Beschreibung:
<jats:p>Rai music has traveled far and undergone remarkable transmutations since the early days of its development in Wahran (Oran) during the first decades of the twentieth century. Originally performed at weddings and in bars, mostly by women singers known as <jats:italic>cheikhat</jats:italic>, the instrumentation was simple (a reed flute known as a qasba, a single-stringed <jats:italic>viol</jats:italic> or <jats:italic>rbab</jats:italic>, and a hand drum known as the <jats:italic>gellal</jats:italic>) and the vocals, raucous and sometimes bawdy. The lyrics consisted of formulaic couplets, and mostly dealt with relations between men and women. The early recordings of rai's greatest female vocalist, Cheikha Rimitti are the essential foundation of any collection of rai music.</jats:p>