Music as a Jerusalemite National Message

Jerusalem is the unified cultural identity for Arabs. For years the city has been subject to Israeli attempts to blur and distort; it became the duty of all Arabs to protect the cultural and artistic heritage of the city from loss and theft. Music is one of the weapons historically used in cultural wars, as it chronicles direct contact with national issues.

The art of music in the city is ancient; all civilizations that passed through Jerusalem took care of it. On the other hand, Jerusalem has been subject of many national and international musical works both on religious and national levels.^[1]

Music in Jerusalem has a remarkable record of defending the cause and preserving the Arab character and identity of the city. Not only does Jerusalem have some brilliant names in the world of music, but also it is the land of many musical organizations, initiatives, programs and events.^[2]

The city has some leading musical institutions such as the National Conservatory of Music and the Edward Said Conservatory of Music.^[3] It also has a number of musical initiatives and programs, such as “music for all,” launched by the Forum of Young Jerusalemites. Jerusalem has produced prestigious bands such as the Jerusalem Arab Music Ensemble, which was established by the National Conservatory of Music on the occasion of the declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Arab culture, 2009.^[4]

Jerusalem hosts several music and art festivals and evenings, such as the Festival of Music and the evenings of “Here Jerusalem,” which are a series of musical evenings aimed at connecting the Palestinian with his history, geography and cultural identity.^[5]

Moreover, many distinguished musical names emerged from the city such as Suhail Khoury, Youssef Khasho, Salvador and Yusri Arnita, Hala Nusseibeh, Elias Fazi and Fouad Malas.^[6]

Jerusalem has also been subject of many national and religious songs and musical works that aim at preserving the city holiness and patriotism. Glorious Arab names such as Fayrouz, Abdel Halim Hafez, Umm Kulthum and many others, sang for Jerusalem..^[7]

This section will be dedicated to everything that has to do with music in or about the city. Musical names, institutes, festivals, songs, evenings and initiatives will be the main focus of this section.