Rabāba
Rabāba or kamānja agūz, a spike fiddle used today to accompany folk singers. Two horsehair string pass over a coconut resonator covered with skin. The resonator can be turned on the spike to facilitate bowing. Once an integral part of the Arabic ensemble, it is today replaced by the violin and used only to accompany folk singers. The player may either sit cross-legged on the ground with the instrument to the front or on a chair with the spike resting on the chair between his legs or in a cup on his knee. Rabāba also refer to a quadrangular single-string instrument used in Saudi Arabia and the term kamānja agūz is an obsolete Egyptian name derived from the Persian term for this type of bowed lute.
Artwork Details
- Title: Rabāba
- Date: late 19th century
- Geography: Egypt
- Culture: Egyptian
- Medium: Coconut shell, wood, hide, ebony, pearl, iron, horsehair
- Dimensions: W. 4 1/2 × L. 38 1/2 in. (11.4 × 97.8 cm)
- Classification: Chordophone-Lute-bowed-unfretted
- Credit Line: Gift of Miss Alice Getty, 1946
- Object Number: 46.34.14
- Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Benin
19th century
Algerian or Moroccan
late 19th century
Kuba (Shoowa) people
late 19th century
Edo
early 19th–mid 19th century
Benin culture
19th century
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.