El Baramka
Thursday 10/09/2015
In the small town of El-Matariyya on the shores of Lake Manzalla live the Baramka family, famous for enlivening the nights and the festivities of the people of the town with their varied songs and their very unusual rhythms.
The name "Baramka" goes back in Islamic history to the family of that name that, originally from Iran, rose to prominence under the ‘Abbasid caliphate in Baghdad because of their role in government and the caliphs’ dependence on them for the organization and administration of the empire. The Baramka were famed for their generosity and patronage of song, music, poetry and other arts. The fall of the Baramka came about in the reign of Harun al-Rashid, when the caliph ordered the execution of Jaafar al-Barmaki, followed by an assault on the rest of the family, most of who fled Baghdad and the caliph’s brutality.
Today, the word baramki has a number of meanings. In Upper Egypt, it means an itinerant singer, or someone of obscure family. In Sudan, the same name means noble, and of sterling qualities. This difference may go back to the fact that, along with the family described above as famous for their generosity and patronage of the arts, and especially music and singing, there were many individuals who specialized in praising the latter, and who became known as the “freedmen” (or followers) of the Baramka. With the passing of time, these became known simply as Baramka. I believe that this served to greatly increase the number of those called Baramka, most of whom are involved in music and once lived by praising the original Baramka and seeking their largesse.
However this may be, no-one knows to which group the Baramka of Matariyya belong. What is important is that they may be the only case in Egypt of a group of popular musicians who are also a family, since all of them belong to a single male line and trace themselves back to a single ancestor, strangers being forbidden to join them in learning or singing their songs.
The songs of the Baramka are diverse. Some have clear religious themes, while others are songs of love and passion or fishermen’s songs (most of the Baramka work as fishermen on Lake Manzalla) or deal wit hrural themes. Their music relies on percussion instruments, of which they use a variety, among them the goblet drum (tabla), the bass drum (duhulla),clapping and the small tambourine with jingles (riqq).
Despite their celebrity in Matariyya, no-one had heard of them outside their home town until I became acquainted with them and invited them to present their art in Port Said, Ismailiyya and Cairo, and on various television channels. The public with a taste for this highly distinctive art is now gradually broadening.
The name "Baramka" goes back in Islamic history to the family of that name that, originally from Iran, rose to prominence under the ‘Abbasid caliphate in Baghdad because of their role in government and the caliphs’ dependence on them for the organization and administration of the empire. The Baramka were famed for their generosity and patronage of song, music, poetry and other arts. The fall of the Baramka came about in the reign of Harun al-Rashid, when the caliph ordered the execution of Jaafar al-Barmaki, followed by an assault on the rest of the family, most of who fled Baghdad and the caliph’s brutality.
Today, the word baramki has a number of meanings. In Upper Egypt, it means an itinerant singer, or someone of obscure family. In Sudan, the same name means noble, and of sterling qualities. This difference may go back to the fact that, along with the family described above as famous for their generosity and patronage of the arts, and especially music and singing, there were many individuals who specialized in praising the latter, and who became known as the “freedmen” (or followers) of the Baramka. With the passing of time, these became known simply as Baramka. I believe that this served to greatly increase the number of those called Baramka, most of whom are involved in music and once lived by praising the original Baramka and seeking their largesse.
However this may be, no-one knows to which group the Baramka of Matariyya belong. What is important is that they may be the only case in Egypt of a group of popular musicians who are also a family, since all of them belong to a single male line and trace themselves back to a single ancestor, strangers being forbidden to join them in learning or singing their songs.
The songs of the Baramka are diverse. Some have clear religious themes, while others are songs of love and passion or fishermen’s songs (most of the Baramka work as fishermen on Lake Manzalla) or deal wit hrural themes. Their music relies on percussion instruments, of which they use a variety, among them the goblet drum (tabla), the bass drum (duhulla),clapping and the small tambourine with jingles (riqq).
Despite their celebrity in Matariyya, no-one had heard of them outside their home town until I became acquainted with them and invited them to present their art in Port Said, Ismailiyya and Cairo, and on various television channels. The public with a taste for this highly distinctive art is now gradually broadening.