Constantine, also spelled Qacentina or Kasantina, is the capital of Constantine Province in northeastern Algeria. During Roman times it was called Cirta and was renamed "Constantina" in honour of Emperor Constantine the Great. It was the capital of the French department of Constantine from 1848 until 1962. Located somewhat inland, Constantine is about 80 kilometres from the Mediterranean coast, on the banks of the Rhumel River.
Maghrebi Jews or North African Jews are ethnic Jews who had traditionally lived in the Maghreb region of North Africa under Arab rule during the Middle Ages. Established Jewish communities had existed in North Africa long before the arrival of Sephardi Jews, expelled from Portugal and Spain. Due to proximity, the term 'Maghrebi Jews' sometimes refers to Egyptian Jews as well, even though there are important cultural differences between the history of Egyptian and Maghrebi Jews. These Jews originating from North Africa constitute the second largest Jewish diaspora group.
Tunisia is a North African country with a predominantly Arabic-speaking population. The country is best known for malouf, a kind of music imported from Andalusia after the Spanish immigration in the 15th century. Though in its modern form, malouf is likely very dissimilar to any music played more than four centuries ago, it does have its roots in Spain and Portugal, and is closely related to genres with a similar history throughout North Africa, including malouf's Libyan cousin, Algerian gharnati and Moroccan ala or Andalusi. During the Ottoman era, malouf was influenced by Turkish music. However, Tunisian repertoires, styles and also instruments remain distinctive – the ʻūd tūnsī is an emblematic case. This is a close relative of the 'uds associated with Algeria and also Morocco.
Andalusi classical music, also called Andalusi music or Arab-Andalusian music, is a genre of music originally developed in al-Andalus by the Muslim population of the region and the Moors. It then spread and influenced many different styles across the Maghreb after the Expulsion of the Moriscos. It originated in the music of al-Andalus between the 9th and 15th centuries. Some of its poems derive from famous authors such as al-Mu'tamid ibn Abbad, Ibn Khafaja, al-Shushtari, and Ibn al-Khatib.
The History of the Jews in Algeria refers to the history of the Jewish community of Algeria, which dates to the 1st century CE.
Gaston Ghrenassia , known by his stage name Enrico Macias, is a French singer, songwriter and musician of Algerian Jewish descent.
Françoise Atlan is a French singer and ethnomusicologist, born in a Sephardic Jewish family in Narbonne, France on 27 July 1964. Her father was a lawyer and native of Béjaïa, Algeria, and her mother was a pianist and a lyrical singer.
Sultana Daoud was an Algerian Jewish singer, who helped preserve Arab-Andalus music, as well as introducing the genre to European audiences.
François de Roubaix was a French film score composer. In a decade, he created a musical style with new sounds, until his death in 1975.
Voyage d'une mélodie, is a 2011 multilingual album by the French singer of Jewish Algerian origin Enrico Macias, after five years of absence due to the death of his wife. The critically acclaimed album comprises music explorations by Macias into many cultures where he interprets songs in French, Spanish, Tamazight, Arabic, Hebrew and Yiddish. There are a number of collaborations with artists as duets in the album including Idir, Yasmin Levy, Daniel Lévi, Théodore Bikel and Claude Zuffrieden. The album was partly produced by Socalled, partly by his son Jean-Claude Ghrenassia.
Mohamed Tahar Fergani was an Algerian singer, violinist and composer, nicknamed the Nightingale of Constantine.
Maurice El Mediouni, French El Médioni is an Algerian pianist, composer and interpreter of Andalusian, Raï, Sephardic and Arab music. He is one of the few living artists to have performed with artists such as Lili Labassi, Line Monty, Lili Boniche, Samy el Maghribi, and Reinette l’Oranaise. He is also a professional tailor and took up initially music as a hobby.
Nacash is a singing group based in France singing French variety songs and world music. The band is composed of five brothers, sons of Algerian Jewish Cheikh Alexandre Nakache, a master of Andalusian classical music who immigrated to France in 1962 with his family. The band released albums and singles spanning from the 1980s to presently with the single "Elle imagine" written as a tribute to their sister, becoming their biggest hit.
Abdelkrim Rais was a Moroccan writer and musician of traditional Andalusian Music. Known as the captain of al-Ala , he was also a Rebab virtuoso.
Khemaïs Tarnane was a Tunisian singer, composer and musician. Born Khemaïs Ben Ali Ben Khemaïs Tarnane. Tarnane is one of the founders and teachers of the Rachidia.
Cheikh Mwijo, born Moshe Attias in Meknes in 1937 and died on 2 May 2020 in Kiryat Ata, was a Moroccan musician and songwriter. He is one of the icons of Moroccan Jewish music.
The sanâa or sanâa of Algiers or simply the Andalusian, refers to the Algerian Arab-Andalusian classical repertoire of the school of Algiers, and which tradition relates to the city of Cordoba in Al-Andalus.
