Dananir al Barmakiyya (fl. late 8th c.)
Dananir al Barmakiyya (fl. late 8th c.)
Arabian singer who wrote the Book of Choice Songs. Flourished in the late 8th to early 9th centuries; dates of birth and death are uncertain.
Dananir al Barmakiyya was a slave who was sold to the household of Yahya ibn Khalid al-Barmaki, where she was taught music. The Barmak family came from Persia, and many of its members received high positions in the government during the reign of al-Mansur (r. 754–755). Although Dananir was only a slave, the opportunity to learn to perform vocally meant a chance at fame and fortune. Singers often married their own masters, achieving high positions and immense wealth. Her teachers included Ibrahim and Ishaf al-Mausuli, Ibn Jami, Fulaih, and Badhl. Dananir's voice was so beautiful that the Abbasid ruler, Caliph Harun al-Rashid, hero of the Arabian Nights, took great pleasure in hearing her sing at his minister's house in Baghdad and gave her extravagant gifts, including a necklace worth 30,000 gold coins. When Om Jafar, al-Rashid's wife, became jealous of the singer and the gifts she was receiving, she insisted on meeting Dananir. But upon hearing her sing, Om Jafar told her husband that his gifts were worth the cost. Also a composer, Dananir al Barmakiyya authored Kitab mujarrad al-aghani (Book of Choice Songs).
John Haag , Athens, Georgia