“Freedom, emocracy and bread are the things we lack in our region” - Excerpt from Interview

Biography:

Marcel Khalife was born in 1950 in Amsheet, Lebanon. He studied the Near
Eastern lute, known in Arabic as the oud at the National Academy of
Music in Beirut. Although at that time playing the oud was governed by
very strict technical rules, Marcel Khalife and other

musicians have expanded the rules and developed the oud’s potential.

Khalife taught at the National Conservatory of Music and other
institutions from 1970 to 1975. During that time, he also performed solo
concerts throughout the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and North
America.

In 1972, Khalife formed a group of musicians in Amsheet. The group,
which then performed throughout Lebanon, wanted to revive Arabic music
and its choral heritage. The Amsheet group was an experience Khalife
built upon to launch Al-Mayadine Ensemble in 1976, which soon won high
acclaim. He and Al-Mayadine Ensemble continue to perform in concerts in
the Arab world, Africa, Europe, the United States, Canada, Latin
America, Australia and Japan.

Since 1974, he has collaborated to write music for the dance shows of
the Caracalla Dance Troupe. The powerful combination of Khalife’s music
and the troupe’s dance has given birth to a new style of Near Eastern
ballet with a popular appeal. He has also written soundtracks for
documentaries and films directed by the late Maroun Baghdadi, Sophi
Sayhf Eddin and Sami Zikra. Khalife’s musical scholarship, particularly
his mastery of the oud, expresses itself in a work the composer started
writing in 1982, a six-part Anthology of Studying the Oud. Via
Dolorosa’s Samer Stiban and Edward Calis met Marcel Khalife in Montreal
October 31 and conducted the following interview:

You were born in a small Lebanese village called Amsheet. Where is this
village, and how did your life as a child there affect you and your art?

Amsheet is a village north of Beirut, at the Mediterranean; therefore,
it is a seaside village. The inhabitants are either fishermen, farmers
or peasants. I was raised in this ambiance. My grandfather was a
fishermen.

I remember I always went to church with my mother just to listen to the
magical music and hymns. They used to fascinate me. I was so little I
had no concept of religion but was in love with the music.

What also impressed me were the Koranic verses sung at the village
mosque, as well as the call to prayer. The voices of fishermen, the
peasants and the gypsies who used to pass by our house were music to me.
I used to listen to their music and their singing with great affection.
All of this helped in creating my musical ear. It affected me so much I
started to take advantage of everything as a means to make music. I used
to knock on tables, chairs, plates, cups and even pots. My parents
became so annoyed with me they decided I should have my own musical
instrument, so they bought me an oud.

Then I went to a teacher in the village, Hanna Karam, a retired military
man, who knew a little bit about music. Three months later, he called my
parents and told them he had nothing more to teach me. He told them I
was gifted, and I should go to a conservatory if I wanted to learn more
music. Discovering in me this musical inclination, my mother supported
and encouraged me to continue learning music. Unfortunately, my mother
died at a young age after she contracted a fatal disease. This affected
me greatly.

Romance and family love are two themes reflected in your art,
particularly obvious in your songs, “I miss My Mom’s Bread,” Rita,” and
others. How did your life as an adolescent affect you? Who is Rita?

The mother in my songs is the mother of every person, and Rita is the
lover. I sang for all mothers and to all lovers.

You have sung songs like “Passport,” “I was stopped at the Border, and
“Oh, Navy.” These songs symbolize your solidarity with the Palestinian
people in their stand against the Israeli military occupation. How did
you become aware of the Palestinian people and their cause?

When I used to attend the conservatory in Beirut, I used to pass by the
Palestinian refugee camps. I wondered why these people were living in
these houses made of zinc, and what the circumstances were which found
them living in this kind of poverty. Some Lebanese families used to live
there, too, mind you. I decided I wanted to learn more about the
Palestinians, and learn how they lost their lands, lost their homes and
their rights in Palestine. I became a supporter since their cause was a
just one. Until now, I never hesitate to do anything at all in order to
show my support for this great cause.

You remain in touch with Lebanese society, and you sing of the people’s
suffering. What are the main causes you sing for, and what is your aim
with these songs?

