RSSThe music of Bahrain follows the traditional Arabic mode. Popularly known as the Bahraini culture, it ensures the meaning of births and marriages as pleasure full experience with music and dance in Bahrain. Bahraini music is traditionally a form of Arab music. It is played on the "Oud" and the "Rebaba"'. The music and dance category includes a few major folk dance traditions that comprises Khaleeji, Fidjeri, Sawt, Liwa and Ardha.
Khaleeji
Khaleeji presents a pan Gulf folk music, with strong African influence, invoking polyrhythms. The style strongly resembles African music.
Sawt
Literally meaning “voice”, Sawt is a kind of bluesy music with Persin, African and Indian influences. Sawt is a kind of urban music that originally performed by the traditional instruments like plucked lute, drum and violin.
Fidjeri
The musical range Fidjeri is exclusively for male folk of the society. Traditionally it is performed by male pearl divers of Bahrain. In 1932 the Japanese pearl cultivation industry brought diving to a halt, but the repertoire has been passed down to descendants of the divers who continue to meet and perform the fidjeri. Fidjeri or fijri is the specific range of vocal music sung by the pearl divers of Bahrain. A lead singer is backed up by a chorus of accompanying singers and clapping. The accompanying instruments to a fidjeri ensemble are a small double-sided hand-drum, known as the mirwas (in Arabic) and the jahlah (in Arabic), a clay pot played with both hands. There are all total eight genres of fijiri such as Sanginni, Bahri, Adsani, Mkholfi, Haddadi, Hasawi, Zumayya, and Dan, the last two actually being sub-genres of Hasawi and Mkholfi respectively. Bahri and Adsani are the two main genres.
Liwa
Liwa is a kind of community music and dance performed mainly in societies, which contain descendants of East Africans, such as Muharraq and Hidd. It’s also performed by the Baloch of Pakistan's Makran Coast and Karachi, especially those of African descent. As a part of the dance male participants’ assemble together in a circle, accompanied by one or several drummers. The Liwa is a more casual dance and can be performed with a Great Spirit and banter from the young men who usually take part. The three main drums that needed for this dance are the shindo, the jabwah, the jasser and the peeper.
Ardha
Ardha is a male sword dance, accompanied by traditional drummers and a poet, who sings the lyrics. The Ardha used to be performed before warriors would meet their enemies in battle. It demonstrates that they have no fear of fighting and used to boost up enthusiasm amongst soldiers and leaders.But as a part of cultural change and continuity these days it is performed at celebrations or cultural events, such as the Jenadriyah festival.
Modern music and dance of Bahrain includes Bahraini hip hop which has produced DJ Outlaw. Bahraini Osiris, too, has gained some popularity with progressive rock and incorporation of Bahraini folk music elements. The strong Hard Rock and Heavy Metal music are also much in vogue in Bahrain. Modern music institutions in Bahrain are the Bahrain Orchestra, the Classical Institute of Music and the Bahrain Music Institute.
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