Pianists: Betty Salkhanian Kurtian & Zeina Alam
Filming Zeinab Mawassi
Video Wajdi Abou Diab
Recorded at USEK – Kaslik
Two Seas is a piece for a Piano duet (four hands on one Piano), inspired by the traditional music of Arabic Gulf, precisely the Fijiri music of the kingdom of Bahrain, music that used to be sung by the pearl divers of the old kingdom.
The music follows the form of “Bahri”, a type of music which usually starts the Fjeiry Cycle. Starting with a Mawal, an Arabic improvised singing without any rhythmic accompaniment, then developing to a full rhythmic complex created by the Fijiri instruments such as Tar, Tabel Bahri, and Jafla, and the Clapping of the participants who sing all together while the oldest participant, called Naham, improvises on top of the group singing.


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