''Fidjeri'' (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a 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. E.Watson; Walter ...

: الفجيري; sometimes spelled ''fijri'' or ''fidjeri'') is the specific repertoire of

vocal music Vocal music is a type of singing performed by one or more singers, either with instrumental accompaniment, or without instrumental accompaniment (a cappella), in which singing provides the main focus of the piece. Music which employs singing but d ...

sung by the

pearl divers Pearl hunting, also known as pearling, is the activity of recovering pearls from wild molluscs, usually oysters or mussels, in the sea or freshwater. Pearl hunting was prevalent in the Persian Gulf region and Japan for thousands of years. On the ...

of Eastern Arabia's coastal Gulf states, especially

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 a ...

and

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 Iraq–Ku ...

. A lead singer is backed up by a

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

of accompanying singers and clapping. The accompanying instruments to a ''fidjeri'' ensemble are a small double-sided hand-

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...

, known as the '' mirwās'' ( ar, المرواس) and the ''jāhlah'' ( ar, الجاهلة), a clay pot played with both hands. There are eight genres of fijiri: Sanginni (sung on the beach, not on the boat), Bahri, Adsani, Mkholfi, Haddadi, Hasawi, Zumayya, and Dan, the last two actually being subgenres of Hasawi and Mkholfi respectively. Bahri and Adsani are the two main genres. Pearl diver singers are referred to in Arabic as ''nahham'' ( ar, نهام).

Salem Allan Salem al-Allan (1914 – 25 September 1981) was a popular Fijiri singer from Bahrain. He was born in Galali, a village in Muharraq Governorate. Biography Allan was born in the village of Galali in Muharraq Governorate in 1914, the second son ...

and Ahmad Butabbaniya are two of the most well-known fijiri singers from Bahrain.

References

External links

Youtube clip of The Ghalali traditional music and dance group performing a Fijiri song in a village near Muharraq, Bahrain, October 7 2009
Bahraini music Arabic music Kuwaiti music Arab culture Pearls Emirati music

See also

References

Further reading

External links