Qaraami: The fading melody of Somali classic music - Paperback

by Jama Musse Jama (Author)

The etymology of the word is qaram, from the Arabic word love and Somalis use it to describe the oldest modern musical composition of Somaliland, mainly from the 1940s to the mid-1960s. The word Qaraami became synonymous with "old-time good music", or for young people simply "old-time music". Qaraami can be classified for Somali culture as classical music is in the Western world, and for modern Somali literature, the Qaraami era remains an extraordinary period, in which musical production, rooted in typical traditional pastoral folk dance, blends with the effects of urbanization in cities. The melodies produced in that era of classical works are those that have stood the test of time and underlined the fundamental foundations of modern Somali song production, in other words, Qaraami songs must be classified as classical.