by Carl Davila [SUNY College at Brockport, NY]
ABSTRACT: The Samâ’ wa-Madîh tradition is the “other
Andalusian music” of Morocco, which shares modal, rhythmic and textual features
with the better-known al-Âla. This paper offers an esquisse of
this little-studied tradition by mapping out its historical and musical
connections with al-Âla, and then discussing its use of Andalusian
strophic poetry. Fieldwork in Morocco, and anthologies and concert programs,
suggest that, while the poetic repertoire is much larger than that of al-Âla,
the tradition makes somewhat more limited use of this style of verse, thanks to
the wealth of mawzűn poetry available in praise of the Prophet Muhammad.
Moreover, although the Andalusian-style strophic songs in
the Samâ’/Madîh operate in a complex relationship with
performance practice similar to that of al-Âla, the role of literacy and
literate transmission has been enhanced in recent years as the tradition has
moved out of the zâwiya and into the concert hall, a modernising process
similar to, but distinct from, what has occurred with al-Âla.