Catalog Record:
The collection includes dance music, secular music, music for Ramadan and other Islamic rites, and music for animistic rituals. Berber and Arab music predominates, and Sephardic liturgical music and folk songs are included. Dance was often integral to the music events. Field notes and correspondence describe the recording events (including dance) and circumstances of the project. Manuscripts in English. Sound recordings in Berber languages, Arabic, and Hebrew.
The Paul Bowles Moroccan Music Collection consists of audio recordings, photographs, and accompanying documentation that focus primarily on one recording project. With a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation and sponsorship from the Library of Congress, Paul Bowles spent the months of August to September of 1959 traveling throughout Morocco recording approximately 60 hours of traditional folk, art, and popular music. Bowles collected in 23 villages, towns, and cities along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts, from Goulimine in the Sahara to Segangan in the Rif country, and inland through the Middle and Grand Atlas ranges to Zagora in the Anti-Atlas. Due to the political situation at the time, Bowles was not able to record in the southeastern region. In 1963, the Library acquired five additional recordings of Moroccan music made by Bowles in 1960-19 62. In 1972, the Library issued a two-record set of selections from the collection. A nine-page descriptive booklet accompanies the set.
The heterogenous recordings reflect the variety of Moroccan culture. From urban professionals and religious singers to rural and nomadic tribespeople, the musicians performed vocal and instrumental music. The collection includes dance music, secular music, music for Ramadan and other Islamic rites, and music for animistic rituals. Berber and Arab music predominates, and a considerable variety of styles emerges from the survey of different areas and tribes. Some selections exhibit traces of the antique Andalusian style, reflecting Morocco's historic relationship to Spain. Musical examples originally derived from Mauritania, West Africa, and the Sudan demonstrate the influence of migrations and cultural interchanges across the Sahara and along the Atlantic coast. In addition, there are examples of Sephardic liturgical music and other folksongs from the historic Jewish communities in Essaouira and Meknes. Several recordings feature the rare zamar, a double-reed instrument fitted with two mouthpieces and two bulls' horn resonators.
Dance often was integral to the music events; as Bowles pointed out, usually "music and dance are one thing" to the peoples of Morocco, especially the Berber tribes. In the field notes on the music, Bowles often alluded to the concurrent dancing and sometimes gave movement description. He recorded, among other things, music that accompanied the guedra dance from the village of Goulimine, ahouache (music and dance events) of the Anti-Atlas and Grand Atlas, the aqlal (dance ceremony) in the Draa Valley, Pre-Sahara, and the sqel (sword dance) of the Draaoua people of Zagora, Moroccan Sahara. The appendix lists the field notes of recordings where dance was specifically described or alluded to in Bowles' notes or in the LP recording booklet.
The manuscripts (correspondence and field notes) describe not only the content of the recording project, but also the bureaucratic, political, and cultural context of conducting ethnographic fieldwork in the late 1950s. They highlight the cultural and political situation in the newly-independent Morocco as well as the customs of different cultural groups. The correspondence between Bowles and LC staff during the project offers additional insight into the circumstances and content of the recordings, while the photographs of several performance events provide visual documentation that supplements those recordings.
Field notes provide substantial information on the following dances: Guedra, Ahouach, Taskiouine, Gnaoui. Information is also found on the following dances: Aqlal, Ahmeilou, Tahouacht, and dances of the Haha tribe.
Paul Bowles, an American-born writer, composer, and folk music collector, lived in Morocco beginning in the late 1930s. He has been described as the father of the Beat movement and a prominent figure in the American expatriate community in Tangier, Morocco. A well-known composer, his scores include the incidental music to such plays as Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie" and "Sweet Bird of Youth"; he worked with other artists such as Orson Wells, Elia Kazan, and Salvador Dali.
As an author, he is best known for his novels such as
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject and listed alphabetically therein. For specific dance-related material, please see Appendix A.
The original processing was done and finding aid was prepared by Michelle Forner for a dance grant, therefore an appendix includes a list of dance related information. Scanned photographic prints and map on 2 CDs, created in June 2010 for reference purpose, are in Box 2. The collection includes correspondence and processing for the production of the album,
Organized by format into the following series: I. Manuscripts; II. Microfilm; III. Sound Recordings; IV. Photographs; V. Map.
