The Moors, driven out of Spain in 1492 by the Christians, carried a rich musical tradition with them to Morocco where it is still played today. During our lessons in Fez, Priscilla and I worked with Omar and Mohammad on some of these beautiful songs. The rhythms aren't hard, the trick is to learn how they fit to the melody.
There are many musical traditions in Morocco, most of which have never really been studied or documented by anyone outside the country. During our trip we learned a little, but we will need to go back many times to even make a dent in the study of this beautiful, complicated music and poetry. So much to do . . .
