Amal Murkus
Encyclopedia
Amal Murkus is a Palestinian Christian
singer living in Israel
. Her post-modern music style has a variety of Mediterranean influences. Her first album, Amal, was released in 1998, and her second, Shauq, in 2004. Her songs take inspiration by Palestinian folklore, traditional Arabic heritage, and pop music
elements, and express the struggle against the marginalization and exclusion that Arab
Palestinian culture feels.cit req
town of Kafr Yasif
in Galilee
, and has devoted her career to promoting Palestinian music
and culture in Israel and abroad. Murkus has been performing since she was five years old. In 1979, she won first prize in the Israeli Arab children's song festival, and went on to graduate from the Institute for Stage Art in Tel Aviv
in 1990.cit req
in 2003. Amal is currently studying art as a tool for social change at Musrara College in Jerusalem.ref req
Murkus appears regularly on TV in various educational and cultural programs. She has also appeared in feature films and was nominated for the Israeli Oscar for her performance in Ali Nasar's movie The Milky Way. In 2003, Murkus won 'Best Actress' at the Haifa Theatre Festival. Her extensive vocal range and abilities enable Murkus to sing in a wide variety of genres, from traditional Arab to modern popular western styles. As a result, she has created some remarkable collaborations with other artists and international musicians, including Joan Baez
in an anti-war concert that took place in Tel Aviv in 1988; Mercedes Sosa
; Oliver Shante, Germany; Stadio, Italy; the Greek
singer Glykeria
; Noa; Anwar Ebrahem from Tunisia
, Enzo Avetable of Italy; Nani Cayemi in Brazil
; Robert Wyatt
in the UK and The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
(UK) in 2005, and many others.
Murkus has also completed projects with the Palestinian poets
Mahmoud Darwish
in Nazareth
in 2000 and Kafr Yasif in 1999, and Samih al-Qasim
in 2006. Murkus has received many commendations for her unique art and music and for her work with local communities.
In 2001, Murkus was chosen by Austrian TV as one of the most beautiful voices of the 20th century, after taking part in a music film produced by the ARTE
TV "Premadonas Fest", by the director-musician Andrew Heller, with Jesse Norman
and Harris Alexiou, D.D. Bridgewater and others. Her first album, self-entitled “Amal” was written and composed by a diverse group of artists and musicians. It was released internationally in 2000 by EMI Hemisphere
.
Her second album Shauq ("Longing") was recorded live in April 2004, at the Crown Hall in Jerusalem, with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra
. Her third album is Na'na' ya Na'na ("peppermint, O peppermint").
Past performances: Amal has appeared in an array of international music festivals, including: Womex
(Spain); Festival Of Arab Arts (Liverpool, UK); Bath Festival
(UK); Tudos Os Cuntus De Nondos (Brazil); "Almadina" (Tunisia); Ethnos (Italy); Ethnic Music Festival (Sicily); The Whit Night (Naples); The Jubilee Day Live Show (Vatican 2000);The Dho Ziff, Festival Of World Culture (Ireland);"Elias Crean" (Madrid); Casa De Arab Official Evening (Madrid); Tira & Peace (San Marino); "Voices " (Luxemburg); and The Royal Festival (London).
Yaffa Cafe and Bookshop December 8, 2007 Jaffa Israel.
Amal has toured in Italy, Germany, France, Russia, Brazil, Spain, Denmark, Bulgaria, Greece and others. Compilations & Guest Appearances: 1998 Seven Times Seven – Oliver Shanty and Friends (Satva Music Germany) 1999 Voices From The World – Various Artists (NMC) 1999 Sweet Sorrw, Glykeria – Amal featured on the Single “The Mothers Prayer" (NMC) 1999 Radio Darwesh, Amal appeared as a guest performing 2 Songs (Polygram Italy) 2000, In Paradiso Conte, Duet With "Stadio" (EMI Italy) 2002 Majles Arab Songs (Virgin) 2002 Ethno (Eros, Greece) 2003 EMI Australia 2005 Label Bleu – France. 2007 Putumayo – World Music USA.
