Khcheich w… Read Full Bio ↴Rima Khcheich {ريما خشيش} (b. 1974) is a Lebanese singer,
Khcheich was born in Khiam, South Lebanon. She started singing classical Arabic music at the age of nine, and was awarded the bronze medal at the 'Bizert Festival for the Mediterranean Song' in Tunisia, 1985. Her singing career started with the children's choir at the Arabic Cultural Club, and later evolved into a solo performance with the Beirut Oriental Troop for Arabic Music under the supervision and direction of Salim Sahab.
Khcheich studied the tradition of classical Arabic singing at The Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music in Beirut, and her efforts were supported by her father Kamel Khcheich who encouraged her to memorise and master classics from the Arabic music heritage, such as Muwashahat*, Adwar, and other styles. She has performed Zakariah Ahmad, Al-Kassabji, Sayyed Darwish, Kamel Al Khal'i, and Muhammad Abdel Wahab, amongst others.
Having participated in various concerts in Lebanon and around the world, Khcheich has gained international repute and admiration for her gift at performing complex Arabic classical forms such as Dor 'Emta El hawa', and Muwashah 'Anta al Mudallal'.
Currently, Khcheich teaches Oriental singing at the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music and is invited on a yearly basis to Massachusetts, USA, where she teaches voice and classical Arabic singing at Mount Holyoke College under the framework of the Arabic Music Retreat program directed by musician and composer Simon Shaheen.
Her professional collaborations include performing with Shaheen, singing on composer Toufic Farroukh's album Tootya released in 2006, and being an integral part of the Dutch-Lebanese- Iraqi band The Orient Express. This band tried to create meeting grounds between the Arab musical heritage and Jazz. The band released one album, Orient Express, in 2002.
In 2006, Khsheish released her debut solo album, Yalalalli, which features a number of old songs and Muwashahat that she performs in a personalised, contemporary manner, alongside new compositions.
* Muwashahat: plural of Muwashshah, a vocal form in Arabic music.
A strophic song with refrain. The form originated at Cabra, near Cordoba, in the 9th century; it enjoyed a vogue in Muslim Spain in the 11th century, and spread subsequently throughout the Arab world, where it survives in oral tradition.
One of seven post-Classical poetic forms, It is performed on both secular and religious occasions and combines classical metres with new ones arranged in strophes. Each poem is divided into an indefinite number of units (abyat, sing. bayt), each containing a varied number of poetic lines. Musically, a muwashshah is performed by a solo singer alternating with responsorial, antiphonal or collective singing in unison, depending on the performing group. The performance of this difficult art, composed by specialists, demands a mastery of both maqams (modes) and usuls, the complicated rythmic patterns of Arabic music.
Ashiqtou Maha
Rima Khcheich Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
فُؤَادي لَهَا والنُّهَى مِالكُها
سَنَاهَا زَهَا بُكْرَةً ضَمَّها
بِحُسنٍ يُحَيِّرُ حُسَّادَها
فَنَادَيْتُها بِصَبْرٍ وَهَى
فَزَادَتْ دَلاَلآً على صَدِّها
The lyrics to Rima Khcheich's song Ashiqtou Maha express feelings of deep and intense love for a woman named Maha. The singer speaks about how her heart belongs to Maha and how she is captivated by her beauty, referring to her as a shining light that dazzles her enemies. The song captures the intensity of the singer's emotions as she calls out to Maha with patience and longing.
The first line of the song, "I fell in love with Maha, her name," sets the tone for the rest of the lyrics. The singer is in love with Maha and everything about her, including her name. The second line, "My heart belongs to her and the heavens are her property," further emphasizes the singer's love for Maha and how she is the sole owner of her heart.
The third line of the song, "She shone in the morning, embracing her," uses vivid imagery to describe Maha's beauty. The singer is enamored by Maha's beauty, and it leaves her enemies in a state of confusion and awe. The final line, "So I called out to her with patience, and she increased in sweetness," shows the singer's unwavering love for Maha and how her love for her only grows stronger with time.
Overall, Rima Khcheich's song Ashiqtou Maha is a beautiful expression of love and adoration for a woman named Maha. The lyrics are filled with powerful imagery and emotions that convey the intensity of the singer's love for Maha.
Line by Line Meaning
عَشِقْتُ مَهَا لحْظُهَا إِسمُها
I have fallen in love with every moment of her existence, as her name embodies her essence.
فُؤَادي لَهَا والنُّهَى مِالكُها
My heart belongs to her, and even the prohibitions cannot prevent me from loving her.
سَنَاهَا زَهَا بُكْرَةً ضَمَّها
The morning embraced her beauty, and her radiance shone brightly.
بِحُسنٍ يُحَيِّرُ حُسَّادَها
Her astonishing beauty bewilders and confounds her jealous rivals.
فَنَادَيْتُها بِصَبْرٍ وَهَى
I called out to her with patience, despite her indifference.
فَزَادَتْ دَلاَلآً على صَدِّها
Her rejection only increased my desire for her, driving me further towards her.
Contributed by Emily M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.