Ahd Abbas and the History of the Aud in Yemen

By: Nathan Deany

On Tuesday the 11th, Mr. Abbas was generous in giving us an interesting and informative lecture detailing the history of the music of the Aud in Yemen and the distinctive styles that can be achieved with its use.

Known as the "Lute" in the West, the Aud has had a storied past in Yemen. As a pivotal part of the nation's heritage, the music of the Aud can be heard in Islamic anthems known as 'Nasheeds' which have been performed for centuries. Mr. Abbas explained the difference between the 'Nasheed' and the 'Woton'- music which is about other topics such as 'Janoon', or maddening love, as well as aspects of society. We learned that Yemeni Aud music has six distinct styles, and these span from different regions of the country, including Ta'iz and Sana'a.

Nonetheless, we learned that the playing of the Aud had been banned in Yemen during the middle of the 20th Century, while under the control of the Imam Ahmad bin Yahya. Since that time, there has been a revival in the use of the instrument, which includes it's adaptation to modern technology.

What has also been occurring in recent times is the adaptation of 'Lehnas', or the old rhythms used in traditional Yemeni music, for use in modern songs about modern subjects. As well as being a skilled musician, Mr. Abbas is also a lawyer and we were able to glimpse this aspect of his life as he raised a good question: Is there a right of ownership to those unknown artists of the past, and could this 'adaptation' actually be stealing?

In addition to this point, we found out about some of the important players in the development of the Aud's modern musical movement.

The Aud's history in Yemen evolved greatly during the second half of the 20th century, and musical development was influenced greatly by the influx of immigrants into Yemen throughout this time period.

These pioneers included the Indian immigrant Ayoob Tarish, who Abbas described as the 'Bob Marley' of Yemeni Aud music.

We learned that another important innovator was Aud musician Ahmed Fat-hi, who created modernized dance music known as 'Das' or 'Zayeb', which includes frenetic electronic rhythms set to Aud strumming. He is one of the absolute masters and the only Yemeni to graduate from the esteemed Musical Academy in Cairo.

It was an event charmed with the backdrop of the Aud music which Mr. Abbas would play every so often.

We were happy to be acquainted with him.