Hassan Haffar
The “suite” consists of various poems in free form that are set to music and sung. The basic musical structure is defined by the melodic mode, which gives it its identity. Each “suite” has its own flavour. Interpretation varies according to the different schools and singers, who evoke three separate aspects of existence in love poems, bacchic songs and poems about nature. These may be used alternately, but they all express a single emotion: yearning for the beloved.
Hassan Haffar is the soloist in the eleven “Aleppo Suites” presented here, performing with great freedom of expression. His musical and vocal skills blend introspection and sensuality and these three albums confirm him to be a master of the genre.
The “suite” in this form is now only to be found in Aleppo.
Tracklist
Part 1
This first CD presents three musical suites (wasla) in the Yekah (tracks 1 to 4), Nahawand (tracks 5 to 11) and Râst (tracks 12 to 14) modes.
1 – Sâhi qum lil-hâni/Friend, let us go to the tavern – 3’35
2 – Husnuki n-nishwân/Your intoxicating beauty – 2’36
3 – Mubarqacu l-jamâli/Hidden Beauty – 1’28
4 – Bi’abî bâhi l-jamâli/Your dazzling beauty – 4’54
5 – Ramânî bi sahmi hawâhu/A fawn – 2’23
6 – Munyatî cazza stibârî/ O my hope – 1’40
7 – Subhâna man sawwar husnak/Glory to Him who created your beauty – 7’53
8 – Hâti sqinîha/With your own hands – 4’35
9 – Lamma badâ yatathannâ/When he appeared – 3’37
10 – Qultu lamma ghâba cannî/The light from your face – 3’26
11 – Min yom habbet/Since the first day – 2’03
12 – Yâ turâ bacda l-bicâd/After such an absence – 2’58
13 – Hâdhi l-manâzil/Camel driver, stop – 3’44
14 – Yâ curayban/You are the one I prefer – 2’30
Part 2
This second CD presents four musical suites (wasla) in the Hijâz (tracks 1 to 3), Zanjarân (tracks 4 to 6), cAjam (tracks 7 to 10) and Sikah (tracks 11 to 15) modes.
1 – Yâ la-qalbî/My heart pains me – 5’35
2 – Mâ ihtiyâlî/What should we do, my friends – 3’57
3 – Yâ fâtin al-ghizlân/O bewitching fawn! – 4’22
4 – Talcat al-badr al-munîr/Radiant as the moon – 2’40
5 – Ayâ dâraha bi-l-huzn/My beloved dwells in a sad place – 2’12
6 – Basama az-zahru/The flowers smile – 6’27
7 – Munyatî sîd al-milâh/My desire, lord of beauty – 3’01
8 – Ijmacû bil-qurbi shamlî/Unite me with him – 2’08
9 – Yâ mâlikan minnî fu’âdî/You, who own my heart – 3’04
10 – Ayqadha l-hubbu fu’âdî/Love awoke my heart – 2’18
11 – Ramâ qalbî/My heart is the fawn’s quarry – 3’42
12 – Badat lanâ/She appeared to us – 1’59
13 – Yâ nahîf al-qiwâm/O slender waist – 2’01
14 – Mâ aqsara al-layla/How short the night is! – 2’19
15 – Law kunta tadrî/If you knew – 1’21
Part 3
This third CD presents four musical suites (wasla) in the Kurd (tracks 1 to 6), Bayâtî (tracks 7 to 9), Bastanikâr (tracks 10 to 11) and Nakrîz (tracks 12 to 14) modes.
