A ''dawr'' (Arabic: دور or الدور; plural: ''adwar'', أدوار; also spelled ''dour'') is a genre of Arabic vocal music sung in regional or colloquial

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

. The genre faded in popularity after the 1920s and often used the

melisma Melisma ( grc-gre, μέλισμα, , ; from grc, , melos, song, melody, label=none, plural: ''melismata'') is the singing of a single syllable of text while moving between several different notes in succession. Music sung in this style is referr ...

tic technique of ''

ahaat ''Ahaat'' ( ar, آهات) is a technique used in Arabic vocal music, involving the use of extended melodic variations on the syllable "a." The technique, which gives the impression of a sigh, is typically used to express strong emotion such as longi ...

''.Racy, Ali Jihad. ''Making Music in the Arab World: The Culture and Artistry of Tarab''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. The ''dawr'' often uses a string of ''

maqam MAQAM is a US-based production company specializing in Arabic and Middle Eastern media. The company was established by a small group of Arabic music and culture lovers, later becoming a division of 3B Media Inc. "MAQAM" is an Arabic word meaning a ...

at'', moving from one to the other in sequence. ''Dawr'' can also refer to the first section of a ''

muwashshah ''Muwashshah'' ( ar, موشح ' literally means "girdled" in Classical Arabic; plural ' or ' ) is the name for both an Arabic poetic form and a secular musical genre. The poetic form consists of a multi-lined strophic verse poem written ...

''.

References

20th-century music genres Arabic music Vocal music Song forms {{Arabic-music-stub

See also

References