“This is a tremendous honor and recognition, not only of me and my work, but of the ancient Maqam tradition of Iraq. I am proud to be an exponent of this rich and beautiful musical form, and as the only living practitioner who can sing the entire repertoire, it is my duty to spread this music far and wide.”
Hamid Al-Saadi
Hamid Al-Saadi with Safaafir: The Maqam of Iraq at the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center on March 28, 2019. Photo by Sachyn Mital.
Hamid Al-Saadi with Safaafir: The Maqam of Iraq at the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center on March 28, 2019. Photo by Sachyn Mital.
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Memorized & mastered all 56 maqamat
Through his powerful and highly ornamented voice, and in his comprehensive knowledge of the intricate details of the music and poetry of Iraq, generations and layers of the maqam tradition resonate through Hamid al-Saadi’s magnificent presence on stage. The only person in his generation to have memorized and mastered all 56 maqamat from the Baghdadi repertoire, Al-Saadi is one of the few vocalists who is keeping the maqam alive today, at a time when so many elements of this profound tradition are in danger of extinction.
Born in Iraq in 1958, Hamid Al-Saadi’s artistic, musical and scholarly journey with the Iraqi maqam began from childhood, inspired by his avid love of the Iraqi and Baghdadi culture, the Arabic language, music and poetry. He studied, practiced, and performed the maqam until he became one of the more renowned and highly acclaimed musicians and scholars in this subject. He learned the art of singing and performing the Iraqi maqam from the legendary Yusuf Omar (1918-1987), who pronounced Al-Saadi as his successor. Muhammed Al-Gubbenchi (1901-1989) who taught Omar and was probably the most influential maqam reciter in history, said that he considered Al-Saadi to be the “ideal link to pass on the maqam to future generations.” Al-Saadi emigrated to the United States on an Artist Protection Fund Fellowship, has performed dozens of concerts around the U.S. in prestigious institutions such as David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center Jazz Club, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, among others. Al-Saadi has authored a book on the Iraqi Maqam and has taught weekly classes in Iraqi Maqam at Sarah Lawrence College.
What does the Taproot Fellowship mean to you and how will it affect your practice?
This is a tremendous honor and recognition, not only of me and my work, but of the ancient Maqam tradition of Iraq. I am proud to be an exponent of this rich and beautiful musical form, and as the only living practitioner who can sing the entire repertoire, it is my duty to spread this music far and wide. This Taproot Fellowship grants me the opportunity to continue to practice my art and spread knowledge and awareness of the Iraqi Maqam.
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