1 – Yamurru cujban/Haughtily, he walks past – 2’27
2 – cAdhdhibûnî/Torment me – 3’47
3 – Yâ ghazâla al-ramli/Desert Fawn – 2’30
4 – Fî l-rawd anâ shuft al-jamîl/In the garden, I saw a beauty – 3’50
5 – Yâ dhâ al-qiwâmi al-samhariy/Beauty with a slender waist – 3’11
6 – Yâ bahjat al-rûh/Delight of my soul – 2’10
7 – Kahhala al-sihru/Bewitching eyes – 5’27
8 – Ibcat lî jawâb/Send me a message – 8’07
9 – Billâhi yâ bâhî/By God, o noble lord – 0’51
10 – Aqbala as-subhu/The coming of the dawn – 3’56
11 – Aqbala as-sâqî calaynâ/The cupbearer drew closer to us – 3’05
12 – Yâ qiwâm al-bân/Willow wand – 3’14
13 – Zâranî tahta al-ghayâhib/In the night – 2’19
14 – Bayna Qasyûnin wa Rabwah/Between Qâsyoun and Rabwa – 3’07
Interpreters and instruments
Hassan Haffar (singing)
Abdullatif Altounji (choir)
Taher Khantoumani (choir)
Rachid Khantoumani (choir)
Nizar Sabbagh (choir)
Moustapha (choir)
Farouk Sabouni (choir)
About
The Suite or wasla
The Arabic term wasla (suite) may be translated as ‘that which links’. This term was first employed in the context of classical Arab music in the nineteenth century, replacing the ancient form of ‘nouba’, the French version of the Arabic nawba, which literally translated meant ‘to wait one’s turn’ or the ‘turn given to a musician allowing to him to follow on from another musician’. By taking it in turns to sing, the musicians could thus link together several pieces in the course of one concert.
The ‘suite’ ou wasla brings together different poems, that are set to music and sung. These include the muwashshah, a term that in Arabic evokes ‘a mantilla embroidered with symmetrical patterns of pearls and jewels worn by a woman’, in reference to a simple, limpid, spontaneous and refined form of poetry first dating from ninth century Andalusia. This new free form of poetry was in contrast to the classical qasîda, with its rigidly defined structure, which was one of the first musical forms characteristic of pre-Islamic Arab culture. In its sung form, the muwashshah presents a clearly defined rhythm, whereas the qasîda is a mono-rhyme poem resembling a vocal improvisation in classical language. The qasîda was the only known form of lyric song until the invention of the Andalusian muwashshah.
Rhythm is a basic element in Arab music, and the ‘suite’ consists of a series of clearly structured movements, in which acceleration produces new rhythmic formulas. These metrics develop a notion of tempo, each with its own dynamic. The notion of tempo is not, however, of great importance: what counts is the acceleration, as it opens the door to subtle changes and shifts in the metrical patterns, thus allowing, for example, the passage from four to seven or ten beat time.
The ‘suite’ is a set of pieces sung in unisson, organised in a series of movements; not all of these are necessarily performed as part of the same concert. The basic musical principle is the melodic mode, known as maqâm,which gives the suite its coherence and identity. Each ‘suite’ has its own meaning and flavour and must be performed at a precise moment. There is no standard interpretation for each ‘suite’; it varies according to the schools and the performers.
The term ‘suite’ first appeared in France in 1557 in a collection by Pierre Attaignant entitled “Suyttes de bransles”. This music publisher was the first to use movable type to reproduce and print music. The ‘suite’, a sequence of fairly short movements with a thematic link, was initially composed for lute or keyboard and became an integral part of European music and the basis for the future symphonic form. It was at the height of its glory in the eighteenth century, with the works for solo instrument or orchestra by Georg Friedrich Haendel and Johann Sebastian Bach. It appears obvious that the notion of the ‘suite’ developed in Andalusia, even if the term is mentioned in a document dating from the end of the tenth century in Baghdad.
The themes of the Arab ‘suite’ are grouped under three separate genres: love poems, bacchic poems and poems about nature. These may be used alternately, but they all express a single emotion: yearning for the beloved.
Hassan Haffar is the soloist in the eleven ‘Aleppo Suites’ presented here, performing with great freedom of expression. His musical and vocal skills blend introspection and sensuality and these three albums confirm him to be a master of the genre.
The ‘suite’ in this form is now only to be found in Aleppo.
Abed Azrié
The Recordings
Part 1
This first CD presents three musical suites (wasla) in the Yekah (tracks 1 to 4), Nahawand (tracks 5 to 11) and Râst (tracks 12 to 14) modes.
1- Sâhi qum lil-hâni/Friend, let us go to the tavern – 3’35
Friend, let us go to the tavern
And quench our thirst with wine
His glass is like a host of stars
That cures all folly.
Between flowers, fields and streams
The many-splendoured sun
Rises in Isfahan.
2- Husnuki n-nishwân/Your intoxicating beauty – 2’36
Your intoxicating beauty and the glass that slakes my thirst
Have rekindled the time of my youth
In a glowing dream,
The days of my life have flown past.
