Farah Kaddour, the Lebanese musician who feminizes bouzouk

Musician, composer and researcher, Farah Kaddour is originally from Akkar. With studies in musical education and a master’s degree in musicology from the Antonine University, this young woman has made a place for herself in a very masculine world. His instrument of choice? The bouzouk that she discovers when she changes schools and doesn’t feel integrated. Farah Kaddour then took refuge in music which became, more than an outlet, the direction she wanted to take for her career. Raised in a family sensitive to music, she began playing at the age of 15. Her entourage listens, her grandmother sings, her uncle, Oussama Abdelfattah, plays the oud… It is with him that she will perform in concert on Wednesday June 26 as part of the bouzouk festival organized by the Dar Onboz multidisciplinary platform throughout the month of June. Eleven dates which revolve around the talent of the young woman, who evolves within an essentially male community. “I try to be a good musician so that people forget that I am a woman, but even when the male gender apparently supports me, they still try to keep me at a distance,” laments Farah Kaddour.

A little history of the bouzouk

A plucked string instrument from the Middle East, particularly the Levant region which includes Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine, the bouzouk is distinguished by its longer handle and smaller body compared to the oud, another stringed instrument from the region. Traditionally, it is made with two rows of wire strings, although some modern models have three, which allows for a wider range of notes. The strings are played with a plectrum, which produces a bright, metallic sound. Historically, the bouzouk was mainly used by traveling musicians and was not considered a classical instrument of Arabic or Turkish music. However, it gained popularity in the mid-20th century, notably thanks to the compositions of the Rahbani brothers and other artists of contemporary Arab music. Today, it is commonly used in Arabic music ensembles and remains an essential instrument for understanding the evolution of Levantine music and modern Arabic popular music that links with ancient Persian and Turkish musical traditions.

The Sanam and Tilt groups

Until two months ago, Farah Kaddour was employed full-time at the NGO Action for Hope. But she gave up everything to devote herself to her instrument. “I hear and imagine the melodies when I compose, the bouzouk being a very visual instrument, it responds to particular states of mind. I sometimes compose two pieces a week and sometimes just one over the course of an entire year,” she says. The young woman started composing during the Covid period where she stored a bunch of melodies in her head which ended up taking the form of an inspiration that she shares with her 2 groups, Sanam and Tilt, particularly during the Covid period. artistic residencies. They compose collectively, improvise and give concerts. With Sanam, the most structured group at the moment, a second album must be recorded this summer.

starving, Farah Kaddour’s first solo album contains improvisations as well as traditional and original compositions. In the album’s five improvised selections, she oscillates between traditional and more modern playing modalities, while maintaining her roots in the folk music of the Levant. This is one of the very rare solo bouzouk recordings, especially on vinyl. Starving highlights the talent of Farah Kaddour who strives to push the limits of bouzouk. His playing is characterized by strumming and plucking techniques that bring out the particular tones of the instrument. His compositions often incorporate Arabic musical scales, such as the maqâm, which maintain the roots of his music while opening a more contemporary door. For Farah Kaddour, playing the bouzouk is a form of cultural and political expression, aiming to establish the presence of this instrument in modern music.

When asked about her sources of inspiration, the young woman enthusiastically cites the Palestinian multi-instrumentalist Tamer Abou Ghazaleh, but also the versatile Brazilian artist, director, actress and stylist Camila Gibran, or even Iranian and Indian music, which she listens a lot. Farah Kaddour refuses any compromise that could help market her music. “I have nothing against great musicians who do it but it is not my cup of tea, I have a message to convey which is to disseminate and develop this little-known Arab music, the role of the bouzouk and what I can do it,” she confides to L’Orient-Le Jour. “My music is anchored in this Levantine and Arab culture and from these roots, I try to give it a new dimension,” she continues.

“I would like to help restore the bouzouk to its former glory as a solo instrument. He’s not just there to accompany the singing. What I really like is improvisation and I think I’m good at it. The bouzouk is the first instrument that taught me to improvise. The freedom is total and I take advantage of it Starving to extract from the instrument a new sound and improvisations that we are not used to hearing,” explains the musician.

Supported by Nadine Touma, the founder of Dar Onboz, Farah Kaddour does not intend to stop at the current festival which pays tribute to her talent as a musician and gives its place to bouzouk. Both are thinking about a possible methodology that could be applied to this musical instrument. Or not. The bouzouk is and will remain a completely free instrument, they affirm in unison.

For more details on the concerts, consult the Facebook and Instagram pages of Dar Onboz.