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Sawt ( ar, صوت /
ALA-LC ALA-LC (American Library AssociationLibrary of Congress) is a set of standards for romanization, the representation of text in other writing systems using the Latin script. Applications The system is used to represent bibliographic information by ...
: ''Ṣawt''; literally "voice"; also spelled sout or sowt) is a kind of
popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...
found in
Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
and
Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
.


History

It is said that sawt was established in Kuwait by the poet, composer, singer and oud player Abdallah al-Faraj (1836-1901/1903). The Bahraini historian Mubārak al-‘Ammārī believes that sawt was known in Kuwait before 1766, and in Bahrain since 1783.
Saleh and Daoud Al-Kuwaity Saleh (1908–1986) and Daud (1910–1976) Al-Kuwaity ( ar, صالح و داوود الكويتي) were Kuwait-born Israeli musicians of Iraqi-Iranian ancestry who rose to prominence in the Arab world in the early twentieth century. The ...
were widely considered among one of its earliest pioneers.


Description

''Sawt'' is a complex form of urban music, originally performed by
'ud , image=File:oud2.jpg , image_capt=Syrian oud made by Abdo Nahat in 1921 , background= , classification= * String instruments *Necked bowl lutes , hornbostel_sachs=321.321-6 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded with a plectrum , ...
(plucked lute) and
mirwas The ''mirwās'' or ''marwas'' ( ar, مرواس), plural ''marāwīs'' ( ar, مراويس) is a small double-sided, high-pithced hand drum originally from the Middle East. It is a popular instrument in the Arab States of the Persian Gulf, used i ...
(a drum), with a
violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
later supplementing the arrangement. Two men perform the dance, which is called “Zaffan”. ''Al-Sout'' is performed only at night gatherings of men. It is called “Samra” (nightly chat).


References


Further reading

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See also

*
Saleh and Daoud Al-Kuwaity Saleh (1908–1986) and Daud (1910–1976) Al-Kuwaity ( ar, صالح و داوود الكويتي) were Kuwait-born Israeli musicians of Iraqi-Iranian ancestry who rose to prominence in the Arab world in the early twentieth century. The ...
*
Music of Kuwait Kuwait is well known in the region for its exploration of many different and new forms of music and dance.Badley, Bill. "Sounds of the Arabian Peninsula". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), ...
*
Culture of Kuwait Culture of Kuwait describes the cultural aspects of the Kuwaiti society and is part of the Eastern Arabian culture. Kuwaiti popular culture, in the form of dialect poetry, film, theatre, radio and television soap opera, flourishes and is even exp ...
*
Culture of Bahrain The culture of Bahrain is part of the historical region of Eastern Arabia. Thus, Bahrain's culture is similar to that of its Arab neighbours in the Persian Gulf region. Bahrain is known for its cosmopolitanism, Bahraini citizens are very ethnica ...
*
Fijiri ''Fidjeri'' (Arabic: الفجيري; sometimes spelled ''fijri'' or ''fidjeri'') is the specific repertoire of vocal music sung by the pearl divers of Eastern Arabia's coastal Gulf states, especially Bahrain and Kuwait. A lead singer is backed up ...


External links


Fan al Sawt music by the Ghalali music and dance group, Muharraq, Bahrain, 2009
Kuwaiti music Bahraini music Popular music Arab culture {{music-genre-stub