1.
Dance
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Dance is a performance art form consisting of purposefully selected sequences of human movement. This movement has aesthetic and symbolic value, and is acknowledged as dance by performers and observers within a particular culture, Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire of movements, or by its historical period or place of origin. Other forms of movement are sometimes said to have a dance-like quality, including martial arts, gymnastics, figure skating, synchronized swimming. Theatrical dance, also called performance or concert dance, is intended primarily as a spectacle and it often tells a story, perhaps using mime, costume and scenery, or else it may simply interpret the musical accompaniment, which is often specially composed. Examples are western ballet and modern dance, Classical Indian dance and Chinese and Japanese song, most classical forms are centred upon dance alone, but performance dance may also appear in opera and other forms of musical theatre. Such dance seldom has any narrative, a group dance and a corps de ballet, a social partner dance and a pas de deux, differ profoundly. Even a solo dance may be solely for the satisfaction of the dancer. On the other hand, some cultures lay down strict rules as to the dances in which, for example. Archeological evidence for early dance includes 9, 000-year-old paintings in India at the Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka and it has been proposed that before the invention of written languages, dance was an important part of the oral and performance methods of passing stories down from generation to generation. The use of dance in trance states and healing rituals is thought to have been another early factor in the social development of dance. References to dance can be found in very early recorded history, Greek dance is referred to by Plato, Aristotle, Plutarch, the Bible and Talmud refer to many events related to dance, and contain over 30 different dance terms. In Chinese pottery as early as the Neolithic period, groups of people are depicted dancing in a line holding hands, Dance is further described in the Lüshi Chunqiu. Primitive dance in ancient China was associated with sorcery and shamanic rituals, during the first millennium BCE in India, many texts were composed which attempted to codify aspects of daily life. Bharata Munis Natyashastra is one of the earlier texts and it mainly deals with drama, in which dance plays an important part in Indian culture. It categorizes dance into four types - secular, ritual, abstract, the text elaborates various hand-gestures and classifies movements of the various limbs, steps and so on. A strong continuous tradition of dance has since continued in India, through to modern times, where it continues to play a role in culture, ritual, and, notably, the Bollywood entertainment industry. Many other contemporary dance forms can likewise be traced back to historical, traditional, ceremonial, Dance is generally, though not exclusively, performed with the accompaniment of music and may or may not be performed in time to such music. Some dance may provide its own audible accompaniment in place of music, many early forms of music and dance were created for each other and are frequently performed together
2.
Assyrian people
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Assyrian people, or Syriacs, are an ethnic group indigenous to the Middle East. Some of them self-identify as Chaldeans, or as Arameans and they speak modern Aramaic, whose subdivisions include Northeastern, Central, and Western Neo-Aramaic, as well as another language, dependent on the country of residence. The Assyrians are typically Syriac-speaking Christians who claim descent from Assyria, one of the oldest civilizations in the world, the areas that form the Assyrian homeland are parts of present-day northern Iraq, southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran and northeastern Syria. The majority have migrated to regions of the world, including North America, the Levant, Australia, Europe, Russia. Assyrians are predominantly Christian, mostly adhering to the East and West Syrian liturgical rites of Christianity, whereas the churches of the West Syrian rite, the Syriac Orthodox Church and Syriac Catholic Church, mostly speak the Central and Western branches. According to a 2013 report by a Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council official, in prehistoric times, the region that was to become known as Assyria was home to Neanderthals such as the remains of those which have been found at the Shanidar Cave. The earliest Neolithic sites in Assyria belonged to the Jarmo culture c.7100 BC and Tell Hassuna, the history of Assyria begins with the formation of the city of Assur perhaps as early as the 25th century BC. The Assyrian king list records kings dating from the 25th century BC onwards, the earliest being Tudiya, who was a contemporary of Ibrium of Ebla. However, many of early kings would have been local rulers. In the traditions of the Assyrian Church of the East, they are descended from Abrahams grandson, however, there is no historical basis for the biblical assertion whatsoever, there is no mention in Assyrian records. The Assyrian people, after the fall of their empire, fell under foreign domination ever since, the Persian Empire was founded, which consumed the entire Neo-Babylonian or Chaldean Empire in 539 BC. Assyrians became front line soldiers for the Persian Empire under Xerxes I, the Assyrian army accounted for three legions of the Roman army, defending the Parthian border. In the 1st century, it was the Assyrian army that enabled Vespasians coup, from the later 2nd century, the Roman Senate included several notable Assyrians, including Tiberius Claudius Pompeianus and Avidius Cassius. From the 1st century BC, Assyria was the theatre of the protracted Roman–Persian Wars and it would become a Roman province from 116 to 363 AD. Despite the influx of foreign elements, the presence of Assyrians is confirmed by the worship of the god Ashur, the Greeks, Parthians, and Romans had a rather low-level of integration with the local population in Mesopotamia, which allowed their cultures to survive. The Assyrians were Christianized in the first to third centuries in Roman Syria, the population of the Sasanian province of Asōristān was a mixed one, composed of Assyrians, Arameans in the far south and the western deserts, and Persians. The Greek element in the cities, still strong during the Parthian Empire, the majority of the population were Eastern Aramaic speakers. Along with the Arameans, Armenians, Greeks, and Nabataeans, the Council of Seleucia of ca.325 dealt with jurisdictional conflicts among the leading bishops
3.
Wedding
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A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes, most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vows by the couple, presentation of a gift, and a public proclamation of marriage by an authority figure. Special wedding garments are worn, and the ceremony is sometimes followed by a wedding reception. Music, poetry, prayers or readings from religious texts or literature are commonly incorporated into the ceremony. Some cultures have adopted the traditional Western custom of the wedding, in which a bride wears a white wedding dress. This tradition was popularized through the marriage of Queen Victoria, some say Victorias choice of a white gown may have simply been a sign of extravagance, but may have also been influenced by the values she held which emphasized sexual purity. Within the modern white wedding tradition, a dress and veil are unusual choices for a womans second or subsequent wedding. The use of a ring has long been part of religious weddings in Europe and America. Historian Vicki Howard points out that the belief in the ancient quality of the practice is most likely a modern invention, double ring ceremonies are also a modern practice, a grooms wedding band not appearing in the United States until the early 20th century. The kittel is worn only under the Chupah, and is removed before the reception, different wedding clothing around the world Music played at Western weddings includes a processional song for walking down the aisle either before or after the marriage service. An example of use is reported in the wedding of Nora Robinson. Selections by George Frideric Handel, perhaps most notably the Air from his Water Music as processional, the Bridal Chorus from Lohengrin by Richard Wagner, often used as the processional and commonly known as Here Comes the Bride. Richard Wagner is said to have been anti-Semitic, and as a result, johann Pachelbels Canon in D is an alternative processional. The Wedding March from Felix Mendelssohns incidental music for the Shakespeare play, A Midsummer Nights Dream, the Toccata from Charles-Marie Widors Symphony for Organ No. Segments of the Ode to Joy, the movement of Ludwig van Beethovens Ninth Symphony. Other alternative considerations include various contemporary melodies like Bob Marleys One Love which is performed by a steel drum band. Most religions recognize a union with established ceremonies and rituals. Some religions permit polygamous marriages or same-sex marriages, many Christian faiths emphasize the raising of children as a priority in a marriage
4.
Circle dance
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Circle dance, or chain dance, is a style of dance done in a circle or semicircle to musical accompaniment, such as rhythm instruments and singing. Circle dancing is probably the oldest known dance formation and was part of community life from when people first started to dance, dancing in a circle is an ancient tradition common to many cultures for marking special occasions, rituals, strengthening community and encouraging togetherness. The dance can also be enjoyed as a group experience or as part of a meditation. Circle dances are choreographed to many different styles of music and rhythms, unlike line dancing, circle dancers are in physical contact with each other, the connection is made by hand-to-hand, finger-to-finger or hands-on-shoulders. It is a type of dance where anyone can join in without the need of partners, generally, the participants follow a leader around the dance floor while holding the hand of the dancers beside them. The dance can be gentle or energetic, modern circle dance mixes traditional folk dances, mainly from European or Near Eastern sources, with recently choreographed ones to a variety of music both ancient and modern. There is also a growing repertoire of new dances to classical music. Modern circle dancing is found in cultures, including Arabic, Israeli, Assyrian, Kurdish, Turkish, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Maltese. It is also used, in its more meditative form, in worship within various religious traditions including, the Church of England, thousands of medieval tombstones called Stećci were found in Bosnia and Hercegovina and neighboring areas. They dated from the end of the 12th century to the 16th century and they bear inscription and figures which look like dancers in a chain. Men and women are portrayed dancing together holding hands at shoulder level, in Macedonia, near the town of Zletovo, the murals on the monastery of Lesnovo, which date from the 14th century, show a group of young men linking arms in a round dance. A chronicle from 1344 urges the people of the city of Zadar to sing, however, a reference comes from Bulgaria, in a manuscript of a 14th-century sermon, which calls chain dances devilish and damned. The circle dance of Germany was called Reigen, which dates from the 10th century, dancing around the church or a fire was frequently denounced by church authorities which only underscores how popular it was. One of the frescos in Tyrol, at Runkelstein Castle, depicts Elisabeth of Poland, Circle dances were also found in Czech Republic, dating to the 15th century. Dancing was primarily done around trees on the village green, in Poland as well the earliest village dances were in circles or lines accompanied by the singing or clapping of the participants. In the 14th century Giovanni Boccaccio describes men and women dancing to their own singing or accompanied by musicians. One of the frescos in Siena by Ambrogio Lorenzetti painted in 1338-40 show a group of women doing a bridge figure while accompanied by another woman playing the tambourine, there are the accounts of two western European travelers to Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire. In Denmark, old ballads mention a closed circle dance which can open into a chain dance, a fresco in Ørslev church in Zealand from about 1400 shows nine people, men and women, dancing in a line
5.
