View source for Music of Bahrain

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{{Culture of Bahrain}}

The '''music of [[Bahrain]]''' is part of the [[Arab states of the Persian Gulf|Persian Gulf]] folk traditions. Alongside [[Kuwait]], it is known for [[sawt (music)|sawt]] music, a [[blues]]y genre influenced by [[Africa]]n, [[India]]n and [[Persian traditional music|Persian music]]. Sultan Hamid, [[Ali Bahar]] and [[Khaled El Sheikh]] (a singer and [[oud]] player) are among the most popular musicians from Bahrain.<ref>Badley, Bill. "Sounds of the Arabian Peninsula". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), ''World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East'', pp 351-354. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. {{ISBN|1-85828-636-0}}</ref>

Bahrain was the site of the first Persian Gulf-based [[recording studio]], established after [[World War II]].<ref name=AUC/> Modern music institutions in Bahrain include the [[Bahrain Music Institute]], the [[Bahrain Orchestra]] and the [[Classical Institute of Music]]. The Bahraini male-only [[pearl diving]] tradition is known for the songs called ''[[fidjeri]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Music of Bahrain's Pearl Divers|work=MSN Encarta|url=http://encarta.msn.com/media_461524711/Music_of_Bahrain%92s_Pearl_Divers.html|access-date=September 28, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070429103715/http://encarta.msn.com/media_461524711/Music_of_Bahrain%92s_Pearl_Divers.html|archive-date=2007-04-29|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Liwa (music)|Liwa]] and [[Fann at-Tanbura]] are types of music and dance performed mainly in communities of descendants of [[Bantu peoples]] from the [[African Great Lakes]] region.

==Khaleeji==
{{Main|Khaliji (music)}}
Khaleeji is a style of Persian Gulf-area folk music, played in Bahrain with [[polyrhythm]]s. The style is strongly influenced by the [[music of Africa]]. Khaleeji singer [[Ali Bahar]] is one of the few Bahraini pop stars to sing in a local dialect, along with his band Al Ekhwa.<ref>{{cite web|work=Bahraini Blog|title=Ali Bahar|url=https://bahrainiblog.blogspot.com/2004/05/ali-bahar.html|access-date=September 28, 2005}}</ref>

==Sawt==
{{Main|Sawt (music)}}
In Bahrain, the early pioneers of ''sawt'' were Mohammed Faris and Dhabi bin Walid in the pre-World War II era. Both recorded their ''sawt'' music in [[Saregama|His Master's Voice]]'s studio in [[Baghdad]] in 1932.<ref name=AUC/> Their recordings became widely popular in Bahrain and Kuwait.<ref name=AUC/>

The Bahraini ''sawt'' style became the predominant style of ''sawt'' in the [[Arab states of the Persian Gulf|Persian Gulf region]].<ref name=AUC>{{cite book|first=Michael |last=Frishkopf|title=Music and Media in the Arab World|year=2010|publisher=American University in Cairo|isbn=978-9774162930|pages=114, 115, 116|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KANOAYzkhA8C&pg=PA114 }}</ref>

==Modern era==
The band Bahraini [[Osiris (band)|Osiris]] has achieved some international renown since the 1980s with its style of [[progressive rock]], most recently including elements of Bahraini folk music.<ref>{{cite web|title=Osiris Band|work=Bahrain|url=http://www.webpost.net/os/osirisband/OSIRIS1.HTM|access-date=September 28, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050227065509/http://www.webpost.net/os/osirisband/OSIRIS1.HTM|archive-date=February 27, 2005|url-status=dead}}</ref>

There is also a [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] and [[hard rock]] community in the country, with bands writing and performing original songs. Pioneering bands on the Island include [[Motör Militia]], [[Smouldering In Forgotten]] and [[The Mushroom Massacre]] (members of The Mushroom Massacre went on to form [[Lunacyst]] and most recently [[Death Box Audio]]). Popular bands in the Kingdom also include [[MUST (band)|MUST]], [[The Relocators]], [[Mo zowayed]], [[Bloodshel]] and [[Hot Laser]]. A community of singer-songwriters has also been active in Bahrain,  with [[Ala Ghawas]] being among the first of them in the early 2000s. There are some fusion-projects, too – oftentimes mixing influences such as Middle Eastern music tradition with rock - such as Majaz and Aalaat. There is also a small yet active [[electronic dance music]] in Bahrain with several producers/DJs, making music in the genres such as techno, house, and trance.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|title=Music in Bahrain|author=Rovsing Olsen, Poul|year=2002|publisher=David Brown Book Company|isbn=87-88415-19-8}}
*{{cite book|title=Sawt of Bahrein|author=Muhammad Bin Faris Ensemble|year=2004|publisher=Institut Du Monde|id=[https://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B00025DQEU ASIN B00025DQEU]}}
*{{cite book|title=A Musical Anthology of the Arabian Peninsula, Volume 3 – Sowt, Music from the City|author=Various artists|year=1995|publisher=Gallo|id=[https://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B000004A2E ASIN B000004A2E]}}
*{{cite book|title=Fidjeri:Songs Of The Bahrain Pearl Divers|author=Various artists|year=2000|publisher=UNESCO|id=[https://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B00000AU93 ASIN B00000AU93]}}
*{{cite book|title=A Musical Anthology of the Arabian Peninsula, Volume 2 – Music of the Pearl Divers|author=Various artists|year=1995|publisher=Gallo|id=[https://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B000004A2D ASIN B000004A2D]}}
*{{cite book|title=The Rhythms of the Pearl Diver Music in Qatar|author=Kerbage, Toufic |year=1982|publisher=Culture & Art Directorate Ministry of Information Doha Qatar}} Bahrain and Qatar, being next to each other, in the past exchanged musicians continuously.

==External links==
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx_2Ye00-kA Youtube clip of The Ghalali traditional music and dance group performing a Fijiri song in a village near Muharraq, Bahrain, October 7 2009]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--77M2dPk4U Fan al Sawt music by the Ghalali music and dance group, Muharraq, Bahrain,2009]

{{Bahrain topics}}
{{Middle Eastern music}}
{{Music of Asia}}

[[Category:Music of Bahrain| ]]