Wassim Ibrahim - Levantine Songs

1. Alhilua di
2. Fok ‘iilna chil
3. Muaszah Lamma bada
4. Longa Riad
5. Ya tyra tiri
6. Ya szadi al’alhan
7. Kaduk almyas
8. Ya mahla alfusha
9. Rakset Seti
10. Ya fazr lamma tyl
11. Almaya – Talea min bayt ‘ abuha 

Wassim Ibrahim - vocal, ud
Tomas Celis Sanchez - percussions  

Levantine Songs, which is a musical journey through the lands of the Levant and Egypt.

I have been living in Poland since 2013, and I rarely find an original music product presented as it is without any additions or musical arrangements. 
A journey whose main goal is to present some of the songs of the Levant in the original form as they are  presented  in  Damascus.
Wassim Ibrahim 

publisher:  Wassim Ibrahim 2023
format: CD, ecopack
www.wassimibrahim.net    

1. Alhilwa di
   Written by Badih Khairy and composed by Sayed Darwish, the title literally means "the beautiful girl".
   The song can be interpreted in a variety of ways, but in this instance it speaks about life in Egypt and the Middle East and how ordinary people work hard every day to make a living while still hoping for a decent and free life.
2. Fawq ‘iilna khil
   Folk songs from Iraq and Syria, categorized as Qudud Al Halabiya music.
   The text was written to fit the melody, and the majority of these melodies arein Aramaic. Both songs refer to praising the beauty of the beloved, the exhaustion and agony of separation, and the lover's only quest and hope to meet his beloved.
3. Muashah Lamma bada
   This song expresses the lover’s rapture at the beauty and grace of his beloved.
   He laments her beauty and tells of his despair because nothing can put out the flame of his love and his great (unbridled) passion.
4. Longa Riad
   Composed by Riad Alsunbati.
   The longa musical form; the longa is a Turkish term for a light, simple musical form of instrumental composition in Middle Eastern music.
   This musical form originated in the Balkans, then spread to Turkey during the Ottoman occupation, and finally to Arabic music. The longa is distinguished by emphasizing the musician's skill and ability to perform and control his musical instrument.
5. Ya tira tiri
   This song is Syrian folklore, written by Abu Khalil al-Qabbani from traditional Syrian popular poetry.
   It tells of a lover's longing for his beloved and his anticipation of meeting her after a journey or separation.
6. Ya shadi al..’alhan
   Composed by Sayed Darwish and features traditional lyrics about the owner of a sweet voice and how he inspires joy and happiness everywhere.
7. Qaduk almyas
   Syrian folklore and traditional Aleppo songs describing the beauty of the beloved and the significance of her presence in her lover's life.
8. Ya mahla alfus’ha
   Syrian folklore. It tells of throwing a picnic for the lover in the cool sea breeze and stresses the value of smiling when defending and preserving friendship and love for the future.
9. Rakset Seti
   Composed by Omar  Alnaqshabandi.
   An instrumental musical form that demonstrates the player's craft and abilities while retaining the oriental style of the music.
10. Ya fajr lamma til
    Syrian folklore describes the lover wishing for the dawn's light to awaken his beloved before all others, praising her beauty and the light she shines all around. He then calls for the dawn's light to awaken everybody else, but first he wishes for it to awaken his beloved.
11. Almaya – Talea min
    bayt ‘ abuha
    These are two songs from the Mesopotamian region (the first is from what is now Syria, composed by Diyab Mashhour, and the second Iraq, composed by Jbouri Alnajar and Nathem Naiim).
    In the opening song, the lover describes his sweetheart and expresses his jealousy toward her.
    In the second, the lover tries to get the attention of his beloved and win her acceptance and love, but is greeted with her ignoring him and refusing to let him get any closer to her.