Music in Tunisian Arabic

The oldest lyrics found written in Tunisian Arabic date back to the 17th century.^[1] Their author was Sheykh Abu el-Hassan el-Karray, who died in 1693 in the medina quarter of Sfax, and wrote a poem in Tunisian Arabic during his youth:^[2]

عَدِّيت في الصُّغر عَدِّيت يَا حَسرتِي على زمَانِي بـالطَّار و الدُّفّ غَنِّيت و زهِيت بـحُسن المَعَانِي لـلرَّبّ مُولَايَا وَلِّيت تَوبَة نَصُوحَة عطَانِي	ɛaddīt fī il-ṣuġr ɛaddīt, yā ḥasrtī ɛlā zmānī, b- il-ṭār w il-duff ġannīt, w zhīt b-ḥusn il-maɛānī, l- il-ṛabb mūlāyā wallīt, tawba naṣūḥa ɛṭānī.	I have passed my childhood that has already finished singing, playing with drums and enjoying the meaning of songs. Now, I returned to the right way thanks to God's blessing.

Moreover, another Tunisian Arabic poem was written later in the 17th century to cite the qualities of Karray:^[1]

خموسي يا كراي قاصد ليك بـنية جيتك يا مولى الراي تبري سقمان بيا شيلة مولى البرهان و البركة وصايا يا شيخ يا سلطان بالله كون معايا يكفي من ذا الهجران وصلك يبري دايا لأني فاني عاشق، حبك زاد عليا خموسي يا كراي قاصد ليك بـنية	xmūsī yā karrāy qāṣid līk b- niyya jītik yā mūlā il-ṛāy tubrī suqmān biyyā šīlatt mūlā il-burhān w il-baṛka waṣṣāyā yā šīx yā sulṭān b- il-lah kūn mɛāyā yikfī min đā il-hijṛān waṣlik yubrī dāyā l- annī fānī ɛāšiq, ḥubbik zād ɛlayyā xmūsī yā karrāy qāṣid līk b- niyya	Saint Karray, I believe in you. I came to you to cure my weakness by the mercy of God and by blessing me. Oh Shaykh! Oh Sir! Please Support me. Stop leaving me. Your help will recover me. Because I am lethal and compassionate, I truly love you. Saint Karray, I believe in you.

The effective beginning of songs written in Tunisian Arabic was in the early 19th century, when Tunisian Jews in the Beylik of Tunis began writing songs in Tunisian Arabic about love, betrayal and other libertine subjects.^[1][3] The current strengthened at the beginning of the 20th century and affected the Tunisian malouf and folklore.^[1] Judeo-Tunisian song flowered in the 1930s, with such Jewish artists as Cheikh El Afrit and Habiba Msika.^[3][4]

This tendency was promoted by the creation of Radio Tunis in 1938,^[4] which allowed many musicians to better disseminate their works and helped spread the use of Tunisian Arabic in songs.^[4] The pioneers of Tunisian Arabic song between 1930 and 1950 drew most of their inspiration from traditional Tunisian music, oriental or to occidental colors were Kaddour Srarfi, Hedi Jouini, Saliha, Salah El Mahdi, Hassiba Rochdi, Fethia Khaïri, Hassiba Rochdi, Mohamed Triki, Mohamed Jamoussi, Sadok Thraya and Ali Riahi.^[4]

Following the creation of the ERTT broadcasting organization in 1966,^[5] a generation of composers and interpreters, mostly working in the ERTT orchestra, emerged.^[5] In this wave, the range occupies a prominent place. Kalaï Ridha, Salah El Mahdi (regarded as a disciple of Tarnane), Kaddour Srarfi, Ali Shalgham, Chedly Anwar, Abdelhamid Sassi and others helped to train several singers, including Naâma, Oulaya, Zouheïra Salem, Soulef, Safia Chamia, Youssef Temimi, Mustapha Charfi, Hana Rached, Choubeila Rached, Ezzeddine Idir and many others.^[5]

Tahar Gharsa (another disciple of Tarnane) worked to promote the characteristically modal and rhythmic traditional music written with Tunisian Arabic lyrics.^[5] The director Raoul Journo, in the same line,^[5] is a judeo-Tunisian singer, distinguished by his interpretation of taâlila (traditional songs associated with birth, circumcision, marriage and other rites).^[5] This kind of music developed under the National Troupe of Music, created in the early 1980s.^[6]