I am already drunk and still my cup is full,
Truly, you have served me a wine from Paradise!
3- Mubarqacu l-jamâli/Hidden Beauty – 1’28
You possess hidden beauty
You are perfection,
Take pity on a lover
Who seeks to draw closer in love.
Be merciful,
Soothe the fire of my passion
With your honeyed saliva.
In you, I have reduced my soul to nothing
Heedless of all advice.
In the dawn of your face
The folly of my impudence is permitted.
4- Bi’abî bâhi l-jamâli/Your dazzling beauty – 4’54
I would give my father’s life
For that unique beauty
For that enchanting form
More dazzling than the moon.
Yet, my efforts would go to waste.
I called out: you are the chosen one, the ultimate desire
Show yourself to me,
O bewitching branch
Splendour itself,
O brother of the moon, for whom I would give my life
He who draws away from you, will find only the abyss.
As soon as you appear, you light up the universe
My gleaming glass, limpidly
Offers up the sweetest honey to me.
In you, I have reduced my soul to nothing
Heedless of all advice.
In the dawn of your face
The folly of my impudence is permitted.
5- Ramânî bi sahmi hawâhu/A fawn – 2’23
A fawn has caught me with its shafts of love.
It dwells close by, yet remains inaccessible
Moving like a gazelle, it captures the hearts of men
May it crush my soul, my inner depths
I am happy to be prey to such beauty.
6- Munyatî cazza stibârî/ O my hope – 1’40
O my hope, my patience is running out
The passion of love grows constantly,
Your eyes fire shafts and arrows that I seek to avoid!
Help me, my friends
Give me the right to love
I am smitten with a distant love
The fire devours a heart that is weary of waiting
It makes promises, but does not keep them
Perhaps I should say it matters not
On your way, and leave me in peace
7- Subhâna man sawwar husnak/Glory to Him who created your beauty – 7’53
Glory to Him who created your beauty,
And raised you to splendid heights
He who crowned you with light.
Friend, do not leave me
On Friday come and see me
Avoid the company of any but myself
My neighbour does not deserve your best favours.
8- Hâti sqinîha/With your own hands – 4’35
With your own hands pour me a glass
Of the wine from your cheeks
To atone for the pain inflicted by your soft eyes.
A crime committed against me.
I will give up my life for you,
But when you come,
Do not be surly.
9- Lamma badâ yatathannâ/When he appeared – 3’37
When he appeared, swaying his hips
My beloved charmed us with his beauty.
With one glance, he conquered us
This branch gleaming as it swayed.
Misfortune and sorrow
No one hears my lament
But the sovereign beauty.
10- Qultu lamma ghâba cannî/The light from your face – 3’26
May the light from your face be protected
When it drew away from me, I cried out:
By God, my sorrow will destroy me
It exudes the taste of death.
My eyes flowed like streams
My eyelids cannot find sleep.
My heart is smitten, my desire grows
When will you come, my love?
My eyes have lost their light,
Take pity on my eyes, my moon.
11- Min yom habbet/Since the first day – 2’03
Since the first day,
Love has robbed me of sleep,
I am distraught.
If only my beloved would be fair to me
Just one day,
I will not mention the flame that devours me.
What is the good of patience
When his heart turns to another?
The passion of love brings only
Humiliation and upset!
Tired of blame, my patience has run out,
I cannot bear his constant reproaches
If the shadow of my beloved visited me as I slept,
My secret would not be revealed.
12- Yâ turâ bacda l-bicâd/After such an absence – 2’58
After such an absence,
Will my beloved keep his word?
He is my one desire, my destiny,
He who has stolen my heart and my mind.
If he were to return, after such an absence
May I see him by my side!
Sleep has forsaken my eyes
How have I sinned?
13- Hâdhi l-manâzil/Camel driver, stop – 3’44
Camel driver, stop
The beloved has set up camp just here!
Let your herd rest amidst the bamboo and the leaves
And come towards a heart
Mad with love, wounded
By the shafts fired from the eyes of gazelles
By God,
You who never see me
And for whom I have known a love that tastes of death
Do not go, camel driver
What little strength remains to me
Will not allow me to bid you good-bye.
14- Yâ curayban/You are the one I prefer – 2’30
O nomads, who have set up camp amongst us
You are my favourite of all human beings
They have set up their tents in my heart
And brought so many tears to my eyes.
