Chaabi Music of Algiers

Chaabi took shape in the cafes and houses of the Algiers Casbah in the early twentieth century, when El Hadj M'Hamed El Anka and others took the classical Andalusian repertoire, loosened its rules, sang in colloquial Algerian rather than literary Arabic and built an ensemble around the mandole, a long-necked plucked instrument developed for the purpose. A performance is built on the qacida, a long sung poem that can run twenty minutes or more, moving through changes of tempo with the ensemble of mandole, banjo, violin, piano and percussion behind the singer. It remains the popular music of the capital, heard at weddings as much as in concert halls.

What you actually see

• The mandole - the long-necked instrument built for this music.
• Long sung qacidas - poems running twenty minutes or more.
• Colloquial Algerian lyrics - the break from the classical repertoire.
• Wedding and cafe settings - where the music actually lives.

When to go

Year round; festivals in Algiers and Ramadan evening concerts are the easiest way in. An evening. Check local listings, as programming is not published far ahead.

Honest expectations

There is no venue that reliably programmes it for visitors; you have to check listings or be invited. Performances run long and reward some patience. Lyrics carry most of the meaning and are hard to follow without the language.

Nearby

The Casbah is where it developed; central Algiers holds the concert halls.