, which demanded that her performances be cancelled during the Ramadan
. She says "I refused to cancel. I knew that this was not the real reason, since singing during Ramadan is not forbidden. I suppose that the people from the Islamic Movement are bothered by my social agenda. I criticize not only the Jews, but also what is happening in my own society. I call for the liberation and empowerment of women. I believe that women hold the key – if they do not progress, society will not progress. But the Islamic Movement does not want women to progress. It wants us to remain in the dark".
In August 2008 Amal sang at the birthday of Maria Amman, a Palestinian girl from the Gaza Strip
who lost her mother, two of her brothers, her aunt and her grandmother after her house was hit by an IDF
projectile, which also left Maria severely injured and almost completely paralyzed. Murkus said that she was trying to "give Maria a mother's attention, not just my songs, in a humble attempt to fill a tiny bit of the void left in her life. I came today to utter Maria's voice. The voice of Palestinian children, who are victimized by the war. The State should allow Maria and her family to stay, in order for her to receive the best treatment possible; that would be the least the State can do in order to make up for what has happened to this child".
Palestinian Folklore Renaissance.
Songs:
1) "Marshoosha"
2) "A'lrozana"
3) "Ah ya asmar"
4) "A'taa'na el-Nasrawiyyat"
5) "El-Saber"
6) "Skaba"
7) "Na'na ya Na'na"
8) "Tae'i al fay"
9) "Hayman"
10) "Bhallelak"
11) "Yallah eigheth"
12) "Tahat el-Khail"
13) "Hamam el-dar"
14) "A'zzab el Jammal"
Remixes
Compilations
Palestinian Christian
Palestinian Christians are Arabic-speaking Christians descended from the people of the geographical area of Palestine. Within Palestine, there are churches and believers from many Christian denominations, including Oriental Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholic , Protestant, and others...
singer living in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Her post-modern music style has a variety of Mediterranean influences. Her first album, Amal, was released in 1998, and her second, Shauq, in 2004. Her songs take inspiration by Palestinian folklore, traditional Arabic heritage, and pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
elements, and express the struggle against the marginalization and exclusion that Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
Palestinian culture feels.cit req
Early life
Murkus was born and raised in the ArabArab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
town of Kafr Yasif
Kafr Yasif
Kafr Yasif is a Arab town in the North District of Israel. It is located northeast of the city of Acre and adjacent to Abu Sinan. The population of Kafr Yasif is largely Christian with a significant Muslim minority , and a small Druze community....
in Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
, and has devoted her career to promoting Palestinian music
Palestinian music
The music of Palestine is one of many regional sub-genres of Arabic music. While it shares much in common with Arabic music, both structurally and instrumentally, there are musical forms and subject matter that are distinctively Palestinian.-Pre-1948:...
and culture in Israel and abroad. Murkus has been performing since she was five years old. In 1979, she won first prize in the Israeli Arab children's song festival, and went on to graduate from the Institute for Stage Art in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
in 1990.cit req
Musical career
Murkus is a member of the counseling board of Free Muse, an organization working against the censorship of art and music. She took an active part in its congress in DenmarkDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
in 2003. Amal is currently studying art as a tool for social change at Musrara College in Jerusalem.ref req
Murkus appears regularly on TV in various educational and cultural programs. She has also appeared in feature films and was nominated for the Israeli Oscar for her performance in Ali Nasar's movie The Milky Way. In 2003, Murkus won 'Best Actress' at the Haifa Theatre Festival. Her extensive vocal range and abilities enable Murkus to sing in a wide variety of genres, from traditional Arab to modern popular western styles. As a result, she has created some remarkable collaborations with other artists and international musicians, including Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
in an anti-war concert that took place in Tel Aviv in 1988; Mercedes Sosa
Mercedes Sosa
Haydée Mercedes Sosa, known as La Negra, was an Argentine singer who was popular throughout South America and some countries outside the continent. With her roots in Argentine folk music, Sosa became one of the preeminent exponents of nueva canción. She gave voice to songs written by both...
; Oliver Shante, Germany; Stadio, Italy; the Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
singer Glykeria
Glykeria
Glykeria is a Greek singer active in Greece and Cyprus, while also gaining fame in Israel, France, Turkey and England. Her career has spanned over 30 years and is marked by several multi-platinum releases...