Time signature
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The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are to be contained in each bar and which note value is to be given one beat. A mid-score time signature, usually following a barline, indicates a change of meter. | Simple time signatures consist of two numerals, one stacked above the other, The lower numeral indicates the value that represents one beat. The upper numeral indicates how many beats there are grouped together in a bar. For instance,24 means two quarter-note beats per bar—38 means three eighth-note beats per bar, the most common simple time signatures are 24,34, and 44. The symbol is used for 44 time, also called common time or imperfect time. In modern notation, it is used in place of 22 and is called alla breve or, colloquially, in compound meter, subdivisions of the main beat are in three equal parts, so that a dotted note becomes the beat unit. Compound time signatures are named as if they were simple time signatures, in which the part of the beat unit is the beat. The lower number is most commonly an 8, as in 98 or 128,34 is a simple signature that represents three quarter notes. To the ear, a bar may seem like one singular beat, for example, a fast waltz, notated in 34 time, may be described as being one in a bar. Terms such as quadruple, quintuple, and so on are also occasionally used, as mentioned above, though the score indicates a 34 time, the actual beat division can be the whole bar, particularly at faster tempos. Correspondingly, at slow tempos the beat indicated by the time signature could in actual performance be divided into smaller units, on a formal mathematical level the time signatures of, e. g.34 and 38 are interchangeable. In a sense, all simple triple time signatures, such as 38,34,32, etc. —and all compound duple times, such as 68,616, a piece in 34 can be easily rewritten in 38, simply by halving the length of the notes. Other time signature rewritings are possible, most commonly a simple time signature with triplets translates into a compound meter, though formally interchangeable, for a composer or performing musician, different time signatures often have different connotations. First, a note value in the beat unit implies a more complex notation. Second, beaming affects the choice of actual beat divisions and it is, for example, more natural to use the quarter note/crotchet as a beat unit in 64 or 22 than the eight/quaver in 68 or 24. Third, time signatures are traditionally associated with different music styles—it might seem strange to notate a rock tune in 48 or 42. For all meters, the first beat is stressed, in time signatures with four groups in the bar
6.
Folk costume
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A folk costume expresses an identity through costume, which is usually associated with a geographic area or a period of time in history. It can also indicate social, marital and/or religious status, such costumes often come in two forms, one for everyday occasions, the other for festivals and formal wear. Following the outbreak of nationalism, the peasantry of Europe came to serve as models for all that appeared genuine. Their dress crystallised into so-called typical forms, and enthusiasts adopted that attire as part of their symbolism, in areas where Western dress codes have become usual, traditional garments are often worn at special events or celebrations, particularly those connected with cultural traditions, heritage or pride. International events may cater for non-Western attendees with a dress code such as business suit or national dress. In modern times, there are instances where traditional garments are required by sumptuary laws, in Bhutan, the traditional Tibetan-style clothing of gho and kera for men, kira and toego for women, must be worn by all citizens, including those not of Tibetan heritage. In Saudi Arabia, women are required to wear the abaya in public. Tibet – Chuba Inner Mongolia – Deel Japan – Kimono, Junihitoe, Sokutai Korea – Hanbok Mongolia – Deel Taiwan – Hanfu, Every ethnic group in the country has their national costume. Kebayas, sarongs and the Beskap jacket of the Javanese and the Kain batik, vietnam – Áo giao lĩnh, Áo dài, Áo tứ thân, Áo bà ba. Abkhazia – Chokha Armenia – Each region has its own style of folk costume, kuwait – Thawb Oman – Dishdasha Ossetia – Chokha Qatar – Kandura Palestine – Keffiyeh, Taqiyah, Palestinian costumes. Saudi Arabia – Thawb, Ghutrah, Agal, Bisht, Abaya, Jilbab, Niqab Syria – Dishdasha Turkey – Fez, Kaftan, Shalvar. United Arab Emirates – Kandura Yemen – Similar to Saudi Arabia, scotland – Highland dress, Kilt or trews, tam oshanter or Balmoral bonnet, doublet, Aboyne dress, and brogues or ghillies. Greek fishermans caps in many villages by the Aegean sea. Italy – Italian folk dance costumes, Roman clothing, Toga, Stola South Tyrol – Tracht, slovenia – Gorenjska noša Spain – Every autonomous region has its own national costume. For example, Bavarias well-known Tracht, Lederhosen and Dirndl, liechtenstein – Tracht, Dirndl Netherlands – Dutch cap, Klompen, poffer Switzerland – Every canton has its own specific design of a national costume. A good example is seen in the attire of Paul Bunyan. Deep South and other parts of the American South – Traditional Southern US wear includes white seersucker suits and string ties for men and these short pants remained commonplace among young urban American boys until the mid 20th century. Nantucket – Summer residents of Nantucket will often wear Nantucket Reds, amish, the Pennsylvania Dutch and some sects of Mormon fundamentalism preserve traditional 19th century clothing styles
7.
Folk dance
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Folk dances are dances that are developed by people that reflect the life of the people of a certain country or region. Not all ethnic dances are folk dances, for example, ritual dances or dances of ritual origin are not considered to be folk dances, ritual dances are usually called Religious dances because of their purpose. The terms ethnic and traditional are used when it is required to emphasize the roots of the dance. In this sense, nearly all folk dances are ethnic ones, if some dances, such as polka, cross ethnic boundaries and even cross the boundary between folk and ballroom dance, ethnic differences are often considerable enough to mention, e. g. Czech polka vs. Dances not generally designed for performance or the stage, though they may later be arranged. Execution dominated by a tradition from various international cultures rather than innovation. New dancers often learn informally by observing others and/or receiving help from others, more controversially, some people define folk dancing as dancing for which there is no governing body or dancing for which there are no competitive or professional institutions. The term folk dance is sometimes applied to dances of historical importance in European culture and history, for other cultures the terms ethnic dance or traditional dance are sometimes used, although the latter terms may encompass ceremonial dances. A number of modern ballroom dances originated from folk ones, varieties of European folk dances include, Sword dances include Longsword dances and rapper dancing. Some choreographed dances such as dance, Scottish country dance. Country dance overlaps with contemporary dance and ballroom dance. Most country dances and ballroom dances originated from folk dances, with gradual refinement over the years, people familiar with folk dancing can often determine what country a dance is from even if they have not seen that particular dance before. Some countries dances have features that are unique to that country, for example, the German and Austrian schuhplattling dance consists of slapping the body and shoes in a fixed pattern, a feature that few other countries dances have. Folk dances sometimes evolved long before current political boundaries, so that certain dances are shared by several countries, for example, some Serbian, Bulgarian, and Croatian dances share the same or similar dances, and sometimes even use the same name and music for those dances. International folk dance groups exist in cities and college campuses in many countries, in which dancers learn folk dances from many cultures for recreation
8.
Spiral
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In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a point, moving farther away as it revolves around the point. Two major definitions of spiral in a respected American dictionary are, a curve on a plane that winds around a fixed center point at a continuously increasing or decreasing distance from the point. b. A three-dimensional curve that turns around an axis at a constant or continuously varying distance while moving parallel to the axis, in another example, the center lines of the arms of a spiral galaxy trace logarithmic spirals. In the side picture, the curve at the bottom is an Archimedean spiral. The curve shown in red is a conic helix, a two-dimensional spiral may be described most easily using polar coordinates, where the radius r is a monotonic continuous function of angle θ. The circle would be regarded as a degenerate case, for example, a conic helix may be defined as a spiral on a conic surface, with the distance to the apex an exponential function of θ. The helix and vortex can be viewed as a kind of three-dimensional spiral, for a helix with thickness, see spring. A rhumb line is the curve on a sphere traced by a ship with constant bearing, the study of spirals in nature has a long history. D’Arcy Wentworth Thompsons On Growth and Form gives extensive treatment to these spirals and he describes how shells are formed by rotating a closed curve around a fixed axis, the shape of the curve remains fixed but its size grows in a geometric progression. In some shell such as Nautilus and ammonites the generating curve revolves in a perpendicular to the axis. In others it follows a path forming a helico-spiral pattern. Thompson also studied spirals occurring in horns, teeth, claws, a model for the pattern of florets in the head of a sunflower was proposed by H Vogel. This has the form θ = n ×137.5 ∘, r = c n n is the index number of the floret and c is a constant scaling factor. The angle 137. 5° is the angle which is related to the golden ratio. Spirals in plants and animals are described as whorls. This is also the given to spiral shaped fingerprints. A spiral like form has been found in Mezine, Ukraine, the spiral and triple spiral motif is a Neolithic symbol in Europe. The Celtic symbol the triple spiral is in fact a pre-Celtic symbol and it is carved into the rock of a stone lozenge near the main entrance of the prehistoric Newgrange monument in County Meath, Ireland
9.
Deflection (physics)
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Deflection, in physics, refers to the change in an objects acceleration as a consequence of contact with a surface or the influence of a field. An objects deflective efficiency can never equal or surpass 100%, for example, a mirror will never reflect exactly the same amount of light cast upon it. Also, on hitting the ground, a previously in free-fall will never bounce back up to the place where it first started to descend
10.
Stomp (strike)
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A stomp is a downwards strike with the heel of the foot from the stand-up position, and is usually directed at the head or body of a downed opponent. Stomping is a practice in most combat sports. Certain mixed martial arts organizations do however allow stomping to different extents, the Ultimate Fighting Championship allows stomps to be performed from the clinch, while it disallows stomping a downed opponent. Although now defunct as a promotion, PRIDE FC rules allowed competitors to stomp a downed opponent, singapore-based ONE Fighting Championship that essentially uses a combination of UFC and PRIDE rules does allow stomps on limbs and trunk of a downed opponent but not to the head. Stomping is also illegal in football sports, as well as ice hockey, a prime example of this is the Mario series. In the Halo franchise, there are assassinations that the players can use on various enemies that include stomping on the enemys heads, generally resulting in the kill unless interrupted mid-session. An example would be the Get Low assassination in Halo 5, Guardians and this keeps with the lore that a zombie must be dealt with by damaging the brain, and is often encouraged as a means to conserve ammunition and resources. Soccer kick Ground and pound Todd, Tank, URL last accessed February 6,2006. URL last accessed February 6,2006
11.
