Israel and You Spaces and Places in Israel
Arabic Music: Song for Acre – Arab Folk Song
Israel and You wants to present an Arab Folk Song. After all Arabs (Muslim-Sunni and Shia, Christian, Bedouin, Druze, Ahmadiyya, Aramaic, Samaritans, and Circassians are 20% of Israel’s population.
Folk music
Early in the 20th century, Palestinian Arabs lived in rural villages areas, either as farmers or as nomads. The fellahin (farmers) sang a variety of work songs, used for tasks like fishing, shepherding, harvesting and making olive oil. Traveling storytellers and musicians called zajaleen were also common, known for their epic tales. Weddings were also home to distinctive music, especially the dabke, a complex dance performed by linked groups of dancers.
After the creation of Israel in 1948, the most popular recorded musicians at the time were the superstars of Arab classical music, especially Umm Kulthum and Sayed Darwish. In the 1970s, a new wave of popular Palestinian stars emerged, including Sabreen and Al Ashiqeen. In the 1990s, the Palestinian National Authority was established, and Palestinian cultural expression began to stabilize. Bands, which had all but disappeared, reappeared to perform popular Egyptian and Lebanese songs.
(Photo: Public Domain)