Their fire consumes my heart
And my eyes know no sleep.
Will we meet again, my lords
Ah, if I could see them again, it would only be a dream.
Part 2
This second CD presents four musical suites (wasla) in the Hijâz (tracks 1 to 3), Zanjarân (tracks 4 to 6), cAjam (tracks 7 to 10) and Sikah (tracks 11 to 15) modes.
1- Yâ la-qalbî/My heart pains me – 5’35
My heart pains me, I am wasting away
Who will help me draw closer
To the angel who has seized me from within
And who constantly murmurs to my soul
In my agony, my decline, my darkness
On the horizon, between the sails of the night
A smiling mouth appears to me
A garden, a pond, a sermon.
I visited a garden in bloom, that spoke to me
Blushing with modesty
The flowers were intoxicated by my loved one
Ah, the flowers kissed my loved one, as handsome as the moon!
Do you dwell in the heavens
Or do you light up the sky
And the stars that hang from your very soul!
2- Mâ ihtiyâlî/What should we do, my friends – 3’57
What should we do, my friends
With a fawn that teaches
The branch how to twist itself
When it bends down
Passion has robbed me of my senses
In fact, it has turned away from me.
Is it by cupidity or coquetry?
That, I do not know.
3- Yâ fâtin al-ghizlân/O bewitching fawn! – 4’22
O bewitching fawn!
Forgive me and speak to me
I can no longer bear the people and their slander
Because you are angry.
I endure an endless night
And countless tears.
My greatest hope,
Your love has driven me to distraction
What right did he have, my beloved
To abandon me, o human souls,
And let the people mock me
Your slender form
Has troubled me so
My greatest hope,
Your love has driven me to distraction.
4- Talcat al-badr al-munîr/Radiant as the moon – 2’40
As radiant as the moon in its fullness,
O dazzling beauty
I am the captive of your love
You are perfection
So many people are slaves to your love
All that I desire
Is to please you.
5- Ayâ dâraha bi-l-huzn/My beloved dwells in a sad place – 2’12
My beloved dwells in a sad place
Close by, but to reach it, what dangers must I face
When night falls,
My desire burns
My heart beats fit to burst
The water from my country would have been enough
But the scarlet draught of Al-Karkh is unparalleled
6- Basama az-zahru/The flowers smile – 6’27
On the hills, the flowers smile in beauty
Like gleaming crowns of gold
Across the plain, wafts the scent of shimmering silk
Where the narcissi bloom
As soon as they see a faint pinprick of light
Their eyelids close,
They fade, sink into sleep
Like the eyes of an insomniac
A nightingale sings, a bird coos
The still pond provokes the jealousy of the gushing stream,
But my weary heart cares not for all this.
7- Munyatî sîd al-milâh/My desire, lord of beauty – 3’01
My desire, lord of beauty!
A face that appears like the dawn
And brandishing its invincible lance
Pierces my heart with a multitude of wounds
Bring salvation, O perfect beauty,
To this fearful heart that longs to know you
The tears flow down his cheeks
And he groans with pain
8- Ijmacû bil-qurbi shamlî/Unite me with him – 2’08
Unite me with him, gather up my scattered body
Let me see him.
Renew the bonds with my loved one
Estrangement has a bitter taste
Many lovers before me
Have suffered the pain of love
Yet, never has there been seen
A human soul
As tormented as I
By separation
9- Yâ mâlikan minnî fu’âdî/You, who own my heart – 3’04
You, who own my heart
You, who drive sleep away
How long will you shun my love?
Have I not suffered enough!
I wander, caught up in passion, I have wasted away
You are my destination, you are my destiny
Let me see you, my love,
Our separation has lasted too long!
10- Ayqadha l-hubbu fu’âdî/Love awoke my heart – 2’18
Love awoke my heart
Despite my weariness of all passion
It spread
Through my veins and my bones
O my love, my fidelity is boundless
However it may call forth your wrath!
If you leave, I will die
O refulgent moon.
11- Ramâ qalbî/My heart is the fawn’s quarry – 3’42
My heart is the fawn’s quarry
Incomparable eyes
Fringed with black lashes
Honey lips,
A river from paradise
That I cannot reach
The dark beauty is my sovereign
But I am governed by strict laws
This face with the brilliance of the moonGlory and homage to its Creator!
