A concert of original songs in Arabic for children by the Magnificat Instutite of Jerusalem, with the smallest pupils of the Terra Sancta College and the support of Italian Cooperation for Developmnent - Avsi
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“Winter is very beautiful, the rain is falling and I am snug at my grandmother’s. The earth is soaking up the water for the joy of the farmers. Come, o rain, and happiness will be all around us.”
It’s raining: the weather which in Europe in the winter brings sadness and is almost a nuisance is, on the other hand, a source of joy and a sign of life for children in the Middle East. “The rain is falling” is only one of the twelve Arabic songs for children which will feature in the 7th edition of THE MAGIC LAMP, organized by the Magnificat Institute. The concert will take place on Sunday 10th April 2011 at 6.00 p.m. in the Auditorium of St. Saviour’s Convent in Jerusalem.
The 2011 edition is based on the edition, publication, teaching and performance of twelve songs for children by the Palestinian maestro and composer Maroun Ashkar, whose family has offered the unpublished manuscripts he used in his lessons for children.
The songs will be performed by children aged between five and eleven; a small orchestra will accompany the pieces with piano, violins, cellos and flutes. In addition to the pupils of the Magnificat – and in particular the Yasmeen Buds Choir, the choir of the very tiny tots - this year other Jerusalem schools (Terra Sancta College for boys and Terra Sancta College for girls) will also take part, enriching the evening of song with their voices and with animations and scenes linked to the subjects of the songs. The musical director of the vent is Maestro Hani Kreitem.
The Magic Lamp is not only a concert, but a prestigious initiative by the Magnificat Institute of Jerusalem, that involves all the phases of artistic, educational and productive activity, with research, harmonization, editing, publishing, teaching, performance and promotion of unpublished pieces, both traditional and new, of the Palestinian-Arab musical repertoire for children, meeting the demand from schools to have teaching material (scores and songs) to use in the classroom.
The first work is looking for melodies and lyrics that have never been published or that need new arrangements. Simple lines of melody require the composition of the harmony or accompaniment. What is on paper than has to be transferred to computer, which is not so easy if we consider that whilst Arabic is read from right to left, music is normally written from left to right, requiring a work of standardization. As soon as the computerized version is ready, the scores are printed and given to the teachers who will start to use them in the schools to teach the songs to the children who will be singing at the Magic Lamp. In the meantime, the booklet is published with all the songs and will be sent free of charge to the schools and teachers.
This year there is a great new addition to all the rest: the songs of the Magic Lamp will be recorded on a CD as a supplement to the publication, so that the songs can be learned and sung even in those schools that do not have a music teacher or the chance to perform the accompaniment. The evening will also be recorded on video as a souvenir.
From this year, the development and enrichment of the Magic Lamp project has been possible thanks to support from Italian Cooperation for Development – Avsi: the amount offered for the Magic Lamp is euro 9,430. The project is funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the title “Support for the educational emergency in the Territories of Palestinian Autonomy, East Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Jericho”. ATS Pro Terra Santa and the Custody of the Holy Land also contribute to the project.
Article by F. Riccardo Ceriani
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“Winter is very beautiful, the rain is falling and I am snug at my grandmother’s. The earth is soaking up the water for the joy of the farmers. Come, o rain, and happiness will be all around us.”
It’s raining: the weather which in Europe in the winter brings sadness and is almost a nuisance is, on the other hand, a source of joy and a sign of life for children in the Middle East. “The rain is falling” is only one of the twelve Arabic songs for children which will feature in the 7th edition of THE MAGIC LAMP, organized by the Magnificat Institute. The concert will take place on Sunday 10th April 2011 at 6.00 p.m. in the Auditorium of St. Saviour’s Convent in Jerusalem.
The 2011 edition is based on the edition, publication, teaching and performance of twelve songs for children by the Palestinian maestro and composer Maroun Ashkar, whose family has offered the unpublished manuscripts he used in his lessons for children.
The songs will be performed by children aged between five and eleven; a small orchestra will accompany the pieces with piano, violins, cellos and flutes. In addition to the pupils of the Magnificat – and in particular the Yasmeen Buds Choir, the choir of the very tiny tots - this year other Jerusalem schools (Terra Sancta College for boys and Terra Sancta College for girls) will also take part, enriching the evening of song with their voices and with animations and scenes linked to the subjects of the songs. The musical director of the vent is Maestro Hani Kreitem.
The Magic Lamp is not only a concert, but a prestigious initiative by the Magnificat Institute of Jerusalem, that involves all the phases of artistic, educational and productive activity, with research, harmonization, editing, publishing, teaching, performance and promotion of unpublished pieces, both traditional and new, of the Palestinian-Arab musical repertoire for children, meeting the demand from schools to have teaching material (scores and songs) to use in the classroom.
The first work is looking for melodies and lyrics that have never been published or that need new arrangements. Simple lines of melody require the composition of the harmony or accompaniment. What is on paper than has to be transferred to computer, which is not so easy if we consider that whilst Arabic is read from right to left, music is normally written from left to right, requiring a work of standardization. As soon as the computerized version is ready, the scores are printed and given to the teachers who will start to use them in the schools to teach the songs to the children who will be singing at the Magic Lamp. In the meantime, the booklet is published with all the songs and will be sent free of charge to the schools and teachers.
This year there is a great new addition to all the rest: the songs of the Magic Lamp will be recorded on a CD as a supplement to the publication, so that the songs can be learned and sung even in those schools that do not have a music teacher or the chance to perform the accompaniment. The evening will also be recorded on video as a souvenir.
From this year, the development and enrichment of the Magic Lamp project has been possible thanks to support from Italian Cooperation for Development – Avsi: the amount offered for the Magic Lamp is euro 9,430. The project is funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the title “Support for the educational emergency in the Territories of Palestinian Autonomy, East Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Jericho”. ATS Pro Terra Santa and the Custody of the Holy Land also contribute to the project.
Article by F. Riccardo Ceriani