Salim Shibith (also known as Salim Ha-Cohen) was a qari al-maqam (“maqam reader”) and highly regarded for his renditions of al-maqam al-‘Iraqi (the Iraqi maqam). Like other performers, he learned the tradition while listening to performances in homes and Baghdadi coffee houses. Shibith reportedly took the additional step of engaging a teacher of Arabic literature and poetry to augment his education at a Jewish school in Baghdad.
We hear a familiar story: Shibith was requested to complete a performance at a Jewish club one evening when al-Qundarji became too inebriated to finish singing. Upon hearing Shibith, al-Qundarji reportedly kissed him and promised to teach him the intricacies of the maqam, wrote Na‘im Twayna in his series on Iraqi musicians in Al-Anba’ newspaper (June 30, 1978). It is believed that Shibith modeled his performances on those of Rashid al-Qundarji.
In time, Shibith performed at the Iraqi broadcasting station and became the preferred vocalist at the home parties of prime minister Nuri Sa‘id, according to Na‘im Twayna. Like most maqam singers, Shibith also worked in a second profession; he chose carpentry.
After immigrating to Israel in 1951, Shibith, like others, had few opportunities to perform the traditional Iraqi repertoire. Fortunately, Israel Radio arranged for Shibith (among others) to record many Iraqi maqam performances. These full-length performances, in contrast to shorter versions on ’78 discs, serve as examples for generations to come. According to data collected at the radio station, Shibith recorded 82 maqam performances comprised of 38 different maqams, far more than the three other leading maqam singers. See Warkov dissertation p.247c.
In July of 1981 Esther Warkov recorded Salim Shibith on two successive days at his home in Givat Olga, Hadera, Israel, shortly before his death in 1981. The second interview included her friend Miriam Ash, who checked the translation of the interviews. Listen to Interview 1 and Interview 2.
To learn more about Salim Shibith and see an analysis of this maqam rast performance, read The Urban Repertoire of Jewish Professional Musicians in Iraq and Israel: Instrumental Improvisation and Culture Change and watch his YouTube videos on the Music For Peace in the Middle East: The Iraqi Maqam channel.
Written by Esther Warkov.
See also: Jewish Professional Musicians in Iraq and Israel, Revisited.