12- Badat lanâ/She appeared to us – 1’59
In the most auspicious circumstances
We saw a bright light eclipsing the night
A solar beauty on a flimsy branch
Who struts with her train
An easterly breeze wafts from the valley
She is coveted by all
The girl, sheltering in her tent
This unparalleled beauty
Who puts all the moons to shame
13- Yâ nahîf al-qiwâm/O slender waist – 2’01
O slender waist
Estrangement is sinful
Fill my glass with wine
And serve me with your own hands
Any drink that intoxicates the mind
Is permitted, when drinking to your beauty
You are the finest, the most gracious
Master, may God praise you
And condemn those who watch you with envy
Hope of seeing you fades
It has become unbearable
What can we do, lord,
We are your slaves
Command and we obey
14- Mâ aqsara al-layla/How short the night is! – 2’19
How short the night for the person who is sleeping!
How light the pain for the man returning home!
What you have left behind is not enough
My soul is nothing but debris!
I will not deny what you gave me
Did I not embrace the myrtle branch
As it shed its perfume in the cool night air!
Had they seen us under cover of darkness
They would have thought we were
One flesh
15- Law kunta tadrî/If you knew – 1’21
If you had known what love can do
You would not have deprived me of your love
A dark-eyed fawn,
With an enchanting face
The branch of shame would fall silent
As it swayed
Your love has crushed my heart
You are the refulgent moon
No: you are more beautiful by far
Part 3
This third CD presents four musical suites (wasla) in the Kurd (tracks 1 to 6), Bayâtî (tracks 7 to 9), Bastanikâr (tracks 10 to 11) and Nakrîz (tracks 12 to 14) modes.
1- Yamurru cujban/Haughtily, he walks past – 2’27
Haughtily, he walks past
And moves off without a word
Is it not astonishing
Is it not a sin
O good people, whose passion
Leads them to drink the cup of death
If the loved one pours scorn
On the prisoner of his love
2- cAdhdhibûnî/Torment me – 3’47
Torment me as much as you will
As I love you, the torture is sheer delight
I love you ardently
I am your slave, I belong to you
What pleases you, pleases me
The only person I desire
Is you
3- Yâ ghazâla al-ramli/Desert Fawn – 2’30
O desert fawn, o rapture!
Our secret was going to be revealed
You are the drink, you are the glass
I can never be released from this love I have for you
Fill the goblets with this young wine
Pour me and drink, or drink and pour me
Your pure lips
Are a sweeter drink
Than the blood of the vine and the water of the clouds
Give me a glass and pour one for yourself
Happiness is sharing
4- Fî l-rawd anâ shuft al-jamîl/In the garden, I saw a beauty – 3’50
In the garden, I saw a beauty
As lovely as a branch yielding to the breeze
And on her cheek was written:
Glory to the Creator of roses
O fawn, your eyes are narcissi!
At a glance from them, my heart leaps
And on her cheek, the jasmine says:
Glory to the Creator of roses
On seeing the brightness of her eyes, I said:
O Generous Lord
From the branches, the doves sing:
Glory to the Creator of roses!
5- Yâ dhâ al-qiwâmi al-samhariy/Beauty with a slender waist – 3’11
Beauty with a slender waist
Your saliva is sugar
The purest pearls appear
Between your full lips
Separation is a trial, estrangement an ordeal!
You have robbed my eyes of sleep
Hurry, be generous, cherish our love
O beauty with a radiant face!
6- Yâ bahjat al-rûh/Delight of my soul – 2’10
Delight of my soul, let us meet
My heart is wounded, it can bear no more
If my heart is love itself, why do you abandon me ?
Our estrangement drives me to madness, let me see you
Bring me wine, and keep filling my glass!
