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). ''Funk ...
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 no ...
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 were widely considered among one of its earliest pioneers.Description
''Sawt'' is a complex form of urban music, originally performed by 'ud (plucked lute) and mirwas (a drum), with aviolin
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
* * * *See also
* Saleh and Daoud Al-Kuwaity * Music of Kuwait * Culture of Kuwait * Culture of Bahrain * FijiriExternal 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