Singing in praise of God; what better vocation? Rania Khallaf listens to an art form that struggles to survive Click to view caption Chanting performers dressed in black; incense-carrying singers dressed in galabiyyas file through the aisles and onto the stage. On the eve of Ramadan, the singers of Al-Inshad Al-Dini, or hymn troupe affiliated with the Cairo Opera House, do what they do best: sing in praise of the Creator. The group was established in 1972 by the late musician Abdel- Rehiem Nuwayra, and the troupe became responsible for preserving the nation's heritage of hymns. This occurred at a difficult time in Egypt's history, during a time of economic liberalisation, the proliferation of "pop" singers and "economically viable" B movies. In the midst of it all Nuwayra decided that musical traditions should be preserved. It was a wise decision. According to Samha El-Kholy, ex- dean of the Music Institute of the Academy of Art, the tradition of improvised Qur'an incantation is in fact the backbone of traditional Arab music and one of its most authentic sources. This is an art form which has provided generations of professional musicians with inspiration. The performers' role is to elaborate and enhance the general melody and rhythmic outline of a piece of music, which is why no incantation is ever performed twice in the same manner. Herein lies the joy of listening. And so, under the leadership of co-founder Mahmoud El-Waziri, the troupe set out to memorise what is basically an oral tradition. Nuwayra commissioned two masters of this art form, Sheikh Mohamed El-Fayoumi and Sheikh Abdel-Samie' El- Bayoumi, to memorise the hymns and the classical methods of chanting used by renowned masters such as Ali Mahmoud, Ismail Sukar, Sayed Moussa and Darwish El-Hariri. Nuwayra also commissioned a number of composers to provide musical accompaniment. The group drew on the tradition of the great schools of hymn performance in Egypt, namely the school of Sheikh Ali Mahmoud, which was founded at the beginning of the 20th century. This tradition came to Egypt via Sufism, deriving its influences from as far off as Morocco and Baghdad. "The seeds of religious chanting were sown on fertile soil in Egypt during the late 19th and early 20th centuries," said Abdel-Aziz El- Enani, professor of Arabic music at the Institute of Music. "The late musician Abdu El-Hamouli used to recite at the Al-Hussein Mosque during Ramadan and was heard by many. In the 19th century Youssef El-Manyalawi, a famous reciter, performed in El- Sayeda Fatma El-Nabawiya's mosque on Mondays. Recitals would also be performed in the houses of notables. Even Umm Kulthoum began her career as a religious singer in her village," he added. According to El-Enani, "a major change in the tradition of religious chanting in Egypt took place in 1926, when Umm Kulthoum replaced her troupe of backing reciters with a traditional Arabic takht (group of five classical musical instruments). This is when the idea of "religious songs" started to emerge." The initial Opera House Troupe comprised 16 reciters and 25 musicians. The number of reciters and musicians increased by 30 respectively this year. And while this year also records an overall increase in the number of performers, it also bore witness to change. "For the first time in the troupe's history, two female singers were brought in," explained Omar Farahat, the troupe's conductor. "We chose Fatma El- Ganayni and the young but strong voice of Ayat Farouk. Their challenging voices add a new spirit to this traditionally male troupe." But perhaps the main reason behind the addition is the dire need to attract more of an audience to the troupe's performances. Farahat confessed that the 1990s saw a decline in the popularity of their work. "The westernisation of art resulted in a fall off in demand and then the Opera House decided to reduce the number of our recitals," he said. "Instead of performing several recitals per month as they used to, the troupe now performs barely one recital per month," complained El-Waziri. But not all change is applauded. Nabil Shura, professor of Arabic music at the Faculty of Music is against any kind of modernisation. "[The troupe] should restrict itself to religious recitals and should refrain from becoming acrobats simply to attract an audience," he told Al-Ahram Weekly. He was referring to the current use of "external props" such as traditional Ramadan lanterns, to enhance the performance. Farahat laments that perhaps what they need most is more musicians and reciters. "Many of the old generation have retired recently," he explained, pointing out that the younger generation is still in the process of training. "While many young graduates of the Higher Institute of Arabic Music are interested in becoming involved with the troupe, we rarely find good candidates," added El-Waziri. And training is no easy challenge. Religious reciting requires a powerful voice in addition to improvisational skills, which in itself requires much experience and religious knowledge. But the problems facing the group may, to a certain extent, be self-imposed. This art form is traditionally on display in mosques during religious festivals, but the troupe, however, refuses to perform during such times. With the masters more focused on formal institutions, some argue that this has lead to proliferation of weak reciters at the mosques and mulid. "Such reciters actually lack religious knowledge and may have weak voices. But worse still, they add new rituals to the authentic traditions of religious reciting. For example, they tend to mix the rituals of zikr with that of religious reciting," commented El-Waziri. Veering away from traditional performances ultimately weakens the art form. Ramadan, however, is a time when the troupe is booked out and their schedule includes two concerts outside of Egypt; one in Lebanon and the other in Abu Dhabi. Back in Egypt, the largest event will be held towards the end of Ramadan on Laylat Al-Qadr. The group has also had international exposure. They have participated in many international religious festivals and have toured Poland, Morocco and France to name but a few countries. This tradition came to Egypt via Sufism, deriving its influences from as far off as Morocco and Baghdad. And yet a common complaint among the troupe's members is the fact that they usually only perform on religious occasions. "This bothers us on all levels -- artistically, financially as well as psychologically. It lowers our morale to realise our work is simply seasonal," commented one of the reciters who requested anonymity. Ahmed Abdalla, a soloist with the Troupe, argued that "the Opera House should shoulder the responsibility for marketing, and supporting the troupe both nationally and internationally. We are also paid less than performers of all other arts at the Opera House." It is a legacy in search of its roots in a modern, troubled world.
