Music Around the World: Bahrain

This week's stop on our Musical World Tour lands in the Western Asian island Kingdom of Bahrain, located in the Persian Gulf. Famous for its exports of pearls, its beautiful beaches, and apparently delicious dates (the fruit, obviously), Bahrain has ended up being an interesting country to learn about since my knowledge prior to this was only how to pronounce the name. Before we move on, here's our usual fact dump:

-Capital City: Manama

-Official Languages: Arabic, with English listed as a recognized language

-Government: Unitary Islamic parliamentary semi-constitutional monarchy, currently under the leadership of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Crown Prince/Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa

-The island was ruled by the Portuguese Empire beginning in 1521, was taken over by Iran's Safavid Dynasty in 1602, came under the control of the current royal Al Khalifa Dynasty in 1783, became a protectorate of the United Kingdom in the late 1800s, declared their independence from the UK in 1971, and was declared the Kingdom of Bahrain in 2002

-Land Area: 303.7 square miles (173rd largest in the world)

-Population: 1,463,265 estimated as of 2021 (149th most populous in the world)

-Religion: 69.7% Islamic, 14.1% Christian, 10.2% Hindi, 3.1% Buddhist, 2.0% no religious affiliation, 0.9% other religious affiliation

-Drive on the right side of the road

Like many other countries we've explored, Bahraini music is a mixture of traditional and modern. In addition to more modern pop sounds, Khaliji (a modernish folk style with heavy usage of traditional instruments) and sawt (another popular folk style characterized by its intricate musical form) are popular amongst Baharaini musicians. This music is going to use a lot of oud (a stringed instrument similar in build to a lute but with 11 strings), violin, and mirwas (a small double-sided drum) which is super cool to hear. Now that we've gotten a little educated, let's give these pieces a listen!

Red by Ala Ghawas (written by A. Ghawas)

Alaa Ghawas (he just dropped the second a for his stage name) is a Bahraini singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and lyricist. He was born in 1981 in Muharraq, which is about three miles northeast of Manama. Known for his skills on vocals, piano, and acoustic guitar, he has typically focused on indie rock, chamber pop, and folktronica during his 16 year career thus far. Ghawas has released 3 studio EPs and 3 full length albums since 2007. Red is featured on his 2017 album Tryst and was one of my favorite pieces I listened to all week. I love the piano on this track, and Ghawas's vocals are nice as well.

We’re covered in red of the desperate me/And the elusive you, tell me, who’s worse/The pain we revisit every night has set/The stage for a grand death well rehearsed/This love is doomed forever/Drenched in the blood we shed/It’s all red/Are you deeply feeling dead/Because I do/I do/Oh, I do/I do

Maghroor Ala Shenho by Ali Bahar (composer unknown)

Ali Bahar, aka the "Bob Marley of the Gulf," is likely the most famous musician who has come from Bahrain to date. Born in 1960, he enjoyed success as both a solo artist as well as a member of the band Al Ekhwa (which translates to The Brothers in English). He released 17 studio albums before his death in 2011 due to kidney failure caused by pneumonia at the age of 51. Maghroor Ala Shenho is from Bahar's 2007 album of the same name. To me, this song has a hard late 80s/early 90s vibe, but it's still fun to vibe to. I couldn't find a good translation of the lyrics, but give it a listen, especially becausse he was so important to the people of the country.

Live in the Moment by Hala Al Turk (composer unknown)

Hala Al Turk is a Bahraini singer and television host. Born in 2002 in Manama, she began her music career in 2009 and came into the public eye in 2011 when she competed on Arabs Got Talent at the age of 9. Live in the Moment was released as a single in 2015 (when she was 13) and blends English and Arabic lyrics. It definitely feels like a pop song, but it's a fun little bop with a good beat. Again, I couldn't find a good translation of the lyrics, but check this track out as well.

Samo Alaih by Hanan Redha (composer unknown)

Hanan Redha is a Bahraini singer. Born in 1991, she came into the public eye when she competed on Season 2 of Arab Idol and has a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the Higher Institute of Musical Arts in Kuwait. Samo Alaih (They Named Him in English) was released as a single in 2015, and I think this song has a great beat to it. The vocal style Redha uses in this song requires a crazy amount of control over the vocal cords, and to my Western ears she does a pretty good job of it. A translation of the original Arabic lyrics is below.

Name him, my heart is in his hands/And my soul is attached to it yesterday and to me/One darling one, equal to his people and wide/It is enough for me to feel his presence in my world/Name him, my heart is in his hands/And my soul is attached to it yesterday and to me/One darling one, equal to his people and wide/It is enough for me to feel his presence in my world/And a moon from the moon, my love, my desires, my desires/And with him, I will stay with him for my last breath/And a moon from the moon, my love, my desires, my desires/And with him, I will stay with him for my last breath

Abeh Yshouf by Hind (composer unknown)

Hind (sometimes spelled Hend) is a Bahraini singer. Born in 1979, she has been a figure of Khaliji music and Arabic pop for the last twenty-two years, releasing 5 studio albums since 2000. Abeh Yshouf is from her 2008 self-titled album. I do like the instrumentation on this one, with the heavy use of violin and instruments that you don't hear very often in Western music, and it just intensified the listening experience. I couldn't find a good translation of these lyrics either, but give this one a listen to really get the feel for that Khaliji sound.

Transformations of Tarafa by Mohammed Haddad (written by M. Haddad)

Mohammed Haddad is a Bahraini composer and music critic. Born in 1975 in Muharraq, he has released 3 studio albums in addition to scoring 3 full length films, 21 short films, 5 documentaries, 3 animated films, and 11 stage productions. Haddad is proficient on the oud, piano, and keyboard. Transformations of Tarafa is featured on his 2011 album Tarafa, for which he won a Global Music Award in 2012. This is an instrumental piece and is my other favorite piece I listened to this week. The piano is absolutely gorgeous, and the addition of other percussive instruments later on in the song create these really intricate, beautiful layers. I can't recommend it enough for you to listen to, so go on and give it a try.

Baharaynunā by Robert Neary (written by M. Ayyash, K. Al Khalifa, M. Al-Najm, A. Al-Jumairi)

Bahraynunā (Our Bahrain in English) has been the national anthem of Bahrain since 1942. They were actutally the first Arab nation to adopt a national anthem to be played at special events, and they made it "official" once they gained independence from the UK in 1971. The song is on its second round of "rewrites" - the original lyrics, written by Colonel Mohamed Sudqi Ayyash in 1985, were replaced in 2002 by Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa when the nation was declared a kingdom and Hamad ibn Isa al Khalifa was declared king. No one's exactly sure who wrote the original melody, but it too was updated in 2002 by Major General Mubarak Najm Al-Najm (for band) and Bahraini composer Ahmed AL-Jumairi (for orchestra). A translation of the current lyrics from their original Arabic is below.

Our Bahrain, our King/Symbol of harmony/Its Constitution is of high status and position/Its Charter is the way of Shari’a, Arabism and values/Long live the Kingdom of Bahrain

I hope you enjoyed this musical "trip" to the Pearl of the Gulf, because I know I did. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!