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The Oud is often seen as the predecessor of the western lute, distinguished primarily by being without frets. The Oud is by far a leading instrument in Arabic music but it is also used in other forms of music such as Greek traditional music and Spanish Flamenco. The plucking technique of the Oud has a similar function to that of the thumb in Flamenco guitar playing.
A form of popular poetry that is improvised and chanted in villages of the Levant region. This tradition is very strong in Lebanese villages and represents a very old form of entertainment. Zajal sessions usually take place in the evening, where 3 to 5 poets sit around a table in front of a large audience. The table would have been prepared for the poets with Arak spirit and mezza platters of Lebanese foods. The poets engage in a heated dual of poetry around a variety of themes such as satire and love. The chanting is usually accompanied by derbakkeh (Drum) and Daff (Tambourine) and clapping. Zajal is also used in traditional weddings and festivals.
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Nathalie Handal is a poet, playwright, and writer. She has lived in Europe, the United States, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Arab world. Her work has appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines, such as, Poetrywales, Ploughshares, Poetry New Zealand, Stand Magazine, Crab Orchard Review, Perihelion, and The Literary Review; has been translated into more than fifteen languages.
Her poetry has also been set to music and performed at venues such as Lincoln Center, The Chamber Music Northwest Summer Music Festival in Portland, Oregon and The River Run Centre, Canada. Handal’s poetry has also been featured in numerous galleries and/or traveling exhibits and she has collaborated with different visual artists.
www.nathaliehandal.com
In 1970, Abdel-Halim Caracalla founded what would evolve into the most prominent theatre in the Middle East. Aiming towards a new language in dance with a style based on the amalgamation of the Western and Oriental, the Caracalla Dance Theatre began its rise at the 1972 Festival of Osaka in Japan. Having combined yesterday’s heritage with today’s technique, the company’s continued success made it a permanent visitor on the stages of Europe, Africa, the Arab countries, Canada, Southern America, Russia and the United States.
A Lebanese author who wrote in French, and his works have been translated into many languages. He received the Prix Goncourt in 1993 for his novel Rock of Tanios. Maalouf’s novels are marked by his experiences of civil war and migration. Their characters are itinerant voyagers between lands, languages, and religions. Amin Maalouf website
Kemal Amin “Casey” Kasem, is an American radio personality of Lebanese descent. He founded the popular American Top 40 franchise in 1970, hosting it from 1970 to 1988 and then from 1998 to 2004. Between 1989 to 1998, he was the host of Casey’s Top 40, Casey’s Hot 20, and Casey’s Countdown. He currently hosts four weekly syndicated radio programs based on the American Top 40 franchise: American Top 20 with Casey Kasem, American Top 10 with Casey Kasem, Casey Kasem’s American Top 40: The 70s, and Casey Kasem’s American Top 40: The 80s. The later two are replays of AT40 shows from the respective decades.
This house is probably more than 80 years old, situated in the Ras Beirut district of Beirut.
The late Edward Said, born in Jerusalem of Christian Palestinian descent, was a Columbia professor and well-known literary and social critic, as well as a respected music reviewer, and wrote a column appearing in “The Nation.” Professor Said authored more than a dozen volumes on everything from the Middle East to English literature. Said earned an B.A., summa cum laude (1957) from Princeton University and an M.A. (1960) and a Ph.D. (1964) from Harvard University, where he was awarded the Bowdoin Prize.
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