Squatting position
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The rump or croup, in the external morphology of an animal, is the portion of the posterior dorsum that is posterior to the loins and anterior to the tail. Anatomically, the rump corresponds to the sacrum, the tailhead or dock is the beginning of the tail, where the tail joins the rump. It is known also as the base or root of the tail, in some mammals the tail may be said to consist of the tailbone and the skirt. In birds, similarly, the tail consists of tailbone and tailfan, some animals are subjected to docking, the amputation of the tailbone at or near the dock. These include dogs, cats, sheep, pigs, and horses, humans have a remnant tail, the coccyx, and the human equivalent of docking is coccygectomy. Usage varies from animal to animal, birds and cattle are said to have a rump and tailhead. Dogs are said to have a rump and dock, horses are said to have a croup, thigh or haunch, buttock, and dock. In bird anatomy, the rump is the body immediately above the tail, the color of plumage on the rump is a characteristic widely used by ornithologists to distinguish between related species, and sometimes also between males and females of the same species. Similarly, the silhouette of the tailfan is a widely used for purposes of identification. Some birds have a food reservoir pouch in the esophagus that is known as a croup, in some breeds it is traditional for tails to be cut off at the dock. Below the croup is the thigh or haunch, behind the thigh is the buttock. Applied to horses, the dock has two additional uses. Its meaning may be extended to either the entire tail minus the skirt or the tailhead only, in other equidae, it encompasses most of the tailbone, as most of that portion of the tail does not have long hairs. A lack of long hairs can be natural, as in zebras, donkeys, and the Przewalski horse, or artificial, the result of pulling, trimming, or shaving part of the skirt. A sponge used to wash the skin on the underside of the dock and other regions under the tail
12.
Assyrian culture
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Assyrian culture is that of the Assyrians, an Eastern Aramaic speaking Semitic race indigenous to northern Iraq, southeast Turkey, northeast Syria and northwest Iran. Many Assyrians still speak, read and write distinct Akkadian influenced dialects of Eastern Aramaic and they are predominantly adherents of the Assyrian Church of the East, Syriac Orthodox Church and the Ancient Church of the East. Some are followers of the Assyrian Pentecostal Church and Assyrian Evangelical Church, a few Assyrians, though, are secular or irreligious in outlook. Throughout the years, Assyrians celebrate many different kinds of traditions within their communities, some include feasts for different patron saints, the Nineveh Rogation, Ascension day, and the most popular, the Kha b-Nisan. Some of these traditions have been practiced by the Assyrians for well over 1,500 years, the Simele massacre was the first of many massacres committed by the Iraqi government during the systematic targeting of Assyrian of Northern Iraq in August 1933. The killing spree that continued among 63 Assyrian villages in the Dohuk and Mosul districts, in 2004, the Syrian government banned the Assyrian political organization and the Assyrian community of Syria from commemorating the event, and threatened arrests if any were to break the ban. On August 7, Assyrians in the homeland and in the diaspora get together in community clubs. The Assyrian new year festival, known as ReshaD Nisan, is celebrated on first day of spring, celebrations involve holding parades and parties. They also gather in clubs and social institutions and listen to the poets who recite the story of creation, the men and women wear traditional clothes and dance in parks for hours. After the formation of the Turkish state, ReshaD Nisan along with the Kurdish Newrouz were banned from public to celebrate, the word Boutho/Bauta is an Syriac word for pleading, and from this meaning we receive the title of this commemoration. This annual observance occurs exactly 3 weeks before the start of lent and this tradition has been practiced by the Syriac Christians since the 6th century. In the 6th century, a plague inflicted the Northern regions of modern-day Iraq or what was called at the time, the plague was devastating the city and the villages surrounding it, and out of desperation the people ran to their bishop to find a solution. The bishop sought help through the scriptures and came upon the story of Jonah in the Old Testament, Jonah did not wish for Nineveh to be saved since they were the enemies of Israel and preferred Nineveh to be destroyed. Instead of listening to God Jonah fled to Tarshish, across the Mediterranean Sea, during his voyage a violent storm occurred. The other sailors feared the boat would be destroyed and kill everyone if they did not get rid of Jonah. So they decided to throw Jonah overboard, as soon as Jonah hit the water, a giant fish swallowed Jonah whole. Jonah found himself in the dark, in stomach of the fish, Jonah began to pray earnestly for God to save him. For three days and nights Jonah prayed and asked for forgiveness for his disobedience, on the third night the fish became violently ill and swam near to the seashore where it vomited Jonah onto the beach
13.
Assyrian folk/pop music
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Assyrian folk/pop music, also known as Assyrian folk music, Assyrian pop music or Syriac music, is the traditional music style of the Assyrians people. Assyrian music includes a range of genre, which would encompass, or fuse, western genres such as electronic, Latin, jazz and/or classical music. Assyrian folk music claims to be the descendant of the music of their ancient Upper Mesopotamian ancestors that has survived in the music of the Syriac Churches. Assyrian folk can also be found in traditional Middle Eastern Makams, modern Assyrian pop music is mostly in a minor key, typically in the Phrygian mode, and themes tend to focus on longing, melancholy, strife and love issues. Most recently, Assyrian dance music has a beat or rhythm similar to Jamaican music, instrumentation is mostly arranged with a keyboard and electronic drums, namely in weddings or parties. Although many forms of Assyrian records do use acoustic and orchestral instruments such as strings, Music, is omnipresent in the village scene. A “Musician” is not necessarily a professional, and whoever can sing in any manner is considered a “singer”, most of the time, music is learned by ear. The villagers lead a life, but whenever there is an opportunity. Village music may be categorized, basically, into four groups, Local secular music not related to specific occasions, functional music, diwane, Sung in gatherings and meetings, lyrics cover aspects of life such as, working in the fields, persecution, suffering, religion. Lilyana, Wedding songs usually sung by only, especially for the bride before leaving her home to get married. Also sung for the bridegroom the day before his wedding by his family, dowlah and Zornah, These are two traditional music instruments, literally meaning a drum and wind-pipe. They are played together, either with or without singing in many such as weddings, welcoming. Tambura, Another tribal music instrument, an instrument with long neck, originated in ancient Assyria, discovered being depicted on carving from South Iraq from UR to Akkad. Albert Rouel Tamraz is a famous Assyrian Singer from Iraq who played this instrument, the earliest dated text is a poem written in 1591. This makes early Neo-Syriac literature a contemporary of Jewish Neo-Aramaic literature from roughly the same region, the Neo-Syriac literature which existed before the arrival of British and American missionaries consisted mainly of poetry. This poetry can be divided into three categories, stanzaic Hymns, dispute poems, and drinking songs, at this time they came in contact with western Music and Instruments. Assyrian youth started picking up and playing these new instruments after seeing and hearing the British playing, Assyrian youths started to find new bands and to play in parties, picnics and other functions for both Assyrians and others. In Baghdad, Iraq the earliest known record is by Hanna Patros in 1931 – perhaps two Gramophones with 2 songs on each, Hanna Petros, Later became the music director at the conservatory in Baghdad
14.
Aramaic language
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Aramaic is a language or group of languages belonging to the Semitic subfamily of the Afroasiatic language family. More specifically, it is part of the Northwest Semitic group, the Aramaic alphabet was widely adopted for other languages and is ancestral to the Hebrew, Syriac and Arabic alphabets. During its approximately 3000 years of history, Aramaic has served variously as a language of administration of empires, therefore, there is not one singular, static Aramaic language, each time and place rather has had its own variation. The Aramaic languages are now considered endangered, Aram is used as a proper name of several people in the Torah including descendants of Shem, Nahor, and Jacob. Ancient Aram, bordering northern Israel and now called Syria, is considered the epicenter of Aramaic. The language is often considered to have originated within Assyria. Interestingly, the Christian New Testament, for which the constituent texts are written in Koine Greek. The Hellenized Jewish community of Alexandria instead translated Aramaic to the Syrian tongue, a related language, Mlahsô, has recently become extinct. Mandaeans living in the Khuzestan Province of Iran and scattered throughout Iraq and it is quite distinct from any other Aramaic variety. Central Neo-Aramaic consists of Turoyo and the recently extinct Mlahsô, very little remains of Western Aramaic. All these speakers of Modern Western Aramaic are fluent in Arabic, Jewish Palestinian Aramaic and Samaritan Aramaic are preserved in liturgical and literary usage. Each dialect of Aramaic has its own pronunciation, and it would not be feasible here to go into all these properties. Aramaic has a palette of 25 to 40 distinct phonemes. The open vowel is an open near-front unrounded vowel and it usually has a back counterpart, and a front counterpart. There is much correspondence between these vowels between dialects, there is some evidence that Middle Babylonian dialects did not distinguish between the short a and short e. In West Syriac dialects, and possibly Middle Galilean, the long a became the o sound, the open e and back a are often indicated in writing by the use of the letters א alaph or ה he. The close front vowel is the long i and it has a slightly more open counterpart, the long e, as in the final vowel of café. Both of these have shorter counterparts, which tend to be pronounced more open
15.
