JOSEPH TAWADROS STORYTELLER

Transcription

1 JOSEPH TAWADROS STORYTELLER

2 1 Storyteller Zahra Leh keda Maqam of the Nile The Famished Face The Olive Branch Hallucination on a String Hawa al nahar Bab el Hadid Pharaoh s Dream Birds of Paradise 5.44 Joseph Tawadros oud 2 3

3 Joseph Tawadros was born in Cairo, Egypt in Immigrating to Australia in 1986, he brought with him a musical tradition inherited from his maternal grandfather, Mansi Habib ( ), an active composer and an oud and violin virtuoso in Cairo. Tawadros uncle, Yacoub Mansi Habib, who is an active professional Egyptian musician and recognised as one of the revolutionary figures in Egyptian trumpet playing, also influenced his musical interest immensely. Joseph Tawadros has studied with Mohamed Youssef, a renowned oud player, jazz pianist and family friend. Youssef encouraged Joseph to explore the musical parameters of the oud and the traditional Egyptian taqasim, a performing style akin to improvisation. This, combined with tremendous talent, has resulted in Joseph Tawadros personal style being uniquely instinctive in improvised content. At the age of 12, he began performing in a trio with his teacher Youssef and Tarek Sawires, a fine traditional percussionist. This platform enabled the young musician to expose his compositions to the public for the first time. Since these formative years, Tawadros has explored diverse ways of expanding the role of the oud as an instrument in Australian society. As a member of the Coptic Orthodox Church, his musical education has also been fostered by his involvement in this important part of his life, establishing a Coptic Youth Orchestra with his friend, saxophonist Christian Watson. In December 2001 Tawadros returned to Egypt and began studying the Egyptian violin with the celebrated Egyptian violinist, Esawi Daghir. Daghir was so impressed by his talent that he decided to teach him pro bono and has taken special care with Tawadros Egyptian violin education since this time. Joseph Tawadros has performed at the Sydney Opera House, Cairo Opera House, Alexandria Opera House, Huntington Festival, Womadelaide, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, City Recital Hall Angel Place, with such artists as tabla master Zakir Hussain, sarangi master Sultan Khan, Slava Grigoryan, Richard Tognetti and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, James Crabb, Christian Lindberg, Neil Finn, Mark Isaacs, Bobby Singh and John Napier. In 2003, Joseph Tawadros was nominated for the Young Australian of the Year Award. In January 2004, Joseph Tawadros performed in Egypt at the Cairo Opera House in a concert which was set up by the Egyptian Consulate in Sydney and the Cairo Opera House. This also marked the first musical cultural exchange between Australia and Egypt. Since 1999 Joseph Tawadros has performed in numerous concerts for the Australian Institute of Eastern Music and plays an active part within the institute, an opportunity he enjoys immensely. This opportunity has also encouraged a deep interest in Indian, jazz, Western classical music, and fusion. 4 5

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5 1 Storyteller This piece is an Egyptian free time modal improvisation (taqasim) on maqam (mode) Nahawand, which in a Western musical genre is the equivalent of any of the minor scales (natural, harmonic, melodic). It has quite a melancholic flavour to it and is usually used for reflection. Nahawand is a very popular mode for players as it allows them to shift to many other modes including ones with quarter tones, which is a very important part of this music. The tonic in this case is Gaharkah (F or Fa), which is a flexible tonal centre for the musician as the tuning of the oud is F, A, D, G, C, F allowing two open strings (one bass and one treble) for ornamentation and pivots. A taqasim is much like a story and has several climaxes; it takes the listener through a journey, one that is exciting and one that benefits the soul. 2 Zahra Zahra is the Arabic word for flower; this piece represents a flower about to blossom. Flowers have a strong effect on people. Nobody really knows why. Is it the smell? Or colour perhaps? Whatever the reason, people can find peace and comfort within flowers. This piece is on a maqam which is a variant of the Arabic mode Kord, in Western music this mode could be classified as the Lydian mode. 3 Leh keda Leh Keda is the Arabic for why. This piece is a taqasim on Kord Hosseini, which is the equivalent to the Phrygian mode on the note A (La). It is a beautiful, sweet mode which has a contemplative quality about it, but powerful at the same time and emotionally evocative. Joseph would like to dedicate this piece to his uncle Habib Mansi Habib, who passed away earlier in the year. 4 Maqam of the Nile This piece is a taqasim on Rast, which is the most important mode in Middle Eastern music. This is an ancient mode, which has quarter tones which occur on the 3rd and 7th degree of the Western major scale. It is a mode very close to the heart and something that is purely Eastern. This taqasim is also a dedication to the Nile which is a major source of life to many Egyptians, as well as to the country of Joseph s birth. This taqasim will be expressive of this. 5 The Famished Face The Famished Face is a composition written by Joseph, which was inspired by Lebanese Australian poet Chafic Ataya s words from his book Tears in Wine. My heart aches, my mind dictates my, hand writes: nothing may ever efface the human misery mounting on the famished face of our Earth. Let the children of the morrow share this planet s common wealth. Forbid them not to rise and ease a fellow human face in tears. Let them arise and shed their golden dreams upon a planet wreathed in fear Now stop your wars. The World is his and hers, the Earth is theirs, not yours or mine. This composition is a call for peace, tolerance and understanding. It is also dedicated to Ali, the young Iraqi boy, a victim of the latest Iraqi war, who lost his family and both his arms in the conflict and who has become a reminder of the horror of war. 8 9

