Muhammad Sabsabi

 

CITHARE CLASSIQUE / MUHAMMAD SABSABI

LIBAN / QANUN

Arabesques 2

Emi-Pathé,  1974, 2C066-95158

This LP is part of a collection  called ''Arabesques'' of five albums at the time of publication : three were dedicated to the lute ud, one to the flute ney and this one (number 2) dedicated to the zither qanun. More were issued afterwards (https://www.discogs.com/de/label/237516-Arabesques). The man behind this wonderful series was the doctor Jean-Claude Chabrier who was a doctor of medicine but also lecturer in Arabic and Islamic musics at the National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations, Paris III. He speaks different languages and travelled extensively in the Near and Middle East during the sixties and seventies. He had a programme on the French national radio around 1977-1981. The programme was called ''extraeuropean music'' and other people like Jacques Brunet presented these musics from Indonesia, Turkey or Burma for 30 minutes every week. Chabrier used his LPs in that programme as well as recordings that weren't published. The man had a great way of talking about global history mixed with personal anecdotes. His knowledge about Oriental music and cutlure and his will to  share this culture with non-connoisseurs are very valuable.

He recorded Muhammad Sabsabi (his name is mispelled on the cover) in the studios of the Lebanese Radio-Television in September 1972 and September 1973. The important aspect of this series is that there are information about the musical Arabic traditions in general, the modes and the art of taqsim, the instrument (here the qanun), the artist and finally the place of Lebanon in Arabic music. All in French though. The five tracks were analyzed by Muhammad Khemakhem a teacher of ud at the Conservatory of Sfax (Tunisia) who worked also at Paris-Sorbonne. 
M. Sabsabi, a brillant musician, was known for having female students and his respect for tradition. 

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