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
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In recent years, Assyrian Neo-Aramaic has spread throughout the Assyrian diaspora. Speakers of Assyrian Neo-Aramaic, Chaldean Neo-Aramaic and Turoyo are ethnic Assyrians and are descendants of the ancient Assyrian inhabitants of Northern Mesopotamia, Assyrian Neo-Aramaic is the largest speaking Neo-Aramaic group, followed by Chaldean Neo-Aramaic and Turoyo. Despite the terms Chaldean Neo-Aramaic and Assyrian Neo-Aramaic indicating an ethnic identity. Assyrian is a moderately inflected, fusional language with a two-gender noun system and it is also a null-subject language and it features a pronoun drop to some degree. The word order of modern Assyrian is predominately SVO, although other sentence structures are used too. There is some Akkadian vocabulary and influence in the language, Assyrian Neo-Aramaic is written from right to left, and it uses the Madnhāyā version of the Syriac alphabet. To a moderate degree, Assyrian is also intelligible with Senaya, Lishana Deni and it is somewhat partially intelligible with Lishan Didan, Hulaulá and Lishanid Noshan. Its mutual intelligibility with Turoyo is rather limited, the Syriac language had evolved from Imperial Aramaic, an Akkadian infused dialect introduced as the lingua franca of Assyria and the Neo Assyrian Empire by Tiglath-Pileser III in the 8th century BC. Aramaic was the language of commerce, trade and communication and became the language of Assyria in classical antiquity. It became the lingua franca of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, Neo-Babylonian Empire, the Achaemenid Empire, the Parthian Empire, after the conquest of Assyria, Syriac and other Aramaic dialects gradually lost their status as imperial languages but continued to flourish as lingua francas alongside Ancient Greek. By the 1st century AD, Akkadian was extinct, although some loaned vocabulary still survives in Assyrian Neo-Aramaic to this day. The Neo-Aramaic languages are descended from Old Aramaic, the lingua franca in the later phase of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. The Neo-Aramaic languages evolved from Middle Aramaic by the 13th century, the Assyrian Empire resorted to a policy of deporting troublesome conquered peoples into the lands of Mesopotamia. Consequently, during the Persian rule of Assyria, Aramaic gradually became the language spoken by the Assyrians. Even before the Empire fell, the Assyrians had made the language the lingua franca of its empire, there is evidence that the adoption of Syriac, the language of the Assyrian people, was led by missionaries. Much literary effort was put into the production of a translation of the Bible into Syriac. At the same time, Ephrem the Syrian was producing the most treasured collection of poetry, by the 3rd century AD, churches in Edessa began to use Syriac as the language of worship and the language became the literary and liturgical language of many churches in the Fertile Crescent. Syriac was the lingua franca of the Middle East until 900 AD, the differences with the Assyrian Church of the East led to the bitter Nestorian schism in the Syriac-speaking world
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Chaldean Neo-Aramaic
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Chaldean Neo-Aramaic is closely related to Assyrian Neo-Aramaic, where it is at times considered a dialect of that language. Both evolved from the same Syriac language, a language developed in Assyria between the 5th century BC and 1st century AD. The terms Syrian and thus Syriac were originally 9th century BC Indo-Anatolian derivatives of Assyrian, more than 90 percent of Chaldean Christians speak either the Chaldean Neo-Aramaic or Assyrian Neo-Aramaic variety, two varieties of Christian Neo-Aramaic or Sureth. On the Western periphery of Assyria there had been widespread Aramean-Akkadian bilingualism at least since the mid-9th century BCE, Aramaic would supplant Akkadian throughout the entire empire. The term Syrian and thus its derivative Syriac, had originally been 9th century BC Indo-Anatolian, the Assyrian Christian dialects have been heavily influenced by Classical Syriac, the literary language of the Church of the East and the Chaldean Catholic Church in antiquity. Therefore, Christian Neo-Aramaic has a heritage, literary Syriac. The closely related dialects are collectively called Soureth, or Syriac in Iraqi Arabic. Jews, Mandeans and Syriac-Aramean Christians speak different dialects of Aramaic that are mutually unintelligible. Chaldean Neo-Aramaic bears a resemblance to the Assyrian tribal dialects of Tyari and Barwar in the Hakkari Province, although the Assyrian dialects do not use the pharyngeals /ħ/, loanwords of Arabic, Persian and Kurdish origin exist in the language, as with Assyrian. The Chaldean dialects are generally characterised by the presence of the fricatives /θ/ and /ð/ which correspond to /t/ and /d/, respectively, however, the standard or educational form of Chaldean would realize the consonants /θ/ and /ð/ as /tˤ/. Most Chaldean Neo-Aramaic varieties would use the phoneme of /f/, which corresponds to /p/ in most of Assyrian Neo-Aramaic dialects, in some Chaldean dialects /r/ is realized as. In others, its either a tap or a trill, unlike in Assyrian Neo-Aramaic, the guttural sounds of and are used predominantly in Chaldean varieties - this is a feature also seen in other Northeastern Neo-Aramaic languages. Chaldean Neo-Aramaic is written in the Madenhaya version of the Syriac alphabet, alternatively, the Syriac Latin alphabet may also be used to transliterate the Syriac script into Latin. Dani Khalil - a Chaldean homicide detective in Low Winter Sun Eastern Syriac script for Chaldean Neo-Aramaic at Omniglot Semitisches Tonarchiv, Dokumentgruppe Aramäisch/Neuostaramäisch
17.
Assyrian cuisine
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Assyrian cuisine is the cuisine of the indigenous Assyrian people, with regional variations from northern Iraq, north eastern Syria, north western Iran and south eastern Turkey. Assyrian cuisine is similar to other Middle Eastern cuisines, with most dishes being based upon the cuisines of the area in which those Assyrians live/originate from. It is rich in grains, meat, tomato, and potato, most of the time, the preparation of meals by the Assyrian diaspora reflects the region in which the individual ancestors are from. The foods consist of similar ingredients however the manner in which they are prepared slightly varies from region to region, in the Assyrian Diaspora, individuals tend to combine the authentic Assyrian meals with the ethnic meals of that particular region. Rice is usually served every meal accompanied by a stew which is typically poured over the rice. Tea is typically consumed at all times of the day with or without meals, cheese, crackers, biscuits, baklawa, or other snacks are often served alongside the tea as appetizers. Dietary restrictions may apply during Lent in which types of foods may not be consumed. Tea is almost always drunk in the morning with Assyrian breakfast, Assyrian tea is drunk with sugar and evaporated milk as opposed to regular milk or cream. Common breakfasts include fried eggs and tomatoes seasoned with various spices, soft-boiled eggs are often made when members of the household are sick as many believe it to be very healthy. Home-made yogurt called mastā can be eaten plain with bread, or mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, mint, assorted cheeses and samoon are also quite popular. Baklawa, kelecheh, and kadeh may also be eaten during breakfast time, gehmar is a rich cream that is consumed with honey or date syrup on samoon. This is generally eaten with samoon, lawasha or pita bread, lenten breakfasts also include tahini mixed with fig or date syrup called napukhta which is again eaten with the breads mentioned previously. Halawah, which is a paste mixed with pistachios, is also popular during Lent. Fried almonds and raisins are used but not as appetizers. Potato chap is deep fried mashed potatoes stuffed with beef, parsley. Kubba made with beef and an outer shell of ground wheat is flattened and then fried or oven baked is another maza favorite. Another popular maza is tourshee which literally means pickled, many different types of vegetables are pickled such as cucumbers, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, beets, and peppers. It is very true that the Assyrian diet is influenced by the food of the region in which people live
18.
Syriac Christianity
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With a history going back to the 1st century AD, Syriac Christianity is, in modern times, represented by denominations primarily in the Middle East, Asia Minor and in Kerala, India. Christianity began in the Middle East in Jerusalem among Jewish Aramaic-speaking Semitic peoples of Judah and it quickly spread, initially to other Semitic peoples, in Parthian-ruled Assyria and Mesopotamia, Roman-ruled Syria, Phoenicia, southern and eastern Asia Minor, and northwestern Persia and Malta. Adherents sometimes identify as Syriacs or Syrians, Syriac Christian heritage is transmitted through various Neo Aramaic dialects of old Aramaic. Unlike the Greek Christian culture, Assyrian Christian culture borrowed much from early Rabbinic Judaism, Antioch was the political capital of this culture, and was the seat of the Patriarchs of the church. However, Antioch was heavily Hellenized, and the Assyrian cities of Edessa, Nisibis and this split owed just as much to the politics of the day as it did to theological orthodoxy. Ctesiphon, which was at the also the Sassanid capital. After the Council of Chalcedon in 451, many Syriac Christians within the Roman Empire rebelled against its decisions, the Patriarchate of Antioch was then divided between a Chalcedonian and non-Chalcedonian communion. The Chalcedonians were often labelled Melkites, while their opponents were labelled as Monophysites and Jacobites, the Maronite Church found itself caught between the two, but claims to have always remained faithful to the Catholic Church and in communion with the bishop of Rome, the Pope. The church has persisted as an entity under Islamic rule. The community was one of those granted autonomy in governing itself in religious, in the 19th century many left for other parts of Christendom, creating a substantial diaspora. Over time, some groups within each of these branches have entered into communion with the Church of Rome, when they lost Assyria itself to the Parthian Empire, they retained the name Syria but only applied it to what had been Aramea, which they still retained. The Neo-Assyrian kingdom of Osroene was the first Christian kingdom in history, in 431 A. D. the Council of Ephesus declared Nestorianism to be a heresy. The Nestorian priests, who were persecuted in the Byzantine Empire, sought refuge in Mesopotamia where the Church of the East was dominant, there was a synthesis between the Assyrian Church and Nestorian doctrine. From there they spread Christianity to Persia, India, China and this was the beginning of the Nestorian Church, the eastern branch of Syrian Christianity. The western branch, the Jacobite Church, appeared after the Council of Chalcedon condemned Monophysitism in 451 A. D and these people are in fact ethnic Assyrians originating from the Assyrian homeland in northern Iraq. The older Assyrian designation has almost completely replaced the word Nestorian, however, the word Nestorian continues to be used in some Western academic literature. The word Syrian has become ambiguous in English since it can refer now to a citizen of Syria regardless of ethnicity, in Arabic, however, the word for a citizen of Syria has a different form from the traditional word for an ethnic Assyrian/Syrian. The Maronites in Lebanon are divided between those who claim Lebanese-Phoenician national identity and those who claim Arab national identity, the Maronite Church, a West Syrian Rite Eastern Catholic Church
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Assyrian clothing
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Assyrian clothing varies from village to village throughout the Assyrian homeland and beyond. The earliest type of costume here is a rather elaborate shawl drapery worn without any tunic underneath, later comes the tunic with various-fringed shawl draperies worn in addition, and some of the latest types have the tunic worn alone without the shawl draperies. The dates given for the costumes illustrated in this style have been verified at the British Museum. It should be remembered, as in the case of ancient Egyptians costume, that the dresses changed very slowly indeed, the knee-length and full-length tunics with short sleeves are the most common dress worn to different types of headdress. There were essentially two types of garment generally found in the representations of ancient Assyrian costume, the shawl. These vary in size and proportion, and are either alone. The most common material for clothing was wool, although linen had been known from a period and was often used for better-quality garments. Cotton did not become available until Sennacherib introduced it into Assyria in about 700 BC, other materials sometimes used were leather and papyrus. The skins and furs of animals and metal were also in use, though the actual specimens of these costumes are not possessed, it can still be inferred from the lavish ornament and, from references in the Old Testament writings that rich coloring prevailed. The dyes were probably similar to those of ancient Egypt, red, Much like the color known as Indian red. Green, Much like the paint known as green bice, purple, Dark, and quite a brownish hue of purple. All these colors could be used as embroideries on a white or natural colored ground of linen, in other cases the whole garment might be colored throughout. Except in earliest examples, decoration is lavish in Assyrian costume, in fact, jewelry, woven and embroidered patterns, and fringes are used in the utmost profusion. Other decorations may include Bracelets, earrings, Various forms of Tassels, Winged globe, Palm tree, Lappet, Vessels, Sword handles, Footwear. Some of the Assyrian characteristics may include, The sacred tree, repeated patterns and borders on costumes and these would be either woven or embroidered. The representations of costume which Assyrian art has left are almost entirely those of mens dress, two examples of womens dresses are a plain ungirded tunic and a simply draped shawl covering the figure partially. The second is a dress of a Queen, and has the tunic almost entirely covered with a voluminous shawl. The wide belt with narrow belt over it seems to be confined to the costume, as also the tighter and scantier shawl draperies
20.
