Arabic Pop Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Arabic Pop Music - Essay Example â€Å"The music of the Arab world is diverse; and includes several types of genres ranging from the classical tradition to the pop culture and from the sacred to the secular. While Arab music is an independent style of music with a distinct sound, it has a long history of interaction with different styles and genres of music† (Michigan Arab Orchestra, 2013). Pop music is extremely popular in Arab world at present. In fact, Arabs were able to develop a unique genre; Arabic Pop Music. Arabic pop music is popular in the Arab world since it is composed in Arabic language. Moreover, the composers of Arabic pop music consider the Arab cultural traits while composing it. Thus, Arabic pop music is more enjoyable to Arab people than other types of pop music since it is composed in their own language. This paper analyses various dimensions of Arabic Pop music. Definition of Arabic Pop Music Arabic Pop music is the form of pop music in the Arab World. It includes several genres and style s of music ranging from pop music to classical music. It contains secular as well as sacred music themes. â€Å"Arabic music, while independent and very alive, has a long history of interaction with many other regional musical styles and genres†(Arabic music, 2013). Such interactions with other music styles caused the evolution of different music styles in the Arab world. The interactions with the pop music helped the Arab world to formulate Arab form of pop music which is known as Arabic Pop Music now. Arabic pop singers The latter part of twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty first century have witnessed many changes in the Arabic Pop Music. Plenty of unique styles and rhythms were used in Arabic Pop Music during this period. Some of the prominent musicians and singers who contributed heavily to the development of Arabic Pop Music in recent times are; Sabah, Warda Al-Jazairia, Magida El Roumi, Nawal El Kuwaiti, Latifa, Samira Said, Angham, Asalah Nasri, Thekra, Kadhem Al Saher, Amr Diab, Diana Haddad, Najwa Karam, Nawal Al Zoghbi, Ehab Tawfik, Hisham Abbas, Wael Kfoury, Amal Hijazi, Elissa, Nancy Ajram, Haifa Wehbe, Maria Tekdep, Aldo (musician) and Natacha Atlas(Arabic Music Overview, 2010). Origin and Development of Arabic Pop Music In the 20th century, Egypt was the first in a series of Arab countries to experience a sudden emergence of nationalism, as it became independent after 2000 years of foreign rule. Turkish music, popular during the rule of the Ottoman Empire in the region, wa s replaced by national music. Cairo became a center for musical innovation (Arabic Music Overview, 2010). The 2000 years of foreign rule helped Egypt to get proper awareness about foreign culture. In other words, the life styles, cultural traits and the behaviors of the foreigners have caused huge changes in traditional Egyptian life styles. It should be noted that pop music was one of the favorite musical forms for the foreigners, while they were ruling Egypt. As a result of that locals in Egypt got plenty of awareness about the pop music composing and they started to blend pop music with their local music. The outcome was the evolution of a new music form in Arab world; Arabic Pop Music. Unlike traditional Arabic music, Arabic pop music composers started to compose music in a secular manner. The major theme of all traditional Arabic music was religion, customs and beliefs. However, the entry of pop music forced Arabic musicians to change the traditional norms of