Houria Aïchi (born in Batna) is an Algerian Berber singer of chaoui music. Aïchi sings songs that she learnt in her childhood, accompanied by bendir.

Biography

Born in Aurès, Houria Aïchi went to study

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between ...

in Paris in the 1970s. While teaching sociology, she started to perform in 1985, singing traditional songs of her childhood (

lullabies A lullaby (), or cradle song, is a soothing song or piece of music that is usually played for (or sung to) children (for adults see music and sleep). The purposes of lullabies vary. In some societies they are used to pass down cultural knowledg ...

, love songs), accompanied by traditional instruments ( gasbâ , bendir), Her first two released albums did not open doors. Houria Aïchi also participated in the music for the film ''

The Sheltering Sky ''The Sheltering Sky'' is a 1949 novel of alienation and existential despair by American writer and composer Paul Bowles. Plot The story centers on Port Moresby and his wife Kit, a married couple originally from New York who travel to the Nor ...

'' by

Bernardo Bertolucci Bernardo Bertolucci (; 16 March 1941 – 26 November 2018) was an Italian film director and screenwriter with a career that spanned 50 years. Considered one of the greatest directors in Italian cinema, Bertolucci's work achieved international ...

(1990). Her third album, ''Khalwa'' (meaning ''A Mystical Retreat'') was a collaboration with which was devoted to the sacred songs of Algeria, including those of

dhikr ''Dhikr'' ( ar, ذِكْر}, , also spelled ''Zikr'', ''Thikr'', ''Zekr'', or ''Zikar'', literally meaning "remembrance, reminder" or "mention") is a form of Islamic meditation in which phrases or prayers are repeatedly chanted in order to remem ...

and

soufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

. Houria Aïchi performed both in 2008 and 2013 at the festival ''Au fil des voix'' ( fr). She performed regularly in Paris from the 1990s. After the winter season of 2017–18 in France, Houria Aïchi was invited to the "Festival Salam Orient" on October 21, 2019 in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Discography

* '' Chants De L'aurés'' (1990, Auvidis – Naïve) *'' Hawa'' (1996,

Auvidis Auvidis was a record label founded in 1976 by Louis Bricard. Along with its subsidiaries, it was acquired in 1998 by Naïve Records. During its existence, Auvidis acquired a number of subsidiary labels, such as Unidisc; the traditional and world ...

) *''Khalwa, chants sacrés de l'Algérie'' (2001,

Virgin Classics Virgin Classics was a record label founded in 1988 as part of Richard Branson's Virgin Records. The unit, along with EMI Classics, was acquired by Universal Music in 2012 as part of the takeover of the EMI Group, however the terms of the Europea ...

) ** Houria Aïchi & Henri Agnel. * '' Chants Sacrés d'Algérie (Sacred Songs from Algeria)'' (2005,

Angel Records Angel Records was a record label founded by EMI in 1953. It specialised in classical music, but included an occasional operetta or Broadway score. and one Peter Sellers comedy disc. The famous Recording Angel trademark was used by the Gramophon ...

) *''Songs of the Aures'' – Arabic Berber Songs by Houria Aichi (2006, NAIVE WORLD) *'' Renayate'' (2013,

Harmonia Mundi Harmonia Mundi is an independent record label which specializes in classical music, jazz, and world music (on the World Village label). It was founded in France in 1958 and is now a subsidiary of PIAS Entertainment Group. Its Latin name ''harm ...

) *''Chants Mystiques D'algeri'' (2017 NAIVE WORLD) Houria Aïchi & l'Hijâz'Car *'' Les Cavaliers de l'Aurès (Riders of the Aurès)'' (2008 agreements with

) Compilation * ''

The Rough Guide to the Music of North Africa ''The Rough Guide to the Music of North Africa'' is a world music compilation album originally released in 1997. Part of the World Music Network Rough Guides series, the album contains five Algerian tracks, five Egyptian, two Sudanese, and tw ...

'' (1997,

World Music Network World Music Network is a UK-based record label specializing in world music. The World Music Network website features news, reviews, live music listings, and guide sections on world music. It also features an online "Battle of the Bands" competit ...

)

Footnotes

Notes

References

External links

Houria Aïchi and the Hijâz'Car "Cavaliers de l'Aurès" – Mystical chantes of Algeria
– Accords Croisés {{DEFAULTSORT:Aichi, Houria Living people Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century Algerian women singers People from Batna, Algeria Berber musicians 20th-century Algerian women singers