Electronic dance music
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Electronic dance music is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres made largely for nightclubs, raves, and festivals. EDM is generally produced for playback by disc jockeys who create seamless selections of tracks, called a mix, EDM producers also perform their music live in a concert or festival setting in what is sometimes called a live PA. In the United Kingdom and in continental Europe, EDM is more commonly called dance music or simply dance. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, following the emergence of raving, pirate radio, at this time a perceived association between EDM and drug culture led governments at state and city level to enact laws and policies intended to halt the spread of rave culture. By the early 2010s the term dance music and the initialism EDM was being pushed by the US music industry. Early examples of dance music include the disco music of Giorgio Moroder. During the early 1980s, the popularity of disco music declined in the United States, abandoned by major US record labels. European disco continued evolving within the mainstream pop music scene. European acts Silver Convention, Love and Kisses, Munich Machine, and American acts Donna Summer, in 1977, Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte produced I Feel Love for Donna Summer. It became the first well-known disco hit to have a completely synthesised backing track, other disco producers, most famously American producer Tom Moulton, grabbed ideas and techniques from dub music to provide alternatives to the four on the floor style that dominated. The sound that originated from P-Funk the electronic side of disco, dub music. Much of the music produced during this time was, like disco, at this time creative control started shifting to independent record companies, less established producers, and club DJs. Other dance styles that began to become popular during the era include dance-pop, boogie, electro, Italo disco, house. In the early 1980s, electro emerged as a fusion of funk, also called electro-boogie, but later shortened to electro, cited pioneers include Zapp, D. Train, Sinnamon. Early hip hop and rap combined with German and Japanese electropop influences such as Kraftwerk, as the electronic sound developed, instruments such as the bass guitar and drums were replaced by synthesizers and most notably by iconic drum machines, particularly the Roland TR-808. Early uses of the TR-808 include several Yellow Magic Orchestra tracks in 1980-1981, the 1982 track Planet Rock by Afrikaa Bambaataa, and the 1982 song Sexual Healing by Marvin Gaye. In 1982, producer Arthur Baker with Afrika Bambaataa released the seminal Planet Rock which was influenced by the Yellow Magic Orchestra using Kraftwerk samples, Planet Rock was followed later that year by another breakthrough electro record, Nunk by Warp 9. In 1983, Hashim created an electro funk sound which influenced Herbie Hancock, the early 1980s were electros mainstream peak
21.
Dance-pop
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Dance-pop is a pop and dance subgenre that originated in the early 1980s. It is generally up-tempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable, the genre, on the whole, tends to be producer-driven, despite some notable exceptions. Dance-pop borrowed influences from other genres, which varied by producer, artist, such include contemporary R&B, house, trance, techno, new jack swing, funk, synthpop, electropop and some forms of europop. Dance-pop is a mainstream style of music and there have been numerous pop artists. As the term started to go out of fashion by the late 1970s to early 1980s, other terms were commonly used to describe disco-based music, such as post-disco, club. Dance-pop music emerged in the 1980s as a combination of dance and pop, or post-disco, Dance-pop music was usually created, composed and produced by record producers who would then hire singers to perform the songs. In the beginning of the 80s disco was an anathema to the mainstream pop, according to prominent Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Madonna had a huge role in popularizing dance music as mainstream music, utilizing her charisma, chutzpah and sex appeal. Erlewine claimed that Madonna launched dance-pop and set the standard for the genre for the two decades. The staff of Vice magazine stated that her debut album drew the blueprint for future dance-pop, in the 1980s dance-pop was closely aligned to other up-tempo electronic genres, such as Hi-NRG. Prominent producers in the 1980s included Stock, Aitken and Waterman, during the decade, dance-pop borrowed influences from funk, new jack swing, and contemporary R&B. Other prominent dance-pop artists and groups of the 1980s included the Pet Shop Boys, Mel and Kim, Samantha Fox, Debbie Gibson, by the 1990s, dance-pop had become a major genre in popular music. Several dance-pop groups and artists emerged during the 1990s, such as the Spice Girls, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, Backstreet Boys, during the early 1990s, dance-pop borrowed influences from house music, as well as contemporary R&B and new jack swing. Additionally, also in 1998, Cher released a song called Believe which made usage of a technological innovation of the time. An audio processor and a form of pitch modification software, Auto-Tune is commonly used as a way to correct pitch, since the late 1990s, the use of Auto-Tune processing has become a common feature of dance-pop music. Celine Dion also released a dance-pop song Thats the Way It Is by the end of 1999 and it has a moderately slow tempo but an up-beat song. At the beginning of the 2000s, dance-pop music was still prominent, nonetheless, as R&B and hip hop became extremely popular from the early part of the decade onwards, dance-pop often borrowed a lot of its influences from urban music. Dance-pop stars from the 1980s and 1990s such as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Madonna, Janet Jackson, in Madonnas case, her album Music contained elements of Euro disco, especially the successful eponymous lead single. Britney Spears album Blackout contained influences of Euro disco, the mid-to-late 2000s saw the arrival of several new dance-pop artists, including Rihanna, Kesha, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry
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Jig
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The jig is a form of lively folk dance in compound meter, as well as the accompanying dance tune. It developed in 16th-century England, and was adopted on the Continent where it eventually became the final movement of the mature Baroque dance suite. Today it is most associated with Irish dance music, Scottish country dance, the term jig was probably derived from the French giguer, meaning to jump or the Italian giga. Later the dance began to be associated with music particularly in 68 time, during the seventeenth century the dance was adopted in Ireland and Scotland, where it was widely adapted, and the jig is now most often associated with these countries. The jig is second in popularity only to the reel in traditional Irish dance, it is popular and it is transcribed in compound meter, being 68 time. The most common structure of a jig is two parts, performing two different steps, each once on the right foot, and one on the left foot. As with most other types of tunes in Irish music. A light jig is the second-fastest of all the jigs, the performers feet rarely leave the ground for long, as the step is fast, typically performed at a speed around 116 at feiseanna. There are several light jig steps, varying with each dance school and this step is known as the rising step, or the rise and grind. This is the right version of it, Put your weight on your left foot. Hop on your left foot once, hop on your left foot again, bringing your right foot back behind your left foot and then shift your weight onto your right foot, leaving your left foot in the air. Dancers use the phrase hop, hop back for three movements, and there is a slight pause between the hop, and hop back. The next movement is a hop on your right foot, then you shift your weight on your feet, left-right-left-right. The phrase for this movement is, hop, hop back. To do the step on the foot, reverse the left. Slip jigs are in 98 time, because of the longer measures, they are longer than the reel and the light jig, with the same number of bars to the music. The dance is performed high on the toes, and is considered the ballet of Irish dance because of its graceful movements that seem to slip the performers across the floor. Slip jigs are performed at a speed of 112 at feiseanna, single jigs should not be confused with slides, they are the least common of the jigs, performed in ghillies, in a 68 or less commonly a 128 time
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Key (music)
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In music theory, the key of a piece is a group of pitches, or scale upon which a music composition is created in classical, Western art, and Western pop music. Notes and chords other than the tonic in a piece create varying degrees of tension, the key may be in the major or minor mode, although major is assumed in a phrase like this piece is in C. Popular songs are usually in a key, and so is classical music during the common practice period, longer pieces in the classical repertoire may have sections in contrasting keys. Methods that establish the key for a piece can be complicated to explain. The key signature is not always a reliable guide to the key of a written piece, occasionally, a piece in a mode such as Mixolydian or Dorian is written with a major or minor key signature appropriate to the tonic, and accidentals throughout the piece. Pieces in modes not corresponding to major or minor keys may sometimes be referred to as being in the key of the tonic. A piece using some type of harmony, resolving e. g. to A. An instrument may be said to be in a key, an unrelated usage referring to the pitches considered natural for that instrument. For example, modern trumpets are usually in the key of B♭, a key relationship is the relationship between keys, measured by common tones and nearness on the circle of fifths. The key usually identifies the tonic note and/or chord, the note and/or major or minor triad that represents the point of rest for a piece. For example, the key of G includes the following pitches, G, A, B, C, D, E, and F♯, and its corresponding tonic chord is G—B—D. Most often at the beginning and end of traditional pieces during the common practice period, a key may be major or minor. Music can be described as being in the Dorian mode, or Phrygian, languages other than English may use other key naming systems. Although many musicians confuse key with scale, a scale is a set of notes typically used in a key, while the key is the center of gravity. All of these notes and chords, however, are used in patterns that serve to establish the primacy of the tonic note. Cadences are particularly important in the establishment of key, even cadences that do not include the tonic note or triad, such as half cadences and deceptive cadences, serve to establish key because those chord sequences imply a unique diatonic context. Short pieces may stay in a single key throughout, more elaborate pieces may establish the main key, then modulate to another key, or a series of keys, then back to the original key. In the Baroque it was common to repeat a phrase of music, called a ritornello
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Little finger
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The little finger, also known as the fifth digit or pinky, is the most ulnar and usually smallest finger of the human hand, opposite the thumb, and next to the ring finger. The word pinky is derived from the Dutch word pink, meaning little finger, in some places pinky is also a traditional name for the smallest child in a family. Traditionally, its considered binding, and the idea was originally that the person who breaks the promise must cut off their pinky finger, in a similar vein, among members of the Japanese yakuza, the penalty for various offenses is removal of parts of the little finger. The Iron Ring is a ring worn by most Canadian engineers. The Ring is a symbol of pride and humility for the engineering profession, and is always worn on the pinky of the dominant hand. In the United Kingdom the signet ring is worn on the little finger of a gentlemans left hand. In recent years this has relaxed with men and women wearing them on various different fingers, little fingers still tend to be dominant however
25.