I love to write music in general. There are a lot of issues that we deal
with on a daily basis, and I write about these issues. I have a whole
album of issues from all walks of life. This is how a song is supposed
to be. It has to deal with issues that impact all people of all ages.
There are so many ways to express ourselves. Issues like humanity,
happiness, life’s miseries... are the things I sing for.

In 1998 a Lebanese prosecutor accused you of blasphemy for singing
lyrics that resembled a verse from the Koran, saying you insulted
religious rituals. What has happened with regard to that accusation?

The song was written by the great Palestinian poet Mahmoud to tell the
story of Joseph and his suffering. It tells the story of how his
brothers were jealous of him because he was handsome and very kind.
Joseph’s story reflected the story of the Palestinian people. It
resembled the situation of how their brothers don’t like them. When I
sang those verses, I kept in mind the sanctity of the words and made
sure the subject was sanctified.

For reasons which I still don’t understand today, the prosecutor came up
with this accusation, saying I degraded Islam and religious symbols by
singing this song. So there was a lawsuit, and I went to court more than
three times. I was lucky the Arab people defended my case, their case
and this song. They were not convinced of this accusation. They
considered it a false accusation and a human rights issue. Fortunately,
the Lebanese justice system protected its own dignity and its might.

I specifically appreciate the efforts of the Lebanese judge, Ghada Abu
Karrum, who came to the realization that the music I sang did justice to
the sanctity of the verse, and it elevated music to another level. This
was very important, and it was victory to our culture, to our music and
a defeat to the false accusations.

Did you find any support from the Arab intellectuals against these
charges?

Not only the Arab intellectuals, but all the people in general who
supported this song and those who discovered the truth.

You are known throughout the Arab world to be the artist who sings for
the Lebanese south and freedom fighters. Many say that your songs are
the only channel by which Arabs can breathe, live, exist and resist.
When do you think the day will come when the people will be able to
express themselves freely?

This subject [freedom] needs hard work. In spite of the fact that people
in the Arab world exert huge efforts in trying to reach such a level, we
find the regimes in those countries are nothing but dictatorial and
oppressive. They have not stopped oppressing the people. Freedom,
democracy and bread are the things we lack in our region. A day will
come when Arab men and women will gain their freedom, and fulfill their
wishes for peace, happiness and peace of mind.

In 1999 you were granted the Palestine Award for Music. In turn, you
contributed the financial portion of the award to the National
Conservatory of Music at Birzeit University in Palestine. Why did you do
that? Now, there is a special grant in your name given to music students
of high achievement. What is your response to that?

I would like to thank the Palestinian Ministry of Culture for this move.
This award came during a period of time when I really needed it, the
time I had to go to court. I donated this award to the National
Conservatory of Music at Birzeit University in full. It was between
$4,000 to $5,000.

Today, there is a grant in my name for students of high achievement. The
head of the conservatory, [Suheil Khoury], asked me recently to write
some melodies for various musical instruments, so they can print them
and teach them as part of the curriculum at Birzeit University. I will
start writing those melodies very soon.

You will be visiting New York sometime next year, what is the purpose
behind this visit?

The visit is part of a tour in the United States during which I will
sing the newest songs, the same songs I am doing here in Montreal using
instruments like the oud, piano, bass and percussion. We are attempting
to show there is a big difference between the culture, art and music in
our region and political conflicts. There is a civilization in our
region people should know about, to counteract our image in the world.
We may be successful in eradicating evil through music, culture and
love.

What are you working on these days?

There is a new CD coming out I call Concerto of Andalus that will be
released soon. The first part of the CD is composed of a musical work
made in conjunction with an orchestra. The second part contains poetry
written by talented Arab poets, like Adonis, Mahmoud Darwish, Hallaj and
Muhammed Suweidi.

What message would you like to send to the people of the Middle East at
this time?

I always think about them, and this shows through my work. We all feel
the same pain the Palestinian people are feeling as a result of the
Israeli occupation and the Israeli oppression and discrimination
perpetrated against them on a daily basis.

Let this be a cry to the people of the world, so they will understand
that the Palestinian people’s voice is wounded. Let it be a cry for
everyone to come together and help them to achieve freedom, independence
and a dignified life on their land.