Arabic classical music journey with Charbel Rouhana Songs

Charbel Rouhana is a composer, singer and contemporary oud player (Arabic oud). Born in 1965 in Beirut, Lebanon. Rouhana develops the traditional forms of oriental music with elements of contemporary music. He succeeded in transforming Oud from arabic traditional instrument to a modern instrument able to communicate with other cultures and music, thus significantly expanding the possibilities of Arabic classical music.

Rouhana is also an educator and Arabic classical music innovator, He has long been a fixture on the Lebanese music scene. One of his major achievements is establishing a new method in playing the oud, which was published in eight volumes and was adopted by the National Conservatory of Music in Lebanon and the Faculty of Music in the Holy Spirit University, where he has been teaching since 1986 till present.

In 1990, Rouhana won the first prize of the Hirayama Competition in Japan for Best Composition entitled “Hymn of Peace”. In 2007, he founded group “the Beirut Oriental Ensemble”. He has composed various compositions for the famous dance group “Caracalla” and performed with Oud player Marcel Khalife in various concerts, also accompanied many singers such as Fairuz, Magida El Roumi, Julia Boutrosand others in numerous performances.

Rouhana developed and enlarged what oud music can mean. His melodies include Mediterranean rhythms and sounds are known not only throughout the Arab world but to a wider audience internationally. He offers to his international audience concerts with various colors, combining creativity and erudition.

Best Charbel Rouhana Songs:

1- Bint El Shalabiya

Traditional arab song “Bint El Shalabiya” song means The Girl from Sevilla (a city in the south of Spain where in medieval times Christians, Jews and Muslims lived in peace together) by The Beirut Oriental Ensemble & Charbel Rouhana.

AL BINT EL SHALABIYA (LIVE) - CHARBEL ROUHANA

2- Rozana

“Rozana” is a folk song native to the region of the Levant ( Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine). The story behind it is that at the height of the intense wheat famine that the region experienced at the beginning of the 20th century, and Italian ship called “The Rosanna” was said to have been sent carrying food to the starving population of the Levant. Everybody was waiting in anticipation for the ship’s arrival, but when it finally landed as the story goes in the song, it was carrying nothing but apples and grapes, on of the foods that the region was actually overflowing with at that time. The people cursed the ship for this reason.

Charbel Rouhana Rozana

lyrics:
Oh the Rosanna, the Rosanna, everything good is inside her
What has the Rosanna done?
God punish her!
Oh the Rosanna the Rosanna, all happiness is inside her
What has the Rosanna done?
God punish her

Hey you who are going to Aleppo, my love went with you
Hey you who are carrying grapes and on top of that apples
Everyone is with their beloved and my beloved has gone
Oh lord, may the breeze bring my lover back to me

Source

3- تقاسيم بياتي (improvised music)