LIBAN • MATAR MUHAMMAD

Matar Muhammad was born in 1939 in the Bekaa plain (Lebanon). He came from a family of Gypsies, wandering musicians from father to son. From the age of seven onwards, his father and elder brother taught him the art of buzuq, the Arab long-necked lute. Heir to an oral tradition, his inbred gifts allowed him to practice a truly sophisticated art in an empirical manner. His course has been that of an outstanding soloist and an imaginative improviser who nevertheless remained faithful to the spirit and theoretical principles of Arab music. These recordings, made during public performances at the Beirut Theater in 1972, are the last tributes to his art.