6 6 The Olive Branch This is a piece on the maqam Nahawand, in which Joseph uses a special plectrum technique for the oud which gives him greater control of the dynamics of the instrument; it allows the player to put more emphasis on certain notes which adds emotional height to the piece. It also allows the player to execute faster runs more clearly and more precisely. Joseph has also developed a new pivoting technique which he implements at the start of the piece allowing him to play two simultaneous lines not only above the upper-tonic, but above most of the notes of the mode. 7 Hallucination on a String This is a contemporary oud piece displaying some new sounds discovered on the oud. These pieces are extremely rare, if they exist at all, in Middle Eastern music, and are pioneering in oud playing. The piece is based around the second string of the oud, especially in providing a contrasting rhythmic pattern. A new plucking style is also implemented with a special wrist technique to vary dynamics. This piece experiments with artificial and natural harmonics, buzzing of strings, left-hand pizzicato, the extreme higher-register of the oud and double- and triple-stops. 8 Hawa al nahar Hawa al nahar are the Arabic words referring to a morning breeze. This piece is a rhythmic taqasim that is based around a simple melody, which appears throughout it. This piece is on maqam Agam that is the equivalent to the major scale in Western music. It is an uplifting mode and one that signifies joy and happiness Bab el Hadid Bab el hadid is the Arabic nickname for Cairo Station, the words means large metal door. This piece is on very important maqam, one that belongs to the Sika Hozam modal family. From the tonic it s played on (Bb 1/4) in this instance it turns into the Rah El Arwah mode. The maqam starts on a quarter tone and is usually a little harsh on a Westerners ears for two reasons: one being that the tonic may be considered as out of tune; the second being that by starting and finishing on a quarter tone, it sounds like it hasn t resolved, leaving the listener hanging. For a Middle Eastern musician it s a perfect resolution. 10 Pharaoh s Dream Pharaoh s Dream is an original composition written by Joseph. This piece is on the maqam Lami which is a mode that is not often used in Middle Eastern music. It is a maqam that contains six notes; in this instance the notes are E, G, A, Bb, C, D. It is a variant of Kord Hosseini (Phrygian from A) omitting the sixth degree of the mode. The free structure of this piece allows Joseph to improvise within it and express the characteristics of the mode, giving it a dreamy, soulful feel. 11 Birds of Paradise Birds of Paradise is a beautiful melody composed in a purely Arabic style. To some listeners it may sound Spanish. However the Arabs went to Spain in the 7th century; this is how the oud got to Europe, later turning into the Western lute. So in fact Spanish music was influenced by Arabic music, hence the similarities, which can be seen in the flamenco style. In this piece Joseph implements basic chords to the melody, giving it an Andalusian feel. It is a piece which requires great technical skill not only for its speed, but also because of the intricate ornamentation. Traditionally this piece would be considered an example of the Longa form, which is a melody or piece consisting of two to three sections, each varying in tempo within a 2/4 time signature. 11

7 The Oud The oud is a short-necked, half-pear-shaped, plucked lute from the Middle East and is the direct ancestor of the European lute. As the oud is a fretless instrument, the player is able to slide and play quarter tones, which is a very important part of Middle Eastern music. The oud is the centre of musical theory in the Middle East and is as important as the piano to the Western world. It is considered the King of all instruments and taqasim. Taqasim Taqasim is a series of short melodic improvised phrases in free time with unlimited boundaries and would be best described as improvisation. The main objective of taqasim is to reach the point of tarab, which is the Arabic word describing the exciting and ecstatic state that the musician and audience reach in the embellishment of the music. Traditionally, the audience would yell praise at the musician when they reached this state, asking the musician to play on and provide more enjoyment. A taqasim can take any amount of time to perform depending on the mood of the musician and the audience s demand

8 Thanks to My family, Her Excellency Marie Bashir (Governor of New South Wales), The Honourable Ahmed Al Kewaisy (Egyptian Consul of Sydney), Mr Hazem Hanafi (Egyptian Vice Consul of Sydney), Alexander Weilsmann (Premier s Department), Mohamed Youssef and Hanan Nuseibeh, David and Liz Walker and every member of the Australian Institute of Eastern Music, Ally Wicks, Doug Spencer (Radio National), Joseph Boutros (Mum s Choice Catering), Derek Williams, Chloe Lake, Fr Marcos Khella, Fr Rafael Iskander, Christian and Elizabeth Watson, Dr Magdy and Debbie Armanious, Michael Abdul Karim, Christina Abdul Karim, Chafic Ataya, John Tanious, Ramy and Lilly Mansour, Tarek Sawires, Dr Shanti Napier, Dr Christine Logan, the fantastic musicians: Glenn Henrich, John Napier, Bobby Singh and John Shand (SMH). The Australian Institute of Eastern Music, St George Coptic Orthodox Church Youth and Congregation, Mum s Choice Catering, SBS Arabic Radio, the University of NSW School of Music staff and students, Randwick Boys High School, The Music Show (Radio National), The Planet (Radio National), ABC Classic FM, the Australian Arabic Communities Council, the NSW Ministry for the Arts, the Australia Council, the Egyptian Consulate (Sydney), the Sydney Morning Herald. Producer Jon Russell Cover and booklet design Mohamed Youssef For ABC Classics Executive Producers Robert Patterson, Lyle Chan Editorial and Production Manager Hilary Shrubb Additional artwork Imagecorp Pty Ltd Recorded at Avalon Studios 1 October Jon Russell and Joseph Tawadros Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Made in Australia. All rights of the owner of copyright reserved. Any copying, renting, lending, diffusion, public performance or broadcast of this record without the authority of the copyright owner is prohibited. Special thanks to Jon Russell and ABC Classics for their support, love, encouragement and for putting up with me and my demands. My virtuosic grandfather Mansi Habib who I never met, but who has influenced my music the most