control their public image.

Search in 2022.

Despite the challenges posed by the long hair ban, Search persevered, consistently releasing albums and singles throughout the 1990s and 2000s, even as rock’s popularity declined in favor of pop, hip hop, and R&B across Asia. Their most recent album, Katharsis, was released in 2017.

This according to “Crossing borders and crossing the line: Nusantara mobilities of Search and the Malay rock phenomenon (1980s and 1990s)” by Adil Johan (Indonesia and the Malay world 51/151[2023] 257–278; RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2023-16963).

Below are links to two classic Search music videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YM-5hmqKXPY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGDvEJJfwH4

Other Bibliolore posts on international heavy metal:

https://bibliolore.org/2019/07/11/martyrdom-and-mapuche-metal/ https://bibliolore.org/2018/07/02/karinding-attacks-heavy-metal-bamboo/ https://bibliolore.org/2018/01/25/extreme-metal-in-iraq-and-syria/

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by | February 19, 2025 · 6:00 am

Capoeira and social justice

Capoeira, as a martial art, was created by enslaved Afro-Brazilians. Today, it blends song, dance, acrobatics, and theatrical improvisation, inspiring many practitioners to become active in social causes. Capoeira often serves as a gateway for individuals to transition from physical training to social justice activities, highlighting its deep roots in resistance and subversion. For instance, practitioners in the United States, both as individuals and as communities, engage in activism by marching against racial discrimination, celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth, organizing clothing drives for job seekers, and advocating for economic and environmental justice in their communities. For these capoeiristas, the practice becomes a form of serious leisure that fosters personal growth, a sense of belonging, and an enhanced sense of self, while also carrying social duties and responsibilities. In this way, capoeira exemplifies how participation in a leisure community—often regarded as trivial—can profoundly reshape one’s worldview and positions capoeira itself as a powerful model for civic engagement.

Using Robert Stebbins’s concept of “serious leisure” helps illuminate how capoeira fosters social activism. Stebbins defines serious leisure as a mix of amateur pursuits, hobbyist activities, and career volunteering that individuals engage in outside of their work life, deriving personal satisfaction from it. In this context, capoeira, as a relational Afro-Brazilian martial art, encourages practitioners to leave with a heightened awareness of, and concern for, the societal structures surrounding them. Capoeira’s African roots, both as a martial art and a cultural expression, touch on themes such as authenticity, gentrification, Afrocentrism, and nationalism. These elements implicitly and explicitly engage with the social dynamics of race, influencing the practice and the ways practitioners interact with their broader societal context.

This according to Graceful resistance: How capoeiristas use their art for activism and community engagement by Lauren Miller Griffith (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2023; RILM Abstracts of Music Literature 2023-5114).

Celebrate the UN World Day of Social Justice on February 20.

Watch a performance of capoeira music and solo techniques by children below.

Read a related post in Bibliolore:

https://bibliolore.org/2021/02/28/capoeiras-hidden-history/

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