# More Music of Morocco: Malhun



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

In some previous posts, I have provided examples of _Gharnati_, a highly-embellished vocal tradition, sung in Moroccan Arabic, that allegedly is descended from the music of Andalusia--the Al-Andalus of Islamic Spain. The tradition says this music then crossed over the Strait of Gibraltar to North Africa and evolved further into Gharnati, a name said to be an Arabic variant of the Spanish Granada.

In dabbling about further in Gharnati, I came across a parallel Moroccan vocal/instrumental tradition called Malhun. This purports to be a tradition of sung poetry originating in Medieval Morocco among the poorer classes (like flamenco in Andalusia), and borrowing much of its musical and instrumental heritage from the same Andalusian sources that gave rise to Gharnati. The two musics are similar, though I detect a firmer, more defined rhythm in Malhun. Like Gharnati and flamenco, Malhun seems to have become formalized in the 19th century into the genre that more or less defined it in the 20th century and into today.

As with Gharnati, wherein attractive young women (Bahaa Ronda, Rym Hakiki) sing front and center before an orchestral ensemble in an "Art Song" format, attractive young women (Sanaa Marahati, as below) sing Malhun in a similar setting. I love it!


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Another selection of Malhun from Sanaa Marahati. This shows the more rhythmic character of Malhum compared to Gharnati, and also the rhyming of the lines of the poem/song.


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## Casebearer (Jan 19, 2016)

Don't have time now but I'll surely check it out more. Keep posting Strange Magic!


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Some more Malhun, from another practitioner, Majda Yahyaoui. Note the even more uptempo nature of this selection. I enjoy the sense of a shared enthusiasm for this music, a singalong gaiety enfusing a song clearly known by all participating. We have previously seen Majda Yahyaoui in a clip encouraging Rym Hakiki as the latter sings a particularly engaging bit of Gharnati. I try not to get woozy from the occasionally rocking camera--the cinematographer either was getting high on the music, or thought he'd help us....


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## Casebearer (Jan 19, 2016)

Back in the days we used to have a Maroccan TV channel available to us on the cable that broadcasted a lot of this great stuff. I still have some of it taped on video. Somewhere in the dungeons of my house. Just love it. The rhythms.


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