Learning the ballads of the pearl divers: NYU Abu Dhabi introduces new course on Khaleeji music
(WorldNews Music)

Pearl diving was once the most lucrative profession in the Arabian Peninsula, but it was also one of the most dangerous, with pearl divers at risk of being killed by sharks or drowning. Their eardrums were also susceptible to damage, and the long periods of time they spent away from their families made them prone to homesickness. Each day brought concerns over personal safety, as well as uncertainty about whether they would even find any pearls that would allow them to provide for those waiting for them at home. To ease their anxiety during their time at sea, the pearl divers sang. `A lot of their songs expressed sadness,` Ghazi Al Mulaifi, a professor of applied ethnomusicology at NYU Abu...