Baghdad radio-orchestra era (1930s–40s)
Saleh and Daoud Al-Kuwaiti led Iraq’s national radio orchestra and composed hits sung across the Arab world.
TRADITION
music· LENS C
Arabic maqam — the Iraqi Jewish school
Where did this sound come from, and who keeps it?
Jews were the backbone of Baghdad’s professional music life — a maqam school exiled to Israel in 1951 and heard again on Israeli stages.
Reviewed 2026-07-30
Into the 1940s, Jews formed the backbone of Baghdad’s professional musicianship: the Al-Kuwaiti brothers, Saleh and Daoud, led Iraq’s national radio orchestra and composed for the Arab world’s stars (Salima Pasha, Nazem al-Ghazali). In Israel the maqam survived in synagogues and family chagli music sessions, then re-emerged publicly through Dudu Tassa (the Al-Kuwaitis’ grandson), Neta Elkayam’s Judeo-Moroccan projects, and the Jerusalem Orchestra East & West.
Arabic maqam — the Iraqi Jewish schoolmusic · documented
documented
many hands
VARIATIONS · ONE TRADITION, MANY HANDS
One tradition, many hands.
These are documented variations — not "authentic" vs. "adapted"; each belongs to its community.
IN TEXT & MEMORY
Where the record sits
No canon text or figure record is tied to this tradition yet — the canon grows carefully, only where a record explicitly documents the link.
IN THE ATLAS
Stories, places, neighbors
More music traditions
Sources & review
- The Al-Kuwaiti BrothersThe brothers’ Baghdad career and Israeli afterlife.
- Al-Kuwaiti family profileCoverage of the family and its musical legacy.
Reviewed 2026-07-30Know a documented variation we're missing?