History of Music in Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Arabia music comprises both the western and folk music. Similar many of its Persian Gulf neighbors like khaleeji traditional customs are renowned patterns. The very well-known artist in the recent Saudi record is known as Tariq Adbulhakeem, who composed hundreds of popular Saudi songs for himself as well as for other musicians. Saraj Omar has also become a very notable composer after composing the music for the Saudi national anthem. In the year 1999, the first Arab innovators festival, which was held in Cairo under the support of the Arab league, recognized four of the lead composers in Saudi Arabia such as Ghazi Ali, Muhammad Shafique Chughtai, Tariq Adbulhakeem and Mohammed Al-Senan. Mohammed Al-Senan who is the first Arab composer who won the first position in the World wide Award in the first Children International Nile Song Festival which was held in Cairo in September 1998 for his song known as I Love You Mom.

source of picture: my.opera.com

Later artists include pan-Arab musician known as Mohamed Abdu, Saudi Arabia’s first pop artist, and the late Talal Maddah who is known as the Sound of the Earth, who died in August 2000 while singing in the summer festival on stage of Al-Muftaha Theatre in the southern area of Saudi Arabia. In the same generation was the ud expert known as Abadi Al Johar, and also latterly Abdual-Majeed Abduallah who came strongly to the scene.

The Saudi folk music is rather restricted, though. The traveling life pattern of the Bedouin influenced against carrying excess baggage which include musical instruments. Simple rhythms, with the sound counted by clapping or striking together which an everyday implement is formed the fundamental of the music. Instruments like the double-reeded Ney or the corded rababa were time to time used, after being gotten in cosmopolitan towns like Basrah, Jeddah and Baghdad.

Music, however, is seen as sinful by some of the Muslims. This is based, in part, on the certain ahadith which speak negatively of the non-drumming musical instruments and the idea that music and art are interruptions from God. Especially during the early days of the modern Saudi state, religious powers were quick to repress music other than the rhythmic drumming that sill controls current Saudi music. The influx of radios, tapes and CD players in the island saw the attendant increase of shops assisting them. Most of the cities of any size now have crowded music shops. In the advent of the satellite TV, music video stations, extending from MTV (European and Lebanon version), VH1 and mixed European and Arabic music channels are extremely renowned.

Samri is a renowned folk music and dance.

Omar Basaad was selected as the best Saudi DJ and Electronic Dance Music Producer in the year 2012, by the Saudi Gazette. He became the first official Saudi EDM (Electronic Dance Music) producer to stand in for Saudi Arabia internationally.

Rock and metal Artists from Saudi Arabia include PhiViper, Premonition, Rivers Running Red, Sandstoned (disbanded), Sound of Ruby, The Empty Quarter, Wry Wreathe, Wasted Land, Inversion, Mephisophilus, Myth, Al-Namrood, Breeze of the Dying, The AccoLade, Breeze of the Dying, Creative Waste, Crescent Light, Cribcaged, Deathless Anguish, Disturb the Balance, Final Serenade, Flesh Laceration, Forgotten, Grieving Age, Hed2Ground, Immortal Pain and Octum, Outlive.