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[excerpted from Yemen Times, 27November 1991, p. 3]
Music in Yemen has gone through majorchanges in the second half of this century. The pattern and melodythat survived the past centuries with considerable stability andconsistency have suddenly lost their immunity to change. Traditionalinstruments have given way to modern ones, the themes are totallydifferent, the rythm is not the same, and even the word arrangementsare not the same. What happened? To find out, we went to the oldestsurviving national singer. Muhammed Mahmud al-Harithi has long beenfamous for his beautiful melodies. Excerpts of the interviewfollow:
Q: Could you tell us about your firstattempts at singing?
A: That was so many years back during thetimes of the big war (WW II). I was an amateur singer in Kawkaban(about 40 kms. northwest of Sanaa, the capital). After the dailytoil, I would go last fifty years.
Q: How would you evaluate the evolution ofYemeni music during this period?
A: There have been many dramatic changes. The most visible change is, as you know in the instruments. Whereasthe kinds and numbers of instruments were limited to the oud and thedrum that was carried by one hand, today there are at least severalinstruments which support one another during the song. The mizmarplayed a different role, that is why I did not mention itearlier. The second major change is in the rhythm. Out rhythm wastraditional, very stable, and perpetual. Thus, even with differentwords, the beat and melody of different songs were similar. Today,almost every song is different, and within one song, the rhythm wouldchange several times. The third is the word pattern. Old songs havea way of arranging words that is special to them. Modern songs arestuffed with words in any way they fall. Most of the linguisticbeauty is lost. This is partly due to mass production bysong-writers. All in all, I still prefer the old goodies, althoughthe new songs also have their appeal. But remember that the value ofa song is to be judged by the public. Thus, whereas old songscontinue to have their appeal and people continue to buy them, manyof the new songs barely survive one or two years.
Q: How many songs have you onrecord?
A: Oh there are so many I can't count them. But, I think between 250 and 300 regular (love) songs, and aboutfifty patriotic songs. Some eighty of my songs are on the market andpeople ask for them.
Q: What is the life of a Yemeni singerlike?
A: Of course, more of our private life comesunder the public eye, simply because people know us more. I hearpeople say that singers do not age. I hope they are right because Ihave well passed the legal retirement age. We have some specialproblems that impact the the way we perform our songs. If we havesome difficulties, it is immediately reflected in our performancebecause our job requires full concentration, and if the singer's moodis okay, then he/she will give the song his/her best. Of coursethere are some other differences, but by and large, our life is thesame as any other job.
Q: Which singers have influenced yourart?
A: I used to be impressed with many Yemenisingers. Specially al-Qa'atab and Ibrahim al-Mas of the oldgeneration. At the Arab level there are many more, specially fromthe old school.
Q: Has anybody tried to bridge the gapbetween the old and new schools of Yemeni songs in a successfulway?
A: It is a hard thing to do. But I canpoint out a few examples. Abu Bakr Salim did it with three songs,one of which was exceptionally good. I think it adds to the beautyof the song if you can combine the strong points of the old and newschools together. Among the new generation, Fu'ad Al-Kibsi has alsodone it successfully.
Q: Have you tried to document your career inparticular, and the changes in Yenemi music history, ingeneral?
A: I have recorded collections of all mysongs which span the last few decades. But I am unable to documentthe history of music in Yemen. I think other parties, such as theMinistry of Information, the Ministry of Culture, and the educationaland research institutes can do that job better. I would be willingto help, provided that they have the interest. I think the officialsare not interested in this kind of documentation. Actually I amgratified with your interest, and by the way, you are the onlynewspaper that came to me seeking to shed light on the history ofmusic in Yemen over the last four or five decades.
Q: How does a singer earn his/herliving?
A: Unfortunately, due to the lack of respectfor author's (singer's) rights, the stereo shops duplicate our songsat will and pay no royalty or fee. They sell over eighty cassettesof my songs, and I have yet to see one riyal. This is a majorsource of income which singers miss out. Most singers receive amodest monthly salary and in return their songs are played over theofficial media free of charge. Personally, I barely eke out a livingand you can see where and how I live.
Q: That means no special support from anysource?
A: No. But, when I was very sick, President'Al 'Abd Allah Salih has graciously given orders (about three yearsback) that the government pay for my treatment abroad. The realsupport I get is the appreciation of the public for mysongs.
Q: Could you organize music tours andfestivals?
A: I would love to participate in suchevents. But organizing them requires a lot of money and skills bothof which are beyond me. If some party were to do it, I would behappy to participate.
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