Nothing can compare to your radiant face
Moon, give me a kiss from your lips
Contemptuous of my pure love
He has exhausted me
7- Kahhala al-sihru/Bewitching eyes – 5’27
Bewitching eyes, with the darkness of magic
Cheeks like roses
At night, slender waists make a mockery of the branches
The fawns ambush us
With their black eyes
And take us prisoner
Ah ! the eyes of a lost fawn
Its cheeks blushing with love
Pointed glances like drawn swords
Perfect attributes, gentle
Unique beauty, now emerging
A smiling mouth, which offers us
Between the delicious rose lips, teeth
That would put a precious pearl necklace to shame
8- Ibcat lî jawâb/Send me a message – 8’07
Send me a message to calm me
A reproach would suffice, anything rather than such privation
You have been absent too long, waiting is a trial
You may rejoice that your heart has abandoned me,
If you love someone else and you have forgotten me
You have committed a crime
You have no consideration for me
I have endured so much disdain
I have sent so many messages
Have you forgotten me
Happy as you are to see me in torment
God is with me and he knows my pain
From the flames of my suffering, he will mete out justice
I do not dare to say that you are guilty
I will bear my sorrows for all eternity
9- Billâhi yâ bâhî/By God, o noble lord – 0’51
Be merciful with your bashful lover
The world would matter little to him
If you and your willowy form did not exist
You have revealed the well-kept secret
Of my tears and sickness
On the tablets of law, the reed pen has written
That love is both judge and defendant
10- Aqbala as-subhu/The coming of the dawn – 3’56
The dawn came, serenading life that yet slept on
The hills dream in the shadow of the drowsy branches
The leaves of withered flowers dance in the breeze
That teases the light into darkened corners.
The dawn disturbs the revellers’ sleep
Once they have tasted the liquor of lips,
They struggle to rouse themselves
Try to recall the nights past
And you will see that all traces
Like the once sparkling pearl faces, fade
Why do they frown so?
11- Aqbala as-sâqî calaynâ/The cupbearer drew closer to us – 3’05
The cupbearer drew closer to us
Carrying the goblet of wine
Haughtily, he bent over us
Like the full moon
Yâ riyâr yâ ridôs
Yâ rimân sultâna man
May God protect the beloved
Who brings us salvation
Was it a dream?
Glory then to this dream!
Handsome young man, let us go
And pluck the fruit of your cheeks
Let the people say
That I love you to madness
Yâ riyâr yâ ridôs
Yâ rimân sultâna man
You reproach me for loving
Spare me your words
Any fire other than the fire of passion
Brings a welcome coolness
12- Yâ qiwâm al-bân/Willow wand – 3’14
You, slender as a willow wand, my patience has run out
Give me the mercy of your gazelle’s eyes
Your gentle look has snared my heart
I am dying, take pity on my misfortune
Your beauty spot has snared me
And dragged my heart towards disaster
The absence is too long
O lord of the fawns
O cupbearer, bring me wine
Fill my glass, do not stop, fill my glass with the child of the wine skin.
13- Zâranî tahta al-ghayâhib/In the night – 2’19
In the ink-black night
A moon that never sleeps will visit me
Amidst the stars, she yields so,
The supple branch is jealous
She lets us drink from her sweet lips
Her cheeks have robbed me of reason
With their bewitching beauty
14- Bayna Qasyûnin wa Rabwah/Between Qâsyoun and Rabwa) – 3’07
Between Qâsyoun and Rabwa
A fawn grew up
And my heart aches
For I cannot see it
What shall I do, gentlemen?
Dare I hope that we will meet?
Speak truthfully
He pays no heed to those who complain, so I’ve been told
Would we be allowed to see him
When he approached, swaying
As supple as bamboo,
And I said to him:
If you were the companion of my soul
It would mean both honour and glory for me
Impossible, he replied
Forget these words.
He leant towards me:
With me, you have no hope
- Référence : 321.082.083.084
- Ean : 794 881 921 928
- Artiste principal : Hassan Haffar (حسن حفّار)
- Année d’enregistrement : 2005
- Année de fixation : 2009
- Genre : Wasla
- Pays d’origine : Syrie
- Ville d’enregistrement : Paris
- Langue principale : Arabe
- Compositeurs : ꜤUmar al-Batsh ; Dâwûd Husnî ; Sayyid Darwîsh ; Sâlih Al-Mahdî ; Abû Khalîl al-Qabbânî ; Majdî al-ꜤAqîli ; Nadîm al-Darwîsh ; Bahjat Hassân ; Bakrî Kurdî
- Lyricists : Anonyme ; Fakhrî al-Bârûdî ; Abû al-ꜤAlâ’ al-Macarrî ; Majdî al-ꜤAqîli ; ꜤAnân al-Mînî
- Copyright : Institut du Monde Arabe