Art, the article also mentioned you! ed
At 12:58 PM 1/27/2007 -0500, Arthur Ness wrote: >http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2006-05-11-iraq-week-oud_x.htm > >Even USA Today is reporting on the Oud in wartime Iraq. >We have one of the master oud luthiers here in Boston, >Peter Kyvelos, who is quoted in the article. His ouds >start at $6000. >He calls the ones from Pakistani "Grocery Store Ouds." >He lectured on ouds at the Boston MFA about a year ago. >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Anthony Hind" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: "Lute Net" <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu>; "Arto Wikla" ><[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Stewart McCoy" ><[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "vance wood" ><[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Stuart LeBlanc" ><[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Sent: Saturday, January 27, 2007 6:54 AM >Subject: [LUTE] Re: VERY OFF TOPIC! (political?) > > > > Dear Vance, Art, Stewart, Stuart and All, > > > > How nice it would be indeed, Vance, if we could but > > sleep it off, > > wake up to find it has all been a bad dream. It is a > > bad dream, a > > living nightmare for so many people out there, troops > > and civilians. > > > > It is not a subject for this list, but I have to admit > > that I could > > not find it in myself to wish people a happy new year, > > on this list, > > or on the French list, and really believe my words. > > > > I shall not say here, who I think is to blame, but the > > events since > > the invasion have unravelled like a predictable > > Shakespearian > > tragedy. However, we are not a zone of political > > discussion, and that > > question might not, indeed, be relevant to our list. > > > > What does seem to be relevant, however, is that > > Baghdad had an > > important school of Oudists. Indeed, according to > > Wikipedia, it was > > the place of political asylum chosen by the Turkish > > Oudist, Chirif > > Mohyi Iddin Haydar, when fleeing from political > > oppression in > > Turkey*. There he set up a renowned lute school, in > > which Mounir > > Bachir (1930-1997) was his pupil > > <http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/> Mounir_Bachir> . > > The situation seems complex, as the great historic > > centre of the Oud > > appears to have been Mossul, and the most famous early > > musicians seem > > to have been Kurds. Indeed, Mounir Bachir, himself > > came from Mossul, > > so that the Baghdad school would perhaps have been a > > meeting of two > > great Oud traditions. > > I have no idea how much the Kurdish Oud players > > suffered under > > Baghdad rule. I imagine that in "free" Kurdish areas, > > perhaps the Oud > > is still thriving at the moment. > > > > Even the Baghdad Oud school seems to have suffered > > from > > dictatorship : Rahim Alhaj, pupil of Mounir Bachir is > > said to have > > fled Iraq for America, Albuquerque, even before the > > war. 'He was > > imprisoned twice by the regime of Saddam Hussein, in > > part for > > refusing to compose musical tributes to that regime's > > military > > adventures during the 1980's." > > <http://www.rahimalhaj.com/news4.html>. > > > > I also see that Ahmed Mukhtar, coming from the Baghdad > > school, was > > chosen by the UN with "sixteen other musicians from > > all over the > > world to release a CD for the benefit of the victims > > of terrorism and > > wars. (-- ). He also teaches Arabic music theory and > > percussion in > > London colleges" > > <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmed_Mukhtar>. > > Did he flee the dictatorship, or the war? I don't > > know. Perhaps a new > > Oud school will develop out of all this distruction, > > in London and > > even ironically in America. > > > > Viewed from this narrow angle of lute playing, the > > situation may > > appear complex; but however much music and musicians > > may suffer under > > dictatorship, there is no doubt they certainly don't > > thrive in the > > midst of war and barbary. I think, legitimately, on > > this list we can > > have a thought for our fellow Oudists who still remain > > in the civil- > > war zones of Iraq, and particularly the Baghdad > > school. > > > > Let us hope that what a few heads of state began in > > 2002 will not > > result in an end to that wonderful luth school, even > > if it may > > survive in London and in Albuquerque -- > > > > I will admit that reducing my thoughts to the > > protection of Oudists > > seems very selfish coming from a lute player, but as a > > member of the > > lute list, I do not feel that I can allow myself, > > here, to extend my > > thoughts further. > > > > Best regards to all lutists, luthists, and oudists > > Anthony > > > > PS *Please, fellow Turkish Oudists do not think I am > > criticizing your > > country. I honestly don't know what the exact > > circumstances were that > > caused Chirif Mohyi Iddin Haydar's departure. > > > > > > > > Le 27 janv. 07 =E0 04:19, vance wood a ecrit : > > > >> Why don't you go sleep it off Arto? > >> ----- Original Message ----- > >> From: "Arto Wikla" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >> To: <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> > >> Sent: Friday, January 26, 2007 6:32 PM > >> Subject: [LUTE] VERY OFF TOPIC! (political?) > >> > >> > >>> > >>> Dear all, > >>> > >>> it is going bad! Mr. Bush - the winner of the USA > >>> elections, the man > >>> chosen by (nearly) half of the Amercians, has > >>> managed to produce a > >>> civilian war in a country, where he sent his > >>> military. Tens if not > >>> hundreds of people are killed EVERY day! Human > >>> beings like you or me. > >>> This is one the very rare cases of a superpover > >>> sending its > >>> military to > >>> occupy a state after the second world war... > >>> > >>> The guy and his country is bound to that mess for a > >>> long, LONG > >>> time. And > >>> the same guy took care of taking the USA out of the > >>> so called > >>> "western > >>> values" by his concentration camps and accepting the > >>> torture. Even > >>> in the > >>> legistlation of the USA there seems to be something > >>> like "light > >>> torture" nowadays... Horrible! > >>> > >>> To me the modern USA represents a new historical > >>> period of gettig > >>> out of > >>> the the times of the so called Enlightment, the time > >>> where human > >>> rights > >>> were taken seriously. And now we have come back to > >>> the Dark Ages > >>> again? > >>> Or? > >>> > >>> Arto > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> To get on or off this list see list information at > >>> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> -- > >>> No virus found in this incoming message. > >>> Checked by AVG Free Edition. > >>> Version: 7.1.410 / Virus Database: 268.17.12/653 - > >>> Release Date: > >>> 1/26/2007 > >>> > >>> > >> > >> > > > > > > -- > > Edward Martin 2817 East 2nd Street Duluth, Minnesota 55812 e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] voice: (218) 728-1202