Arabic music is the music of the Arab world with all its diverse music styles and genres. Arabic countries have many rich and varied styles of music and also many linguistic dialects, with each country and region having their own traditional music.
The traditional music of Jordan has a long history. Rural zajal songs, with improvised poetry played with a mijwiz, tablah, arghul, oud, rabab, and reed pipe ensemble accompanying is popular. The transition of old cultural music into hit pop songs known worldwide. Recently, Jordan has seen the rise of prominent DJs and pop stars.
Nouhad Wadie Haddad, known as Fairuz, is a Lebanese singer. She is widely considered an iconic vocalist and one of the most celebrated singers in the history of the Arab world. She is popularly known as "The Bird of The East", "The Cedar of Lebanon", "The Moon's Neighbor", and "The Voice of Lebanon", among others.
The culture of Lebanon and the Lebanese people emerged from Phoenicia and through various civilizations over thousands of years. It was home to the Phoenicians and was subsequently conquered and occupied by the Assyrians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Persians, the Arabs, the Crusaders, the Ottomans and the French. This variety is reflected in Lebanon's diverse population, composed of different religious groups, and features in the country's festivals, literature, artifacts, cuisine and architecture of Lebanon. Despite colonization by different entities genetic testing has revealed that 89% of Lebanese people today descend from the Phoenicians. Regardless of religion or colonization which were layers of paint on top.
The various nations of the region include the Arabic-speaking countries of the Middle East, the Iranian traditions of Persia, the Jewish music of Israel and the diaspora, Armenian music. Azeri Music, the varied traditions of Cypriot music, the Turkish music of Turkey, traditional Assyrian music, Coptic ritual music in Egypt as well as other genres of Egyptian music in general. It is widely regarded that some Middle-Eastern musical styles have influenced Central Asia, as well as the Balkans and Spain.
Dabke is a Levantine folk dance, particularly popular among Lebanese, Jordanian, Palestinian and Syrian communities. Dabke combines circle dance and line dancing and is widely performed at weddings and other joyous occasions. The line forms from right to left and the leader of the dabke heads the line, alternating between facing the audience and the other dancers.
The buzuq is a long-necked fretted lute related to the Greek bouzouki and Iranian and Turkish saz.
Ziad Rahbani is a Lebanese composer, pianist, playwright, and political commentator. He is the son of Fairouz, one of Lebanon and the Arab world's most famous singers, and Assi Rahbani, one of the founders of modern Arabic music.
Assi Rahbani was a Lebanese composer, musician, and producer. He was part of the Rahbani Brothers, with his brother Mansour Rahbani. He married Lebanese singer Nouhad Haddad, more famous by her stage name, Fairuz. Their son Ziad Rahbani is also a very successful artist in music, theatre, and an influential political activist.
The Rahbani brothers, Assi Rahbani and Mansour Rahbani were Lebanese sibling musicians, composers, songwriters, authors, and playwrights/dramatists, best known for their work with the singer Fairuz, Assi's wife. Their younger brother Elias Rahbani was also a famous lyricist and composer.
Carole Samaha is a Lebanese singer, actress, and performer. She has released six studio albums. Samaha has a Master's degree in acting and directing, which she earned in 1999 from the Saint Joseph University of Beirut.
Arabic pop music or Arab pop music is a subgenre of pop music and Arabic music.
Zaki Nassif was a Lebanese music composer and singer. He was influential among the first generation of composers for the mass audience for music on radio in Lebanon in the 1940s and 1950s, and continued to be a force in Lebanese music until his death in 2004. His compositions continue to be performed in Lebanon and all over the Arab world until today.
Lydia Canaan is a Lebanese singer-songwriter, poet, humanitarian activist, and diplomat. She is noted for her four-octave vocal range, distinctive vocal stylings, and for being the first Lebanese artist in music history to achieve global success. Widely regarded as the first "rock star" of the Middle East, she is cataloged in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's Library and Archives.
Melhem Barakat, also known as Melhim Barakat or Abou Majd, was a Lebanese singer, songwriter, and composer. Barakat was a well-renowned singer in Lebanon and the wider Arab world. He toured Australia, South America, Canada, and the United States.
Hiba Michel Tawaji is a Lebanese singer, actress, and director. Since 2008, she has established herself in the Lebanese and Arab music scene with her 4-octave vocal range.
Elias Hanna Al Rahbani was a Lebanese musician, composer, songwriter, orchestra conductor, and reality television personality, sitting as judge on a number of talent shows. He composed more than 2,500 songs, including 2,000 in Arabic. He wrote the soundtrack for more than 25 films, a number of TV series, and also composed musical scores for the piano. He composed songs for a number of artists, including Fairuz and Sabah.
Zahrat al-Mada'en is a 1967 Arabic song performed by Lebanese singer Fairuz, composed by the Rahbani brothers and written by Said Akl.
"Hey Richie" is a song by Lydia Canaan released as an English language single in 1988. It was recorded and mixed by Tony Farah Studios in Beirut, Lebanon. It was a radio hit in Lebanon, where it received considerable airplay nationwide.
The Sound of Love is the debut studio album by Lebanese singer-songwriter Lydia Canaan, released in mid-2000. Recorded in London and New York City, it includes the track "Right On the Verge" featuring Bryan Adams' keyboardist, Tommy Mandel. Nelson Mandela used the album's second single release, "Beautiful Life", as the theme song for a charity event under his auspices in South Africa.
