Nubian Music"
Nubia is the gate to Sub-Saharan Africa and the bridge between the cultures of the Mediterranean Sea and the African continent, especially the Sudan. Nubian rituals, and the traditions of the Kenouz and the Fedija tribes, the two main language groups in Nubia (the third group, the 'Ukaylat are essentially Arabic speakers) are closely integrated with singing, particularly in respect to feasts of rejoicing and wedding celebrations. In its traditional form this music is based on the interaction of all the performers and the audience with singing and clapping and accompanied by the tar, a frame drum and the kisir, a five-stringed lyre. Nubian music is further distinguished from other
Egyptian styles by its use of the pentatonic scale and of particular and characteristic rhythms.
The process of migration from Old Nubia to the North predates the building of the first dam in 1902 and subsequent migrations and displacements. However, it was the construction of the Aswan Dam in 1963 which caused the total flooding of Nubian lands that brought the three distinct groups of Nubians together as permanent exiles from their homeland, creating "communities of memory". Nubian traditions were severely affected by the traumatic experience of the disappearance of their natural environment, a main inspiration for their musical culture.
As early as the 1940s and 1950s, Nubian musicians began to experiment with Western instruments and composers began to integrate Western and Arabic pop-music rhythms, instruments and styles. Although this music is mostly consumed by Nubians (like traditional music in general, Nubian music is hardly heard on Egyptian radio or on television), a few "stars" have become increasingly popular in Egypt and abroad and the music has established itself as part of the world music scene.
The introduction of electric sound systems, specifically the microphone, is seen by some to have changed the character of the music itself. Today, cheap equipment prevails and microphones are usually placed in front of the main singer and one of the main instruments. This results in an imbalance and distortion of the sound, as the interplay of musicians, choir, and the singing and clapping of the audience is disrupted. Still, contemporary Nubian music is distinctive from Egyptian pop music in its instrumentation, its melodic and rhythmic characteristics and the importance of its older traditions as a continuing source of creativity. The use of polyrhythms in the Egyptian pop music scene represent a borrowing or the influence of this Sudanese music.
ECCA promotes the Nubian pop music of Hassan Al Sughaiar. Based on traditional Nubian songs, but using a wider range of instruments, this music is in popular, not only in Nubian communities where it is an enduring feature of wedding celebrations, but also among Egyptians. Hassan performs widely and ECCA has produced a cassette of his music which is available on the local market.
The older traditions are in danger of extinction as Nubians younger than 60 years of age have forgotten the ancient songs and those who still remember them are no longer sought after to perform. In 2003 ECCA brought Sayed Gayer (d. 2005), Salih Abbas, old and experienced musicians, together with two generations of performers from all over Egypt and formed the troupe, Aragide with the aim of keeping this cultural legacy alive. Aragide is one of the few active ensembles playing the traditional music of old Nubia. The term, Aragide, denotes the practice and music of the main procession in the wedding traditions of the Fedija. The aim of ECCA is not simply to preserve this music as part of its performance programs, but to promote it and give it a home until such time as it can once again be appreciated in its original context.