Consortium Details

Piece name: Let’s talk Arabic!
Length: approximately 12 minutes
Performing forces: bassoon and piano
Difficulty level: High school level
Score delivery date: September 1, 2024
Premiere window: 1.9.2024 – 1.9.2025
Deadline to join: The consortium is closed now
Pricing Tiers:
– $200 Professional (include 2 students’ score, and 20$ for each extra student’s score)
– $50 Student
Main commissioner: Angela Salvaggione.
Professional commissioner: Tyne Reick

Member Benefits

• PDF of scores and parts (hard copies available for an additional printing & mailing fee), delivered by September 1, 2024
• 1-year exclusivity window to premiere September 1, 2024-September 1, 2025
• A handwritten card from the composer
• Your name and institution (if applicable) listed in the score and program notes
• Right to list yourself as a consortium member giving the premiere of the work in programs and announcements
• A short video introduction to the piece recorded by the composer

For Student Tier: Abou Diab’s Young Artists Competition

Submit a video recording of your performance by September 1, 2025.
The winner will receive:

• $100 prize
• Signed print copy of “Let’s Talk Arabic”
• Sama’i Wajdi for Bassoon and Piano (PDF)
• “Longa and Sama’i book” for Bassoon and Piano (PDF)
• Video will be featured on Wajdi’s website, Youtube Channel, Instagram, and Facebook pages.

Honorable Mentions will be awarded.
Adjudicators: Wajdi Abou Diab, Angela Salvaggione, and Elena-Irina Balanota.
Must be a registered student to participate.

About the Music

This piece consists of six movements, demonstrating in every movement a scene from Arabic folklore and traditional music, aimed to introduce the musician and the audience to the beautiful world of Arabic music. Starting with “Morsèl” (مُرسل), which is a popular folk art in most Arab countries, is usually performed either by the rhetorical narration method or the lyrical narration method, both of which are performed solo and depending on improvisation and skill in reviewing melodic transitions. Then, “Mouwèshèh”(مُوَشَّح), a kind of distinctive collective singing that we got from the Andalusian heritage, which first originated during the period of Arab rule in Andalusia, Spain today, and therefore it is called the Andalusian muwashshah. Followed by “Raqsah”(رَقْصة), translated as “Dance”, a fast energetic instrumental piece of music designed to accompany the women’s dance (belly dance). Then, “Zèffèh”(زَفَّة), which is a festive energetic music used to accompany the newlyweds’ tour in the village during their marriage when all the friends and the family sing and dance for them. After, a very quiet “Tèhwidah” (تَهْويدَة), or lullaby, is very common in the Arabic world to be sung for the kids to help them feel safe and sleep. And finally, the “Dèbkèh”(دَبْكة), which is a Levantine folk dance mainly seen in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, and Jordan, combines circle dance and line dancing and is widely performed at weddings and other joyous occasions.
I grew up in Jahiliyeh, a small village in Mount Lebanon, and I still remember these events when the village came together to share the happy moments as well as the saddest moments: it is all about supporting each other to enjoy life and making it more pleasing. some events continue for 2-3 days as marriages, when everyone celebrates, sings, dances, prepares food, and meets their future dates ;). other events spread over more than one week as a funeral, in which the home of the loss never gets empty of relatives, friends, and neighbors.

This 12-minute piece will depict elements of Levantine traditional music such as:

• Maqamat, or Arabic modes
• Traditional rhythm cycles as Dal’ona, Zaffe. Baladi, Wehda, Sama’i Thaqil…
• Arabic Middle Eastern performance techniques such as ornementation and Taqsim (Improvisation)

Through this music, you will get the perfect introduction to the world of Levantine and Arabic music, and at the same time, present something different for your audience and offer some new fun challenges for your musical taste and techniques.

Additional opportunities for you or your music program to work with Wajdi

Wajdi is happy to build a virtual or in-person residency in coordination with the premiere of the work. Options include pre-concert talk, rehearsal with you, music business roundtable discussion, networking, pitching projects, and collaboration workshop, composition masterclass, group or private composition lessons, and more. 

In-person appearances are subject to the Location and time.

Let’s talk Arabic! [Sketches preview]
Order of the sketches in this video are not the final order in the piece