Gharnati (Arabic: الغرناطي) refers to an Algerian variety of Andalusian classical music originating in Tlemcen. Its name is derived from the Arabic name of the city of Granada. Gharnati has also become an established tradition in other cities in western Algeria, such as Oran and Sidi-Bel-Abbès. In the 20th century it also spread to Morocco after being brought over by Algerian families who moved there fleeing French colonial rule in Algeria, and eventually founding conservatories in cities like Oujda and Rabat.

Features

Modes

The modes (arabic : طبوع : tūbūb') that are known in the school of Tlemcen are the following:

The nuba

In Tlemcen, a nuba is a musical composition consisting of an ordered suite of vocal and instrumental pieces built around five movements whose rhythm progresses from very slow to very light and which are divided into two theoretical parts, the first comprising the first three movements (mṣeddar, bṭāyḥī and derǧ) and the second, the last two (inṣirāf and meẖles). The structure of a typical nuba:

Nubat əl-inqilābāt

It is a suite composed of vocal and instrumental pieces (Muwashshah and zajal) in which different modes and rhythmic cycles follow one another (mîzān əl-qṣîd ǧwāb (8/4), mīzān ə-sofyān (7/4), mîzān əl-bašrāf ǧwāb (4/4) and bašrāf qūl (8/4), mîzān əl-Gūbbāḥī (4/4) and mîzān əl-inṣirāf (6/8)).

Slisla

Slisla refers to a kind of nubat əl-inqilābāt in which pieces (inqilābāt) evolve in the same rhythmic cycle (mīzān), such as slislet mîzān əl-qṣîd, slislet mīzān ə-ṣofyān, slislet mīzān əl-bašraf or slislet mīzān əl-inṣirāf. Each slisla begins with a mšālyā and a tūšiyya, and ends with a meẖles.

Qadriyya

It is a small vocal piece composed in a mîzān əl-inṣirāf often used to close a classical nuba. Qadriyya-s are found in seven modes including mawwāl, zīdān, ğārkā, raml əl-Māya, ‘Irāq and sīkā.

Representative artists

Algeria

Composers

Great masters and famous performers

• Abdelkader Kermouni-Serradj (1855-1946) • Abdelkrim Dali (1914-1978) • Abderrahmane Sekkal (1910-1985) • Abdeslam Bensari • Amine Kalfat (1942) • Amine Mesli (1955-2006) • Bachir Zerrouki (1924-2004) • Cheikh Larbi Bensari (1872-1964) • Cheikha Tetma (1891-1962) • El Hadj Hammadi Baghdadli (1797-1867) • El Hadj Mohamed El Ghaffour (1930) • Fewzi Kalfat (1959) • Ghaouti Dib (1863-1917) • Salah Boukli-Hacene (1946) • Mahieddine Kamal Malti (1929-2011) • Khair-Eddine Aboura (1908-1977) • Lazaar Ben Dali Yahia (1894-1940) • Maallem Mohamed Tchouar [1845-1933] • Maâlem Ichoua Mediouni alias "Maqchich" (1829-1899) • Maklouf Rouch alias "B'teina" (1858-1931) • Ménouar Benattou (1847-1899) • Mahmoud Bensari • Mohamed Benchaabane alias "Boudelfa" (1853-1914) • Mohamed Benghebrit • Mohamed Bensmail (1892-1940) • Mohammed Bouali • Mohamed Dib (1861-1915) • Mohamed Seghir Bessaoud (1876-1930) • Moulai Ahmed Medeghri (1843-1925) • Moulay Djilali Ziani-Cherif (1873-1939) • Mustapha Aboura (1875-1935) • Mustapha Belkhoudja (1917-1968) • Mustapha Senouci Brixi (1919-2010) • Omar Bekhchi (1884-1958) • Redouane Bensari (1914-2002) • Reinette l'Oranaise • Rifel Mahmoud Kalfat • Saoud l'Oranais • Yahia Ghoul

Current celebrities

Morocco

Famous performers

France

Notes and references