Nuba is an Arabic music suite of vocal pieces with instrumental preludes. This form is believed to have originated at the Abaside courts of medieval Baghdad.

In the West, in Moorish-occupied Spain, there was a form called Ziriab, fruit of the contact between Magreb (Northwestern Africa) and Medieval Andalusian music. This music gave birth to a system of 24 nubas based on theoretical rules on the influences of metaphysical cosmogony and symbolisms.

After the end of Moorish Spain 1492, this musical tradition migrated to the big cities of North Africa, such as Fez, Tlemcen, Algiers, Constantine, and Tunis. Essentially melodic, Algerian classical music, named Andalus (or Andalouse) is maintained due to an oral tradition in which there are some difficulties in symbolizing by the system of western notation.

This tradition is represented in Algeria by three schools: Ghernati of Tlemcen (originally from Granada); Canaa (of Cordoban origin) in Algiers; and the maluf school from Sevilla in Constantine.

The nuba is an instrumental and vocal composition in a certain order of rhythmic rules and models. Each nuba is built on a mode (tabaa) from which it is named. A different rhythm is associated to each movement. This can be followed directly or by an intermediate short instrumental piece. A large part is unexpected. Each nuba is played at an hour of the day. Therefore, there were 24 nubas.

The tradition has each nuba made on a theme adapted to the hour at which it is played. The themes generally discussed are religious life, love, and nature.

• Al Andaluz Project
• Beihdja Rahal
• Cheikh Salim Fergani
• Eduardo Paniagua
• Luis Delgado
• Orchestra of Tangier
• Rashidiyya Orchestra

Cheikh Salim Fergani

Other world music genres