Sawt from Kuwait: ‘ya sari alleil’ 

Sawt from Kuwait: ‘ya sari alleil’
A film by Rolf Killius for the Qatar Digital Library.
The piece from the sawt genre is played in ṣawt shami (4/4 beat), called ‘ya sari alleil’ and in maqam hussaini. The sawt piece proper is introduced with an unmetered introductory piece called mawwal.
The musicians are the ’ūd player and singer, Nasser Abu-Awad, the violin player Ahmed AlSalhi and three mirwās players.
Dancers get up to perform the sawt dance zifān (zufān). In measured steps a pair of dancers ‘walk’ in oval cycles often jumping up and then landing on the beat.
The musical piece was recorded on 22/05/2014 in the Diwaniyah Bin Husseinin Rumaithiya, Kuwait City. Though al-Diwaniyah generally is a hall or room in a private house to receive and entertain guests it is also a place for music making, singing and dancing. The Diwaniyah Bin Husseinis a place equally respected by musicians and music-lovers.
At this event musicians and listeners gathered to play and sing leywa (or liwah), sea-music, sawt, basta, samri and fan la’buni.
© Abdullah Al Mershed
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