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”是阿爾及利亞古拉拉地區的澤尼特民族（Zenete）在集體儀式中表演的一種詩詞音樂。這一地區位于阿爾及利亞西南部，包括大約100個綠洲，居住著波波爾族、阿拉伯族和蘇丹族，人口超過5萬人。尤其在古拉拉的波波爾語區，“阿赫里”常見于宗教慶典、朝圣以及一些日常的慶典儀式上，如婚禮、社團活動等。“阿赫里”與澤尼特人的生活方式以及綠洲農業密切相關。它是惡劣環境中的社區生活凝聚力的象征。

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.

作為集詩詞、圣詠、音樂和舞蹈于一體的表現形式，這一復調音樂類型在表演時由一名長笛手（bengri）、一名歌手和一個近百人的合唱隊共同完成。合唱隊的團員肩并肩，圍繞站在圈中央的歌手，一邊拍手一邊慢慢移動。一場“阿赫里”的表演，通常包括一組圣詠，順序由樂手或歌手確定。演出沿襲著古老的方式，時常持續一整夜。第一部分“萊姆色熱”（lemserreh）向所有人開放，表演短小的、眾所周知的圣詠，直到深夜。此后，最有經驗的表演者留下來，表演“奧格魯特”（aougrout），直到凌晨。而拂曉時結束的“特拉”（tra），只有真正的專家才有資格參與。這三個層次的結構，在帶有前奏的圣詠演唱中也有所體現，由樂師為合唱隊定調。合唱隊則合著領唱歌手，并挑選詩歌的某些片斷演唱。在結束部，合唱導引圣詠由弱漸強，最終達到有力而和諧的終止。