The Melodic and Rhythmic Features of Inherited Popular Songs in Palestine and its Role in the Embodiment of the National Cultural Identity

The study of Arab Palestinian popular lyrical heritage is not only limited to knowing the elements and vocabulary that make up its multiple forms, and the different images of its diverse musical forms, but also understanding the basis underlying the operations of this music in the formulation of its forms, whatever the simplicity or complexity of these forms which promotes addressing the music of this heritage, not only as a component of the melodies and poems that include pure artistic and aesthetic values, but as a social activity that interacts with other elements of culture.

Therefore, the containment of the music of Arab Palestinian popular lyrical heritage of any artistic elements or particular values of heritage must be affected by the quality and degree of this interaction, which in turn increases the emphasis on the idea that the search in melodic, rhythmic and performance patterns of this heritage should not be limited to the patterns that accommodate many musical elements, or the patterns resorted to a lot of melodies, or even which show creations and perfect melodic, rhythmic and performance styles, but it should include all patterns and musical styles at various levels, both dependent on simple sound configurations or dependent on complex configurations. It also includes all forms of audio and vocabulary elements and other musical components. So, addressing the melodic patterns and musical performance styles along these lines would lead to knowledge of the distinctive properties of the music of the popular lyrical heritage of Palestinians in terms of form and style, and hence the embodiment of the national cultural identity.

Thus, the researcher chose Arab Palestinian popular lyrical melodies as a mediator for the embodiment of the national cultural identity which is related in particular to Arabic popular music, where Arab popular song forms the nucleus of knowledge of this music, as well as knowledge of the Arab cultural values and attitudes, as singing is an important part of Arab culture, having significant abilities in the expression of feelings and conscience of all members of society, in addition to its ability to reflect their thoughts and philosophy towards life.

So, the emergence of Arab Palestinian popular lyrical heritage and its evolution is dating back to many of the accretions and cultural, artistic and social experiences. This heritage is still detecting, in the images of its diverse forms and various patterns, the distinguished artistic grounds that are standing-alone and preserving the traditions of Arab popular musical creativity, as its musical structure depends on theories and methodological rules. Therefore, the problem of this study is concentrated in its approach on an important aspect of the Arab Palestinian popular lyrical heritage, which is the melodic and rhythmic characteristics of this heritage, and the employment of this aspect in the embodiment of the national cultural identity. So, from this point the researcher carried out this descriptive analytical study to identify the melodic and rhythmic features of this heritage, and its role in the embodiment of the national cultural identity.