for String Orchestra (minimum string count: 3, 3 , 3, 3, 1)
Duration 15′ 30″ ca.
Commissioned by Palaver Strings. World-premiere and tour on September 26, 27, 28, & 29, 2024. Details here.
Program notes:
The Arabic word Ḥawwāsh is derived from the verb Ḥāsha (حاش(, which means “to round up, to gather.” Ḥawwāsh is the name typically used for the leader of dabké dances; a type of Arab line dancing found the in the Levant that is often performed at celebrations. The Ḥawwāsh is usually one of the strongest dancers in the group, and his/her, role is to lead the rest of the dancers. The Ḥawwāsh can be very acrobatic and often expresses his/her self in unique ways. However, these bursts of virtuosity are done while the Ḥawwāsh is still holding hands with the dancer to the left, thereby keeping connected the entire line of dancers. In some cases, different dancers take turns leading the others.
I first encountered this term in the late nineteen-nineties in a composition by the great Lebanese-American performer/composer, and emeritus UCLA professor of ethnomusicology, A.J. Racy. To say that Dr. Racy had a strong influence on Arab-American musicians is an understatement. I am grateful for the time that I had with his UCLA Arabic Music Ensemble, which Dr. Racy opened to community members in the Los Angeles area. In many ways, Dr. Racy was our Ḥawwāsh, though his virtuosity was always a generous and inspiring.
It is with this spirit that I approached composing this work for Palaver Strings. The work opens with an emphatic dance like gesture, which returns throughout the first half and at the very end. Interspersed in the first half are solos; double bass, cello, viola, and a duo with the first and second violins. Here each of the soloists takes turn being the Ḥawwāsh, leading the others to the next section. Though rooted in traditional elements of maqam (Arab musical systems), as well as playing styles of folkloric instruments such as the mijwiz (a double clarinet), the language of Ḥawwāsh can also be densely chromatic. The entire work is rooted in the note D, which is the tonic of a four note chord called Bayyāti (D, E ½ flat, F, G). On top of this Bayyāti chord are superimposed other chords that produce a much larger structure that is sounded in one form or another throughout the work. The result is what might be called a ‘folkloric avant-garde,’ producing sounds that are both joyous and dance-like, as well as nebulous and mystical. What this is reflective of, I leave up to the listener to interpret.
It was with great joy that I created this work for Palaver Strings, who are not only exceptionally talented and skilled musicians, but are also active citizen-artists of their communities in Maine and New England. This work celebrates their musicality as well as their commitment to making music accessible to both longtime New Englanders and to newly arrived immigrant communities.
Kareem Roustom
(September 2024)