Linda George (Assyrian singer)
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Linda George is an ethnic Assyrian-American singer. The vast majority of her songs are sung in her native Assyrian language, though a few are in English, unlike many other comparative Assyrian artists, George has dabbled with Western genres such as R&B, urban and electronic dance music in her 30-year career. George is one of the most well-known and ubiquitous Assyrian singers, having toured the continents of Oceania, Europe, furthermore, she is the most liked Assyrian figure on Facebook. Linda has been singing since she was a girl, her career began at the tender age of five. She was the choir soloist in Baghdad, where she appeared on national television. She moved to Amman, Jordan in 1979, a year later, she moved to the US, where her career started in the Assyrian community in Chicago. She was discovered by Assyrian singer Sargon Gabriel, Sargon featured Linda on his track Dalaleh. The track became a record in the Assyrian community and helped George land her own album. Georges first album, Hal Eiman, was released in 1983, George continued her success into the early 1990s, and became the first Assyrian singer to use contemporary beats with traditional Assyrian singing. After dabbling with different beats and contemporary mixes on her three albums, George changed the way of Assyrian Music on her seventh Album, Khamra Teeka released in 1993. The album, featuring the song Matlab DLibba, featured the first rapping in Assyrian Music, the song, dubbed the Chapeh Chapeh Song became successful. The albums other standout track however was Barwar, the song was released after the Gulf War and after the region of Barwari in Northern Iraq was bombed and left in shambles. In the mid to late 1990s, George released two albums and her last studio album of the decade was 1995s Khoot Goolpanet Malakha. The album contained a bit of everything that Lindas previous albums featured, such as traditional music, upbeat contemporary beats, ballads. On April 2001, in the Assyrian New Year, she made her tour to Northern Iraq. In 2005, after Saddam Hussein was dethroned as the leader of Iraq, Linda released I am Free, the lead single, Ana Hurra was released worldwide as an anthem for the newly liberated Iraq. As she toured to Australia for the 22nd time in 2010, she was able to finish videotaping one of her hits on this album, Madeleey, Linda George currently resides in Chicago
26.
Belly dance
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Belly dance is an expressive dance which emphasizes complex movements of the torso. Originally a Middle Eastern folk dance, it has evolved to take different forms depending on the country and region. New styles have evolved in the West as its popularity has spread globally and its current use is something of a misnomer, as the Ouled Nail dance used more abdominal movements than the dances described today as belly dance. In Arabic, the dance is known as Raqs Sharqi or Raqs Beledi, Belly dance is primarily a torso-driven dance, with an emphasis on articulations of the hips. Unlike many Western dance forms, the focus of the dance is on isolations of the torso muscles, although some of these isolations appear similar to the isolations used in jazz ballet, they are sometimes driven differently and have a different feeling or emphasis. In common with most folk dances, there is no universal naming scheme for belly dance movements, some dancers and dance schools have developed their own naming schemes, but none of these is universally recognised. Typical movements in this group include hip drops, vertical hip rocks, outwards hip hits, hip lifts, percussive movements using other parts of the body can include lifts or drops of the ribcage and shoulder accents. These movements require a great deal of muscle control. Typical movements include horizontal and vertical figures of 8 or infinity loops with the hips, horizontal or tilting hip circles and these basic shapes may be varied, combined and embellished to create an infinite variety of complex, textured movements. Shimmies, shivers and vibrations, Small, fast, continuous movements of the hips or ribcage, shimmies are commonly layered over other movements, and are often used to interpret rolls on the or riq or fast strumming of the oud or qanun. There are many types of shimmy, varying in size and method of generation, in addition to these torso movements, dancers in many styles will use level changes, travelling steps, turns and spins. The arms are used to frame and accentuate movements of the hips, for dramatic gestures, other movements may be used as occasional accents, such as low kicks and arabesques, backbends, and head tosses. Belly dancing is believed to have had a history in the Middle East, but reliable evidence about its origins is scarce. In the Ottoman Empire belly dance was performed by boys and women in the Sultans palace. Belly dance in the Middle East has two distinct social contexts, as a folk or social dance, and as a performance art, as a social dance, belly dance is performed at celebrations and social gatherings by ordinary people, in their ordinary clothes. In more conservative or traditional societies, these events may be gender segregated, historically, professional dance performers were the Awalim, Ghawazi, and Köçekler. The Maazin sisters may have been the last authentic performers of Ghawazi dance in Egypt, working in Cairo are some of the most famous bellydancers, costume designers, and talented musicians. The modern Egyptian belly dance style are said to have originated at the cabaret of Badia Masabni
27.
Ashur Bet Sargis
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Ashur Bet Sargis is an Assyrian composer and singer. He became famous in the Assyrian communities worldwide for his songs in the 1970s. Ashur Bet Sargis was born in Baghdad, Iraq to an Assyrian family and he started playing organ as a teenager at the local Assyrian church. He later began composing nationalistic songs under the influence of established Assyrian musicians such as Evin Aghassi and King Biba, I wanted to be a part of this transformation, and offer its fruition to my people. Shortly after the Baath led revolution of 1968, Ashur fled the political situation in Iraq in 1969, ending up in Chicago. A year later he formed his first band, “East Bird Band”, in 1976, Ashur became the first Assyrian artist to tour overseas when he and his band played three sold-out shows in Australia. After two weeks of performances there, he returned to Los Angeles to record his third album and he followed it with Dance of Victory in 1984. Ashur is known for his support for Zowaa, and he composed several songs for the movement. He also returned to Northern Iraq many times where he gave concerts during Kha b-Nisan. He is often featured at Zowaa-sponsored festivals in Nineveh Plains and Dohuk and he is also known for incorporating Greek musical instruments such as Tambouras to his music
28.
Shamiram Urshan
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Shamiram Urshan also known as Shamiram Ourshan and Occasionally Shamiram Oshana, was an Assyrian singer and entertainer from Iran. Shamiram was born in Tehran as the youngest of four children and she started singing and playing instruments at age 8. She performed for the Iranian national TV in high school and she married and moved to the United States in 1970, where she settled in Seattle. Her professional career began in 1978, when she released her first album and her style was influenced by Greek music. She released three albums during the 1980s and toured Europe and Australia. A compilation album was released in 1995. Shamiram moved to Los Angeles during her years and she died on 25 June 2011. Shamiram Dreams Ashikoota Feelings Best of Shamiram Shamiram Urshan, Qeenatha
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Sword dance
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Sword dances are recorded throughout world history. There are various traditions of solo and mock-battle sword dances from Asia, general types of sword dance include, solo dancers around swords – such as the traditional Scottish sword dances. Hilt-and-point sword dances – where the dancers are linked together by their swords in a chain, jian wu was one of four classical dances that were used in the Chinese opera. Each of these dances was very meaningful within the opera performances and they often were used for plot descriptions, there are quite a few styles within the actual art of sword dancing. The first style focuses on relaxation and flexibility while the other focuses on speed. There are also different types of swords and weapons used during each dance, a long sword is usually wielded with slower dramatic movements during a solo performance while shorter, scimitars are used at a very high pace during a sword dance between two or more people. Each style requires certain movements that require the dancer to be highly agile, many sword-dances in present-day India, Pakistan and Bangladesh originated with the martial traditions of the region. The paika akhada which were used to train Orissan warriors now perform weapon dances in the streets during festivals. Other dances like the mer dandiya are simply theatrical depictions of battle, while some like the choliya of the Kumaon region were used to ward off evil spirits, Sword dances are still commonly performed for weddings and other occasions in India, Pakistan and Nepal today. In India, the sword dance, Khasi tribal sword dance, Bhotiya tribe sword dance, Lakharu-li sword dance, Khaijama-Phanai sword dance. Arab sword dances evolved out of fighting between men, in both Egypt and Turkey. Female sword dancing was not widespread in the West Asia, men in Egypt performed a dance called el ard, a martial dance involving upraised swords, but women were not widely known to use swords as props during their dancing in public. However, paintings and engravings by French artist Jean-Léon Gérôme show sword dancers balancing sabers on their heads, the Turkish Kılıç Kalkan dance of Bursa is performed exclusively by men with a sword and shield, and represents the Ottoman conquest of the city. The performers wear early Ottoman battle dress and dance to the sound of clashing swords and shields without music, Sword dancing is widespread in Iran and Turkey today. Mock battle sword dances are found worldwide, varying from the Greek Xiphism, some European sword dances, such as Moreshka from the island of Korčula in Croatia, include both hilt-and-point and mock battle sequences. Hilt-and-point sword dances are, or were, performed all over Europe, Sword dances performed by the guilds of Smiths and Cutlers in Nuremberg are recorded from 1350. 16th century records of dances survive from all over Germany. Depictions of dances survive from Zürich and Nuremberg, in Scotland a dance was recorded as being performed in 1285, but this was found in a document from 1440
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Solo dance
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Solo dancers are usually the best dancers in a group or dance school. Most solo dancers start after about 6–7 years of dance or sooner, most soloists are company kids of their dance school. They are usually in more than one dance, in Comparsas, there are various soloists who strut in front. They usually dance at the edges of the street so that the public can appreciate their moves. Most male soloists carry a large lantern-like artifact on a pole, resting on an oily pouch. Dance is a way to express emotions, american traditional informal freeform solo folk dancing Sean-nós dance Sean-nós dance in America Irish dance Step dance Stepping
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Sword
