The Iraqi singer Sahar Taha is gearing up for performing a concert of Mowashahat (terza merza) at the Spanish Cultural center, as part of the Andalusian Music Festival which is currently held in the Syrian cities of Aleppo, Homs and Damascus.
“The Iraqi maqam (key) includes mawwal, song, rhythm and poetry with all the music elements appearing complimentary to each other. From this point the Iraqi key is considered one of the most important type of singing in the Arab World. The key singer should possess enough sound range in addition to music tunes and poetry reading ability,” Taha told the daily al Hayat.
Taha chose the Iraqi key despite its difficulty. “I have been raised up on hearing the Iraqi key and entered this field to challenge myself first and prove to others my competency. I performed this type of art meant for men but not women. I think this belief has started to evaporate ten 10 years ago following the emergence of a singer in Iraq called Farida Mohammed Ali. Ali has become the lady boss of the Iraqi key art because she proved the competency of the woman in performing this type of singing. She owned the voice and the musical and literal culture. There are Arab keys that suit woman’s voice and man’s voice as well in addition to the fact that the different pitches are available,” the Iraqi singer said.
Sahar Taha is one of the few singers who accompany the lute during singing. “For me the lute represents a need. I become happier when I play the lute for myself. The singer may deviate sometimes when singing on the stage but the lute takes him back to the music and tunes world,” added Taha – Albawaba.com
