Fariha Al Abdullah

Al Nagham Al Hazeen (The Sad Tune)

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Credits

Buzuq: Ahmad Hasan

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This cassette begins with an introduction where an unknown master of ceremonies praises and celebrates Fariha Al Abdullah, acknowledging her pivotal position in Syrian shaabi music during the peak of her career in the late 1990s. Fariha sings with a formidable voice accompanied by one of her favorite accompanying instruments, the buzuq, which adorns the edges of her voice with colorful melodic lines. Before Sarya Al-Sawas became the first lady of Syrian shaabi song, this throne belonged to another mighty voice, that of Fariha Al Abdullah. Fariha is still present today, but she lived a golden age in the 1990s, when she was abundantly present at weddings, private parties, and nightclubs. She collaborated with a wide spectrum of voices and musicians, and shaped the features of the Syrian shaabi singer with her highly dynamic voice adorned with a hoarseness that gives it sadness. At the beginning of her career, Fariha carried the classification of Al-Hajiat or Al-Sheikhat, a title given by the people of Homs to female Syrian shaabi singers from their region, who suffered rejection from their conservative societies. However, Fariha today carries another title she deservedly earned through her long career: Singer of the Badia.