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A sword is a long bladed weapon intended for slashing or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the epoch or the geographical region under consideration. A sword consists of a blade attached to a hilt. The blade can be straight or curved, thrusting swords have a pointed tip on the blade, and tend to be straighter, slashing swords have sharpened cutting edge on one or both sides of the blade, and are more likely to be curved. Many swords are designed for thrusting and slashing. Historically, the sword developed in the Bronze Age, evolving from the dagger, the later Iron Age sword remained fairly short and without a crossguard. The word sword continues the Old English, sweord, the use of a sword is known as swordsmanship or as fencing. In the Early Modern period, western sword design diverged into two forms, the thrusting swords and the sabers. The thrusting swords such as the rapier and eventually the smallsword were designed to impale their targets quickly and their long and straight yet light and well balanced design made them highly maneuverable and deadly in a duel but fairly ineffective when used in a slashing or chopping motion. A well aimed lunge and thrust could end a fight in seconds with just the swords point, the saber and similar blades such as the cutlass were built more heavily and were more typically used in warfare. Built for slashing and chopping at multiple enemies, often from horseback, most sabers also had sharp points and double edged blades, making them capable of piercing soldier after soldier in a cavalry charge. Sabers continued to see use until the early 20th century. The US Navy kept tens of thousands of sturdy cutlasses in their armory well into World War II, non-European weapons called sword include single-edged weapons such as the Middle Eastern scimitar, the Chinese dao and the related Japanese katana. The Chinese jian is an example of a non-European double-edged sword, the first weapons that can be described as swords date to around 3300 BC. They have been found in Arslantepe, Turkey, are made from arsenical bronze, some of them are inlaid with silver. The sword developed from the dagger when the construction of longer blades became possible, from the late 3rd millennium BC in the Middle East, first in arsenic copper, then in tin-bronze. Blades longer than 60 cm were rare and not practical until the late Bronze Age because the strength of bronze is relatively low. These are the type A swords of the Aegean Bronze Age, one of the most important, and longest-lasting, types swords of the European Bronze Age was the Naue II type, also known as Griffzungenschwert
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Bride
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A bride is a woman who is about to be married or who is newlywed. When marrying, the future spouse, or husband is usually referred to as the bridegroom or groom. In Western culture, a bride may be attended by one or more bridesmaids, the word may come from the Proto-Germanic verb root *brū-, meaning to cook, brew, or make a broth, which was the role of the daughter-in-law in primitive families. But Aoife Curran, in Ireland Legends And Folklore, suggests that the bride may be named for Saint Brigit. In Europe and North America, the attire for a bride is a formal dress. Usually, in the white wedding model, the dress is bought specifically for the wedding. For first marriages in Western countries, a wedding dress is usually worn, a tradition started by Queen Victoria. Today, Western brides frequently wear white, cream, or ivory dresses for any number of marriages, outside of Western countries, brides most commonly wear national dress. White wedding dresses are particularly uncommon in Asian traditions, because white is the color of mourning, in many Asian cultures, red is usual for brides, as this colour indicates vibrance and health and has over time been associated with brides. However, in modern times other colours may be worn, or Western styles preferred, regardless of colour in most Asian cultures bridal clothes are highly decorative, often covered with embroidery, beading or gold. In some traditions brides may wear more than one outfit, this is true for example in Japan, parts of India, particular styles of jewelry are often associated with bridal wear, for example wedding rings in most Western cultures, or chura in Punjabi Sikh culture. Hindu brides are presented with a mangalsutra during the wedding ceremony, wedding jewellery has traditionally been used to demonstrate the value of the brides dowry. In addition to the gown, brides wear a veil and carry a bouquet of flowers, a small heirloom such as a lucky coin. In Western countries, a bride may wear something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue, the term bride appears in combination with many words, some of which are obsolete. Thus bridegroom is a married man, and bride-bell, bride-banquet are old equivalents of wedding-bells. Bridal, originally the wedding-feast itself, has grown into a general descriptive adjective, the cake-eating went out of fashion, but the wheat ears survived. In the Middle Ages they were either worn or carried by the bride, eventually it became the custom for the young girls to assemble outside the church porch and throw grains of wheat over the bride, and afterwards a scramble for the grains took place. In time the wheat-grains came to be cooked into thin dry biscuits, which were broken over the head, as is the custom in Scotland today
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Bridegroom
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A bridegroom is a man who will soon be or has recently been married. A bridegroom is typically attended by a best man and groomsmen, in the United States, the bridegroom usually wears a dark-colored suit for a daytime wedding or tuxedo for an evening ceremony. British tradition for a formal wedding requires the bridegroom, male ushers, bridegrooms of Scottish descent often wear full Highland dress, as do their groomsmen. His speech will normally be followed by one from the best man, the first mention of the term bridegroom dates to 1604, from the Old English brȳdguma, a compound of brȳd and guma. It is related to the Old Saxon brūdigomo, the Old High German brūtigomo, the German Bräutigam, in Christianity, Jesus Christ is called a bridegroom in relation to the Church as his bride. In the Gospel of John, John the Baptist speaks of Jesus Christ as the bridegroom and mentions the bride. That is the place in the Gospels that the bride is mentioned
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Khigga
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Khigga is a style of Assyrian folk dance in which multiple dancers hold each others hands and form a circle. There are multiple foot patterns that dancers perform and its thought to have been danced for thousands of years. It is usually performed at weddings and other joyous occasions, Khigga is traditionally danced with music played on the zurna, supported by a davul, but in recent years, electronic instruments have started to replace them. The khigga has spread from Anatolia to many regions, such as Armenia. In Assyrian weddings, as well as parties and other social gatherings. Every region has its own style and forms, Khigga is simple to dance and it is the first beat that is played in welcoming the bride and groom to the reception hall. As with most Assyrian folk dances, khigga assumes a circular shape. In a restricted space, the dance tend to wind over the room and assume spiral, circular. Arms are predominantly used which usually move independently of the legs, arm motions include bouncing, swinging forward and back, moving side-to-side. The torso, along with the shoulders and arms, bounces up and down rhythmically, stomps and stamps are also present. Khigga has other sub-styles such as Heavy Khigga or Normal Khigga, Heavy simply means the same dance beat but slower. Khigga goes by the signature of 44 and tempo between 100 and 115. The head of the line, referred to as resha dkhigga, usually dances with a yalekhta, or a handkerchief with beads. A Yalekhta can have different designs on the piece of cloth. A copala, or decorated cane, is used at many Assyrian weddings. Kochari Dabke Syrtos Horon Hora Kolo Tamzara An Dro Yalli Music of Iraq Culture of Iraq Music of Syria Culture of Syria
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Wedding reception
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Hosts provide their choice of food and drink, although a wedding cake is popular. Entertaining guests after a ceremony is traditional in most societies. In some cultures, separate wedding celebrations are held for the brides, until after World War II, wedding celebrations were most commonly held in the brides home, in whatever style of entertainment was within the means of the family. This might be a ball for a wealthy family, a luncheon for middle-class families, or an afternoon tea, featuring cake and lemonade. The choice depended primarily on the economic situation, and in some cases. At the beginning of the 20th century, dance halls became common, there are also many small businesses that specialize in providing places for wedding ceremonies and celebrations. Technically, to be a reception, instead of other form of entertainment. In a receiving line, newly wedded couple, the hosts, each guest greets the first person in the line and, if necessary, introduces him/herself. The first person then introduces the guest to the person in the line. As each guest properly speaks little more than name and conventional greetings or congratulations to each person in turn. Are not required to stand in the receiving line and it is increasingly common to feature only the couple, since more modern couples host and pay for their own weddings rather than their parents. Another option, especially popular on the East and West Coast of the United States, is having a grand entrance instead of a receiving line, the grand entrance might involve presenting some or all of the wedding party, the parents, and/or the bride and groom. The wedding party is introduced by a master of ceremonies, disc jockey. It may be done in the manner as they walked down the aisle during the wedding ceremony. This is generally faster than a receiving line and guests may be seated before the arrival of the wedding party. In addition, it can be an event in itself and be as entertaining as wished, introductions may be accompanied by music and information about each person to introduce them to the guests. However, unlike a reception line, it does not give the guests an opportunity to speak to any of the people being presented, the food served at a wedding reception is determined by the time of the wedding and local customs. Food may range from a single non-alcoholic drink with wedding cake to elaborate, the type of food is chosen entirely at the discretion of the hosts
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Evin Agassi
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Evin Agassi, also known as Evin Aghassi, Evan or Ewan, is an Assyrian-American singer who has become one of the most prolific Assyrian singers releasing over 20 albums during his career. His music career spans for 50 years, he was most prominent in the 1980s and 1990s, Agassi was born in Kermanshah, Iran. He became involved in the Iranian national radio since his teen years where he recorded a number of records in Persian and his songs, other than two or three, were and are written by Assyrian writer his brother, Givergiss Agass i, both in Persian and Assyrian. He settled in the United States soon after the Islamic Revolution of Iran where he continued releasing albums with his brother and he also gives concerts regularly in the United States, Europe and Australia. His recent album The Circle Of Life released in 2012 has been one of his most anticipated albums, Evin Agassi has made over 20 albums in his 50-year career. In the years between 1960 and 1980 Agassi made singles, not releasing album for 20 years
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Assyria