The index to recordings prepared by Bowles, arranged numerically by tape side in chronological order, includes AFS numbers, song titles, performers, and recording locations. The field notes, also arranged numerically by tape side in chronological order, provide more detailed description of each recording, including date, place, performers, song titles, musical instruments, and other pertinent information.
Listening and viewing access to the collection is unrestricted. Duplication of the recorded materials may be governed by copyright and other restrictions. Duplication for publication purposes requires the prior written permission of the collector's estate. Address available in the American Folklife Center.
Paul Bowles Moroccan Music Collection (AFC 1960/001), Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Bowles, Paul. Record notes to
Bowles, Paul. " The Rif, to Music." In
Jabbour, Alan, and Joseph C. Hickerson. "African Recordings in the
Archive of Folk Song."
Leavitt, Donald, L. "Folk, Popular, and Art Music of Morocco."
Melville, Annette. " Paul Bowles Collection." In
Sawyer-Laucanno, Christopher.
Administrative, Correspondence, Index, Field Notes, and Articles
One folder consisting of the collection register, a copy of the contract between Bowles and the Library of Congress, a copy of the index to field recordings, a copy of Bowles' project correspondence, and a copy of the LWO log.
Four folders arranged chronologically (1957-1972) with the following subdivisions: pre-project, project, post-project, and LP production. Consists of correspondence primarily between Bowles and LC personnel such as Harold Spivacke (Chief, Music Div.), Edward Waters (Acting Chief, Music Div.), Rae Korson (Head, Archive of Folk Song), Alan Jabbour (Head, Archive of Folk Song), as well as several people from the Rockefeller Foundation and the U.S. Embassy and State Department; descriptive and financial monthly reports; and correspondence about the collection with researchers. The project correspondence includes progress reports from Bowles to the LC that augment the field notes.
One folder of typed index to project recordings arranged numerically by tape side (12 pp.). (Missing: pages with tape numbers 33-44). Consists of an original and two copies, one of which has hand-written corrections on it. Includes AFS numbers, Bowles' tape numbers, song titles, performers (tribes), and recording locations. (There is no index of the last five "sample" tapes from the project.)
Two folders (one original, one copy) of typed field notes (130 pp.). Includes an opening note and description of instruments. Arranged numerically by tape side in chronological order. Documents dates and locations of recordings, performers, leaders, tribes, song titles, instruments used, and comments about performance events, music/dance types, circumstances of recording, instruments, etc. (There is no log of the last five "sample" tapes.)
One folder (one original and one copy) of field notes of audiotape recordings made 1960-62 (8 pp.). The tape number order is not chronological. Written in a similar format to the project fieldnotes, and includes hand- written AFS numbers.
One folder containing the 9-page booklet that accompanies the record set.
One folder containing articles that describe the collection.
Item from tape box AFS 11623.
Microfilm of the LC project field notes and map: Music 0441, located in the Music division.
Recorded and edited by Paul Bowles, 1972. Includes 9-page booklet with notes and bibliography of publications and documentary recordings. (Listening copy available in the AFC Reading Room.)
Sixty-five DT 7" reels (the last five are samples from the 60 recordings); approximately 65 hours; approximately 220 pieces. preservation numbers LWO 8527 R93-100; LWO 12419 R1-19. (Listening copies available in the AFC Reading Room.) Accessioned in June 1960.
Five 7" reels (Listening copies available in the AFC Reading Room). Non-project field recordings accessioned in June 1963.
One box containing 18 black and white photographs. Location information is written on the backs of most photographs. The photographs include scenes of performers at Essaouira, Amizmiz, Taza, and Segangan, and several shots of houses and casbahs.
One folder containing original and copies of a map, hand-drawn by Paul Bowles, that documents recording locations and routes traveled during the field project.
Dance in Morocco is often an integral part of a music event, especially for the Berber tribes. However, since Paul Bowles was primarily interested in documenting music, he did not always note when events included dance. The following is a list of field notes, located in Box 1 Folders 7-9, for recordings that specifically mention dance as part of the documented music event. Also included are references to related LP recording booklet notes or photographs.