Additional Information
In Algeria there is an orchestra, the only one of its kind, made up entirely of women, called the L’Orchestre féminin Cheikh Sadek el-Bejaoui. Its mission is to perpetuate the tradition of a music that is more than a thousand years old, inherited from the kingdom of al-Andalus. Al-Andalus is the whole of the territories of the Iberian Peninsula and some in the south of France that were, at one time or another, under Muslim rule between 711 (date of the first landing) and 1492 (date of the fall of Granada, the last Muslim stronghold in the territory). As part of the Festival du monde arabe de Montréal (FMA), the ensemble offers an exclusive show that only festival-goers will be able to see and hear.
PAN M 360 connected with the energetic Madina Yahiaoui, co-leader of the orchestra, a title she shares with Sonia Bouyahia, Sadek el-Bejaoui’s granddaughter.
PAN M 360: Let’s start, if you will, by explaining to the readers who Sadek el-Bejaoui is.
Madina Yahiaoui: Sadek el-Bejaoui is a great pedagogue, composer, performer, and perpetuator of the tradition of Arab-Andalusian music, Algerian classical music. He has taught several generations the love of this tradition. He has also founded an association with which L’Orchestre féminin is associated. We are thus pursuing the master’s mission by playing his music (he has composed nearly a thousand pieces in the style of this age-old music) and by perpetuating his teaching and his method of interpretation.
PAN M 360: The orchestra was founded in 2008. What is its importance in the Algerian musical landscape, in your opinion?
Madina Yahiaoui: The importance goes beyond the strictly artistic register. With the orchestra, another side of the Algerian woman is shown. A woman who knows how to be modern while at the same time having at heart the maintaining of traditions. This orchestra is also a struggle. A social, political, and historical struggle.
PAN M 360: Is the new generation listening to and practising this tradition?
Madina Yahiaoui: Honestly, it’s difficult. It’s a bit like in Europe or America: traditional or classical music is neglected. Pop, hip-hop and commercial music take up a lot of space. This is the role of the Ahbab Sheikh Sadek el-Bejaoui association and others like it. It is not a conservatory, but it does a conservatory’s job.
PAN M 360: What musical training do the musicians of the orchestra have?
Madina Yahiaoui: Training acquired in the Association’s curriculum. It is not the same type of training as a European classical curriculum, although some “modern” elements are taught there, such as solfège. It is primarily an oral tradition. That said, some musicians are increasingly trying to write this music, in order to ensure its preservation in a more certain way. There’s a debate in the field, but I think it’s a good thing.
PAN M 360: Do you live professionally from this activity?
Madina Yahiaoui: We all have other professional occupations, if that’s what you want to know. Many of us are studying, and not in music! I, for example, am studying in the financial world. Others are pharmacists, computer scientists, linguists, etc. But be careful! For us, music is not an occasional hobby. It is at least as important in our lives as our studies or full-time jobs. We want to bring our heritage to life and share it all over the world!
PAN M 360: What kind of repertoire will be played for the November 18 broadcast on the FMA website?
Madina Yahiaoui: A repertoire mainly from the compositions of the master, Sadek el-Bejaoui (who died in 1995). There will also be some pieces from the distant tradition, that of the Middle Ages, from the ninth to the 15th centuries. It will be a journey out of the ordinary and out of time!
PAN M 360: This concert will be like no other you’ve given before, and it seems exclusive to the FMA – why?
Madina Yahiaoui: Because of the pandemic, a majority of the musicians have remained in Algeria and a few, including me, are confined to Paris. The solution we have found allows us to offer something unique. Part of the concert is played by the musicians who are in Algeria. This part is very traditional, with the costumes and everything. Here in Paris, I have recruited classical musicians from the conservatory, including a pianist and a drummer. This part is far from pure tradition, it has a very different character, because of the instrumentation, but also because of the training of the musicians, which has nothing to do with Arab-Andalusian music. We have edited both, because it is not a live performance, and the broadcast of the 18th will be the first. Friends of the FMA will have an exclusive. Two different images for the same tradition, in a single concert!
PAN M 360: In the end, has the pandemic opened a door that you never thought you would get through?
Madina Yahiaoui: Yes and no. I’ve had the idea of doing this kind of collaboration for a long time. It’s important for me to meet as many musicians as possible from other traditions. Let’s say that the pandemic has forced us to act in this way.
PAN M 360: Thank you very much for introducing us to this wonderful musical tradition!
Madina Yahiaoui: Thank you very much for allowing us to talk about it. And thank you especially to the FMA, who have the courage to maintain their programming despite the current difficulties. We are very grateful for this. And we are especially looking forward to being able to come to Montreal for real one day!
