Ali al-Darweesh - الشيخ علي الدرويش
Ali -al-Darweesh
The Legacy of Arabic Music: A Symposium on Sheikh Ali Al-Darwish Al-Halabi at the Al-Assad House for Culture and Arts
Damascus…
The General Authority of the Al-Assad House for Culture and Arts, in cooperation with the Center for Arabic and Mediterranean Music, organized an international musical research symposium on Sheikh Ali Al-Darwish at the Syrian Opera House. The symposium was attended by the Minister of Tourism, Saadallah Agha Al-Qalaa. Dr. Nabil Al-Law, Director General of the General Authority of the Al-Assad House for Culture and Arts, opened the symposium, highlighting the importance of Al-Darwish Al-Halabi’s works and the role the institution will play in promoting Sheikh Ali’s music through its publications. Dr. Murad Al-Saqli, Director of the Center for Arabic and Mediterranean Music in Tunisia, spoke about the significant role of Al-Darwish Al-Halabi’s music in Tunisian culture and his role in collecting and preserving music from extinction. He added, “Ali Al-Darwish is Syrian, and we in Tunisia consider him a fundamental and important scholarly figure due to his role in transferring and disseminating Tunisian musical culture to the Arab East and throughout the Arab world,” in addition to his active role in music education during a certain period, which he played through his teaching at the Rachidi Institute in Tunisia, and as a creative musician and theorist. For his part, Dr. Mahmoud Qatata, the scientific supervisor of the symposium, spoke about the Sheikh’s role in leading the modern musical renaissance and his mastery of various musical traditions. He sang with fluency and combined playing, singing, composing, and conducting. He was also instrumental in the spread of the nay (flute) playing, as he was a dedicated teacher. The first generation of educated youth graduated under his tutelage. He was a virtuous scholar who preserved the musical heritage. He also emphasized his importance as a virtuous scholar and added that his works represent a form of awareness free from negative (Western) influences.
During a speech delivered by Dr. Ali al-Qayyim, the Deputy Minister of Culture, spoke about the Sheikh’s role in multifaceted cultural, intellectual, and educational relations and interests. He also discussed his role as one of the great scholars produced by the city of Aleppo and highlighted his significant contributions to musical innovation and the preservation of diverse artistic heritage. He was the first to draw attention to Ibn Sina’s Book of Healing and al-Farabi’s works, which were preserved thanks to his studies of them. He added: “The collection published by the publishing house should receive more attention and publicity through the media to introduce future generations to the contributions of such scholars.”
Saadallah Agha al-Qalaa, the Minister of Tourism, in his speech, referred to the environment in which this great scholar was born and lived, whether in Aleppo, Cairo, Baghdad, or Tunis. This environment fostered his need for musical expression, which flourished during a period of artistic exuberance and innovation in the first half of the twentieth century. This period was characterized by sophisticated performance and pivotal changes in the Arabic musical language. This interactive performance reflects renewed stages of observing musical modes and rhythms and the dialectical relationship between performance and research, which was evident in the work of scholar Ali al-Darwish.
It is worth mentioning that Sheikh Ali al-Darwish was born in 1884 in the city of Aleppo. He was given the title “Sheikh” due to his studies at a religious school, and “al-Darwish” because of his affiliation with the Mevlevi Sufi order. The two renowned oud players, the brothers Munir and Jamil Bashir, were among his students. He worked with Dr. Fouad Rajai at the Aleppo Music Institute, which he had previously helped establish. The institute at that time included a select group of distinguished professors, such as Omar al-Batsh, Sheikh Ali’s sons Ibrahim al-Darwish and Nadim al-Darwish, Ernest Shuhha, and Michel Borzenko. He passed away on November 26, 1952, at the age of sixty-eight.
الشيخ علي الدرويش
|
|
|
دمشق.. |