Sacred Music Festival in Fez Morocco

Sawt-e-Sarmad

Product Description
Music remains the one universal language that every human inhabits. It requires no interpretation, and yet its simplicity of spirit and importance to the soul is often overlooked by its definition as genre: Pop... World... Classical... Jazz. At its essence, music is the first and most precious act of nature. For man, it is the path to the divine.

Sawt-e-Sarmad or the sound that intoxicates man, according to Sufi tradition, is abstract by nature. Its vibrations exist on another level - too fine to be seen or heard. In Morocco, The Fès Festival Of World Sacred Music gathers musicians and thinkers from many faiths and traditions in an attempt to seek out this cosmic symphony... both on stage, and in forums for dialogue on pressing global issues.

This work is a visual and aural interpretation of the space that for many remains undefined. Like the medieval medina of Fès, it is a journey through a labyrinth of color and texture, with winding paths that abruptly end with the sudden and miraculous opening of the beginning.

Amazon Price: $12.95 (as of 12/05/2009)

Hamdulillah: Fes Festival Of World Sacred Music, Vol. II

Recorded at the 1997 and 1998 Fes Festivals of World Sacred Music in Fes, Morrocco, Hamdulillah (an Arabic word meaning "Praise be to Allah") captures the unique ancient musics of Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Christians, and Hindustanis. Performed by renowned musicians and vocalists, primarily from the Middle East and North Africa, this extraordinary two-CD set radiates spiritual praise and bristles with musical virtuosity. Javanese gamelan, Jewish Sephardic, a bit of Christian, and various branches of Sufi devotional music--even the obsure muqam from Azerbaijan--are spotlighted.

The velvety voice of Amina Alaoui singing Spanish-rooted Andalusian Gharnati music greets the listener before they are guided over the craggy peaks of vigorous ensemble pieces (Taqtouqa Al Jabalyya and Begonia Olavide) and into the valleys of meditative vocal offerings (Alin Qassimov and Albert Bouhadanna), before resting at the stream of lovely, tinkling gamelan music. Singer Monajat Yulcheva's track particularly stands out for her pure tones and vocal mastery: she raises song from the well of her throat and sends it soaring to the desert sky. And if Yulcheva's expert fluttering doesn't do it for you, the 39-minute piece from the Whirling Dervishes of Konya will. Beginning with sparsely accompanied vocals, this 26-man ensemble of musicians, singers, and dancers take their time in building from slow, warm chant to a portentous, wavering march before finally sparking into a throbbing ecstastic fire. Hamdulillah (in addition to being the bargain-priced CD of the year) may be 1998's most unique recording yet. --Karen Karleski

Amazon Price: (as of 12/05/2009)

World Festival Of Sacred Music

A compilation from various artists who participated in the World Festival of Sacred Music! A delicious sampler of the sacred.

Amazon Price: $15.49 (as of 12/05/2009)

B'Ismillah (in the Name of God): Fes Festival of World Sacred Music

by: World Sacred Music Festival

B'ismillah: World Sacred Music

The most inspired music on the planet finds its highest expression at the annual Fes Festival of World Sacred Music. B'ismillah ("in the name of God") brings together the highlights of this landmark event. B'ismillah documents music from the world's most accomplished artists in many traditions, including Pakistani qawwali chants dating back to the 11th century; Egyptian madih odes; flamenco style Christian saeta that are shot "like an arrow" into the heart of God; ancient gwalior chants from the north of India; and the mystical music that transforms mere mortals into the whirling dervishes of the Sufi tradition. Utterly authentic, B'ismillah radiates a divine presence beyond the artificial boundaries of maps and politics, into the hearts of world music lovers everywhere. Live digital recording.

World Music "In the Name of God"
Featuring:
%u2022 Sama' - Sufism's sacred chants
%u2022 Tribal Drums from the Sahara
%u2022 Madih: Chanted Poetry of Islam
%u2022 Sufi Qawwali Singers
%u2022 Saeta Flamenco Songs of the Catholic Liturgy
%u2022 Oud (lute) Songs of Andalusia
%u2022 Chants of the Berber Tribes
Captured Live as It Happened!

About the Festival Organization
The Fes Festival of World Sacred Music is organized each year by The Fes-Saiss Association for Cultural, Social, and Economic Development. A non-governmental organization and "peace messenger," Fes-Saiss is dedicated to artistic vitality and preservation; the mobilization of human and material resources; regional, national, and international cooperation; and the social and economic welfare of rural and urban children, youth, and women. Fes-Saiss may be reached at its headquarters in Fes, Morocco at: Sidi el Khayat, B.P. 629, 3000 Fes, Morocco. Legacy International coordinated the North American outreach for the 1996 World Sacred Music Festival in Fes, Morocco. Founded in 1979, Legacy International is a non-profit, non-governmental organization affiliated with the United Nations Department of Public Information.

Amazon Price: $21.98 (as of 12/05/2009)

The Fez Festival of World Sacred Music

A compilation from various artists who participated in the World Festival of Sacred Music! A delicious sampler of the sacred. Imported.

Amazon Price: $41.98 (as of 12/05/2009)