Algeria from withinBodley, R. V. C. (Ronald Victor Courtenay)
History
Algeria from within
Bodley, R. V. C. (Ronald Victor Courtenay)
Algeria -- Description and travel
These various forms of music have their respective instruments,
which, though few in number, differ considerably one from the
other. The first is the _raïta_: in shape it resembles a short
trumpet bored with holes, on which rest the fingers, and with
a bell-shaped mouth. The sound is created by vast quantities of
air being blown through a reed mouthpiece, producing a sound not
unlike the bagpipes, only much louder. In fact, I have rarely
heard one man produce such an ear-piercing and strident squeal as
the _raïta_-player, and sitting close up to the music is pain and
grief. This instrument is used exclusively for dancing, and it is
accompanied by a man with a _tam-tam_ or a _derbouca_.
The _tam-tam_ resembles in shape a very large tambourine, and is
played with both hands, producing a rather dry, rhythmical cadence.
The _derbouca_ looks like a large flower-vase with a round body and a
long neck. Over the farther end is stretched a piece of skin, and the
playing is the same as the _tam-tam_, but with a much deeper sound.
In addition to the above, one often sees a tambourinist; but the
usual orchestra for dancing consists of two men—the _raïta_-player
and the drummer, with his _tam-tam_ or _derbouca_.
The second type of wind instrument is the flute. This is either
the ordinary penny whistle made out of a reed and producing the
same sort of music, only softer, or the long flute, chiefly found
in the southern areas. The flute is the most interesting of all the
Arab instruments and the hardest to play. It consists of a long reed
hollowed out, about half an inch in diameter and from two to three
feet long. It has eight stops, but there is no sort of mouthpiece.
The sound is produced by the player blowing across the top of the
flute at some particular angle which I have never been able to
discover, and producing the softest, saddest, deepest note one can
possibly imagine.
To the most unmusical the sound of the long flute must appeal,
and when accompanying one of those love ballads of the far South
it is enchanting.
These two flutes are used to accompany all kinds of songs, but
chiefly those concerning the exploits of heroes and the love lays
which hold such a big place in all Arab melodies. Occasionally it
is used to follow religious chants, but not always.
The flute is usually accompanied by the _tam-tam_ or the _derbouca_,
which is played very softly. Moreover, the accompaniment to the
song is more often only heard between each verse, while during
the singing it is just a faint drone with a distinct time-beating,
and sometimes no music at all.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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