The Poetic Music of Algeria -- Ahellil

The Ahellil is a poetic and musical genre emblematic of the Zenete population of Gourara during their collective ceremonies. This region in southwest Algeria includes around one hundred oases populated by over 50,000 inhabitants of Berber, Arab and Sudanese origin. The Ahellil, which is specific to the Berber-speaking part of Gourara, is regularly performed at religious festivities and pilgrimages as well as secular celebrations, such as weddings and community events. The Ahellil is closely linked to the Zenete way of life and its oasis agriculture, and symbolizes the cohesion of the community living in a harsh environment.

“阿赫里”是阿尔及利亚古拉拉地区的泽尼特民族（Zenete）在集体仪式中表演的一种诗词音乐。这一地区位于阿尔及利亚西南部，包括大约100个绿洲，居住着波波尔族、阿拉伯族和苏丹族，人口超过5万人。尤其在古拉拉的波波尔语区，“阿赫里”常见于宗教庆典、朝圣以及一些日常的庆典仪式上，如婚礼、社团活动等。“阿赫里”与泽尼特人的生活方式以及绿洲农业密切相关。它是恶劣环境中的社区生活凝聚力的象征。

Representing a mixture of poetry, chants, music and dance, this polyphonic musical genre is performed by a bengri (flute) player, a singer and a chorus of up to hundred people standing shoulder to shoulder surrounding the singer, who stands in the centre of the circle. The slowly move around him while clapping their hands. An Ahellil performance generally consists of a series of chants in an order decided by the instrumentalist or singer. The performance, which sometimes lasts the whole night, follows an age-old pattern. The first part that is open to all, the lemserreh, encompasses short, well-known chants that are sung until the late night. After that, the most experienced performers remain for the aougrout that is performed until the morning begins. The tra finishes with daybreak and involves only the real experts. This threefold structure is also reflected in the performance of a chant starting with a prelude, where the instrumentalist sets the pitch for the chorus. The chorus members then accompany the singer and pick up certain verses of the poem. During the final part, the chorus leads the chant from whisper to crescendo into a powerful, harmonious whole.

作为集诗词、圣咏、音乐和舞蹈于一体的表现形式，这一复调音乐类型在表演时由一名长笛手（bengri）、一名歌手和一个近百人的合唱队共同完成。合唱队的团员肩并肩，围绕站在圈中央的歌手，一边拍手一边慢慢移动。一场“阿赫里”的表演，通常包括一组圣咏，顺序由乐手或歌手确定。演出沿袭着古老的方式，时常持续一整夜。第一部分“莱姆色热”（lemserreh）向所有人开放，表演短小的、众所周知的圣咏，直到深夜。此后，最有经验的表演者留下来，表演“奥格鲁特”（aougrout），直到凌晨。而拂晓时结束的“特拉”（tra），只有真正的专家才有资格参与。这三个层次的结构，在带有前奏的圣咏演唱中也有所体现，由乐师为合唱队定调。合唱队则合着领唱歌手，并挑选诗歌的某些片断演唱。在结束部，合唱导引圣咏由弱渐强，最终达到有力而和谐的终止。