Traditions 'should be preserved'

Sabah Fakhri, one of the most famous exponents of the traditional Qudood and Muwashahat styles of Arabic music, will perform today in a one-night show at the Al Bustan Rotana Hotel.

He told Gulf News during an interview that he was trained by the great shaikhs such as Omar Al Batsh at the Oriental Music Institute in Damascus in the tradition of Mawlawi sufis.

"The training helped me present a pure art form. I compiled a large repertoire of classical works in various genres such as Muwwashahat, Qudood, Adwar, and Qasa'ed." He said he was able to make a name for himself in the Arabic music world because he loves his art. "My aim was not to earn money."

He criticised modern music and singers. "To be a singer these days one need not learn music ... an indecent dress will do the trick. The way they perform on satellite channels has no relation to music or art. They are only ruining the new generation."

He said traditional music and life should be preserved and children must be protected from some influences.

Fakhri also performs Mawawils (a style of Arabic music). He recorded about 160 of these classics in a set called Nagham Al Ams. They are mostly the products of his own research into older recordings and documents.

They reflect his musical education and understanding of the subtleties of Arab Maqamat (a kind of poetry) and other Arab poetry.

Fakhri has composed music and has sung several Arab poems written by Abu Al Tayeb Al Mutanabbi and Abu Firas Al Hamadani.

In addition to his incredible voice, both beauty and large range and his adherence to the tradition of his art, he is also known for his stamina performing for long hours with a world record of a non-stop 10-hour performance in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1968.

Fakhri has performed in practically every Arab country and every nation with an Arab community. He has also performed in Europe and the Americas.

Fakhri was born in Aleppo in 1933 to a conservative family. He was enrolled in the Academy of Arabic Music of Aleppo and then to the Academy of Damascus, from where he graduated in 1948.

Then in Cairo, Egypt, he studied under the masters of the time. He started giving concerts in Syria, and soon became famous all over the Arab World.

"The way they perform on satellite channels has no relation to music or art. They are only ruining the new generation."