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Assyria was a major Mesopotamian East Semitic-speaking kingdom and empire of the ancient Near East and the Levant. Centered on the Tigris in Upper Mesopotamia, the Assyrians came to rule powerful empires at several times. Assyria is named after its capital, the ancient city of Aššur. In the 25th and 24th centuries BC, Assyrian kings were pastoral leaders, Assyria can also refer to the geographic region or heartland where Assyria, its empires and the Assyrian people were centered. The indigenous modern Eastern Aramaic-speaking Assyrian Christian ethnic minority in northern Iraq, north east Syria, southeast Turkey, in prehistoric times, the region that was to become known as Assyria was home to a Neanderthal culture such as has been found at the Shanidar Cave. The earliest Neolithic sites in Assyria were the Jarmo culture c.7100 BC and Tell Hassuna, during the 3rd millennium BC, a very intimate cultural symbiosis developed between the Sumerians and the Akkadians throughout Mesopotamia, which included widespread bilingualism. The influence of Sumerian on Akkadian, and vice versa, is evident in all areas, from lexical borrowing on a scale, to syntactic, morphological. This has prompted scholars to refer to Sumerian and Akkadian in the third millennium BC as a sprachbund and it is highly likely that the city was named in honour of its patron Assyrian god with the same name. The city of Aššur, together with a number of other Assyrian cities, however it is likely that they were initially Sumerian-dominated administrative centres. In the late 26th century BC, Eannatum of Lagash, then the dominant Sumerian ruler in Mesopotamia, similarly, in c. the early 25th century BC, Lugal-Anne-Mundu the king of the Sumerian state of Adab lists Subartu as paying tribute to him. Of the early history of the kingdom of Assyria, little is known, in the Assyrian King List, the earliest king recorded was Tudiya. According to Georges Roux he would have lived in the mid 25th century BC, Tudiya was succeeded on the list by Adamu, the first known reference to the Semitic name Adam and then a further thirteen rulers. The earliest kings, such as Tudiya, who are recorded as kings who lived in tents, were independent semi-nomadic pastoralist rulers and these kings at some point became fully urbanised and founded the city state of Ashur in the mid 21st century BC. During the Akkadian Empire, the Assyrians, like all the Mesopotamian Semites, became subject to the dynasty of the city state of Akkad, the Akkadian Empire founded by Sargon the Great claimed to encompass the surrounding four quarters. Assyrian rulers were subject to Sargon and his successors, and the city of Ashur became an administrative center of the Empire. On those tablets, Assyrian traders in Burushanda implored the help of their ruler, Sargon the Great, the name Hatti itself even appears in later accounts of his grandson, Naram-Sin, campaigning in Anatolia. Assyrian and Akkadian traders spread the use of writing in the form of the Mesopotamian cuneiform script to Asia Minor, the Akkadian Empire was destroyed by economic decline and internal civil war, followed by attacks from barbarian Gutian people in 2154 BC. The rulers of Assyria during the period between c.2154 BC and 2112 BC once again fully independent, as the Gutians are only known to have administered southern Mesopotamia
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Kochari
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Kochari, is an Armenian folk dance, danced today by Armenians, Assyrians, Azerbaijanis, Kurds, Pontic Greeks and Turks. It is a form of circle dance, Kochari is a type of dance, not a specific dance. Each region in the Armenian Highlands had its own Kochari, with its way of both dancing and music. One type of Yalli, a common to Azerbaijanis, Assyrians. In Armenian, Kochari literally means knee-come, koch means knee and ari means come. In Azerbaijani, köç means moving used both as a verb and as a noun, with the latter used more in the context of nomads travelling, köçəri is also both an adjective and a noun, meaning a nomad and nomadic simultaneously. In Pontic Greek, from the Greek κότσι meaning heel and αίρω meaning raise, all together raising the heel, in Kurdish, the word for nomads is Koçer, thus the name Koçerî makes it Nomadian. John Blacking describes Kochari as follows, Armenians have been dancing Kochari for over a thousand years, the dance is danced to a 24 rhythm. Dancers form a circle, putting their hands on each others shoulders. The dance is danced by men and women and is intended to be intimidating. More modern forms of Kochari have added a step, which involves shaking the whole body. It spread to the part of Armenia after the Armenian Genocide. It is one of the widely spread dances known as Yalli in Azerbaijan, especially in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, the “Kochari” dancing, consisting of slow and rapid parts, is of three variants. In the men or women lining up one another or one woman after one man position. This stick isn’t to punish the dancers but factually it has a dancing importance, today this dancing is played in the ancient Nakhchivan land of which Sharur, Sadarak, Kangarli, Julfa and Shahbuz regions’ folklore collectives and it gives a stimule to the weddings. Koçerî is a form of the Delîlo or Şêxanî kurdish dance. Koçerî simply means nomadian in Kurdish, where Koçer means nomad, among Kurdish nomads however, this is a specialty, not the only dance they know of. The Pontic Greeks and Armenians have many vigorous warlike dances such as the Kochari, unlike most Pontic dances, the Kotsari is in an even rhythm, originally danced in a closed circle
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Dabke
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Dabke, is an Arab folk dance native to the Levant countries. It is performed in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Hatay, Dabke combines circle dance and line dancing and is widely performed at weddings and other joyous occasions. The line forms from right to left, the leader of the dabke heads the line, alternating between facing the audience and the other dancers. In English, its name is also transliterated dabka, dabki, the Palestinian dabkeh jumps may or may not have origins in age-old Canaanite fertility rites which reflected the increasing growth of plants. They were used to scare away evil forces and to protect the security, according to Yazbec, the Phoenicians were the first teachers of the dance in the world, and the dabke is a representative descendant of the Phoenician dances. According to one tradition, the dance originated in the Levant where houses were built from stone with a roof made of wood, straw. The dirt roof had to be compacted which required stomping the dirt hard in a way to compact it evenly. This event of cooperation is called taawon and from here comes the word awneh and this developed into the song Ala Dalouna, roughly translated, Lets go and help. The dabke and the songs go together in an attempt to keep the work fun. In Jordan there are around 19 types of The Jordanian Dabke, habel Mwadea’ is the Jordanian dabke of any type performed by men and women jointly. Another type is the dabke niswaniyyah, danced specifically by women, each type of dabke dance has its own corresponding set of songs, the theme of which is often love. There are six types of dabke, Al-Shamaliyya, is probably the most famous type of dabke. It consists of a lawweeh at the head of a group of men holding hands, the lawweeh is expected to be particularly skilled in accuracy, ability to improvise, and quickness. Typically, the dabke begins with a musician playing a solo on the mijwiz or yarghoul of a Dal Ouna piece, the dancers develop a synchronized movement and step and when the singers finish their song, the lawweeh breaks from the semicircle to dance on his own. When the leader of the sees that the mens steps are one, in sync, he instructs the dancers to slow down. The lawweeh continues to inform the dancers of their basic rhythms, al-Sha’rawiyya, is limited to men and is characterized by strong steps or stomps. The lawweeh is the most important element in this type of dabke, al-Karaadiyya, is characterized by a lack of a lawweeh and slow movement with an azif in the middle of the circle. Al-Farah, is one of the most active types of dabke, al-Ghazal, is characterized by three strong stomps of the right foot, and is usually tiring for those dancing
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Sargon Gabriel
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Sargon Gabriel is an Assyrian musician born in Habbaniyah, Iraq. Sargon Gabriels music style usually involves traditional Assyrian folk music with the instruments, zurna, the singer currently resides in Chicago, Illinois. Sargon Gabriel began singing as a teenager and made his first appearance on television at the age of 17 in Baghdad. He has been singing for over thirty years and has released twenty albums. His first album was released in 1973 and his songs have become very popular in the Assyrian community upon the release of his first albums and his songs are often sung by other musicians at weddings, parties, and other social gatherings. net
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Sentimental ballad
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Ballads are generally melodic enough to get the listeners attention. Sentimental ballads are found in most music genres, such as, pop, R&B, soul, country, folk, rock and electronic music, Ballads tend to have a lush musical arrangement, emphasizing melody and harmonies. Characteristically, ballads use acoustic instruments such as guitars, pianos, saxophones, however though, many modern, mainstream ballads tend to feature synthesizers, drum machines and even, to some extent, a dance rhythm. Sentimental ballads had their origins in the early Tin Pan Alley music industry of the later 19th century, sentimental ballads have their roots from medieval French chanson balladée or ballade, which were originally danced songs. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the poetry and song of the British Isles from the later medieval period until the 19th century. They were widely used across Europe, and later in the Americas, Australia, as a narrative song, their theme and function may originate from Scandinavian and Germanic traditions of storytelling. Musically they were influenced by the Minnesinger, the earliest example of a recognizable ballad in form in England is Judas in a 13th-century manuscript. Ballads at this time were composed in couplets with refrains in alternate lines. These refrains would have been sung by the dancers in time with the dance, in the 18th century, ballad operas developed as a form of English stage entertainment, partly in opposition to the Italian domination of the London operatic scene. In America a distinction is drawn between ballads that are versions of European, particularly British and Irish songs, and Native American ballads, a further development was the evolution of the blues ballad, which mixed the genre with Afro-American music. In the late 19th century, Danish folklorist Svend Grundtvig and Harvard professor Francis James Child attempted to record and classify all the known ballads, by the Victorian era, ballad had come to mean any sentimental popular song, especially so-called royalty ballads. Some of Stephen Fosters songs exemplify this genre, by the 1920s, composers of Tin Pan Alley and Broadway used ballad to signify a slow, sentimental tune or love song, often written in a fairly standardized form. Jazz musicians sometimes broaden the term still further to embrace all slow-tempo pieces, notable sentimental ballads of this period include, Little Rosewood Casket, After the Ball, and Danny Boy. Popular sentimental ballad vocalists in this era were Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Andy Williams, Dusty Springfield, Johnny Mathis, Connie Francis, Nat King Cole, Liza Minnelli and their custom recordings were usually instrumental versions of current or recent rock and roll or pop hit songs. The most popular and enduring songs from this style of music are known as pop standards or American standards. Soft rock, a subgenre that mainly consist of ballads, was derived from rock in the early 1970s, using acoustic instruments and putting more emphasis on melody. Major sentimental ballad artists of this decade included Barbra Streisand, Nana Mouskouri, Elton John, Engelbert Humperdinck, Carole King, Cat Stevens, James Taylor. By the early 1970s, softer songs by the Carpenters, Anne Murray, John Denver, Barry Manilow
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Janan Sawa
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Janan Sawa is an Assyrian musician. A Catholic by faith, Janan started singing in 1972, at the age of 17, in 1975, Janans father forced him to marry. He spent 4 years in the Iraqi army, from 1974 to 1978, during his time in Dohuk, Janan would sing on regular occasions such as picnics and family events. In 1980, Janan fled Iraq and settled in Greece for 2 years and he finally left for the United States in 1982, where he remains a resident. After arriving in the U. S. Janan worked as a driver for 2 years. In 1984, he was hired by a restaurant to sing on a nightly basis, in 1985, he recorded his first studio album, named Nohadra, the Assyrian name for his hometown, Dohuk. The album ultimately established his singing career, and until this date Janan has released over 25 albums. Janan has performed throughout the world, and has returned to his hometown of Dohuk, Janan has also appeared and performed live on music television programs in Iraqi Kurdistan. Janans musical style is influenced by Assyrian/Syriac Folk, Kurdish and Turkish music, Janan can also perform fluently in Kurdish. He has been married once and is now divorced, but had two daughters with his ex-wife and his brother, Esam Sawa, is also a singer