; Noa; Anwar Ebrahem from Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, Enzo Avetable of Italy; Nani Cayemi in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
; Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt is an English musician, and founding member of the influential Canterbury scene band Soft Machine, with a long and distinguished solo career...
in the UK and The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society is a society based in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, that organises concerts and other events mainly in the field of classical music. The society is the second oldest of its type in the United Kingdom and its orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic...
(UK) in 2005, and many others.
Murkus has also completed projects with the Palestinian poets
Palestinian literature
Palestinian literature refers to the Arabic language novels, short stories and poems produced by Palestinians. Forming part of the broader genre of Arabic literature, contemporary Palestinian literature is often characterized by its heightened sense of irony and the exploration of existential...
Mahmoud Darwish
Mahmoud Darwish
Mahmoud Darwish was a Palestinian poet and author who won numerous awards for his literary output and was regarded as the Palestinian national poet...
in Nazareth
Nazareth
Nazareth is the largest city in the North District of Israel. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel," the population is made up predominantly of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel...
in 2000 and Kafr Yasif in 1999, and Samih al-Qasim
Samih al-Qasim
Samīħ al-Qāsim Samīħ al-Qāsim Samīħ al-Qāsim ( is an Israeli Druze whose Arabic poetry is well-known throughout Arab World. His poetry is influenced by two primary periods of his life: Before and after the Six-Day War. He joined the Communist Hadash political party in 1967...
in 2006. Murkus has received many commendations for her unique art and music and for her work with local communities.
In 2001, Murkus was chosen by Austrian TV as one of the most beautiful voices of the 20th century, after taking part in a music film produced by the ARTE
Arte
Arte is a Franco-German TV network. It is a European culture channel and aims to promote quality programming especially in areas of culture and the arts...
TV "Premadonas Fest", by the director-musician Andrew Heller, with Jesse Norman
Jesse Norman
Alexander Jesse Norman a British Conservative politician who is the Member of Parliament for Hereford and South Herefordshire. He was selected at an open primary in December 2006. He was a director at Barclays before leaving the City in 1997 to research and teach at University College...
and Harris Alexiou, D.D. Bridgewater and others. Her first album, self-entitled “Amal” was written and composed by a diverse group of artists and musicians. It was released internationally in 2000 by EMI Hemisphere
EMI Hemisphere
EMI Hemisphere is a world music record label imprint of EMI.Founded by Gerald Seligman in 1993, it drew on music from the international catalogues of EMI Records, supplemented by its own signings and some outside licensing. It was one of the first, international labels to extensively compile music...
.
Her second album Shauq ("Longing") was recorded live in April 2004, at the Crown Hall in Jerusalem, with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra
Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra
The Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra of the Israel Broadcasting Authority is a major orchestra of Israel...
. Her third album is Na'na' ya Na'na ("peppermint, O peppermint").
Past performances: Amal has appeared in an array of international music festivals, including: Womex
WOMEX
WOMEX is an international world music support and development project based in Berlin, whose main event is an exposition held annually in different locations throughout Europe. It integrates a trade fair, showcases, conferences, film market, networking sessions, and awards...
(Spain); Festival Of Arab Arts (Liverpool, UK); Bath Festival
Bath International Music Festival
The Bath International Music Festival, also known as the Bath Music Fest, is held each summer in Bath, South West England. Inaugurated in 1948, the festival includes many genres such as orchestral, contemporary jazz, folk and electronica...
(UK); Tudos Os Cuntus De Nondos (Brazil); "Almadina" (Tunisia); Ethnos (Italy); Ethnic Music Festival (Sicily); The Whit Night (Naples); The Jubilee Day Live Show (Vatican 2000);The Dho Ziff, Festival Of World Culture (Ireland);"Elias Crean" (Madrid); Casa De Arab Official Evening (Madrid); Tira & Peace (San Marino); "Voices " (Luxemburg); and The Royal Festival (London).
Yaffa Cafe and Bookshop December 8, 2007 Jaffa Israel.
Amal has toured in Italy, Germany, France, Russia, Brazil, Spain, Denmark, Bulgaria, Greece and others. Compilations & Guest Appearances: 1998 Seven Times Seven – Oliver Shanty and Friends (Satva Music Germany) 1999 Voices From The World – Various Artists (NMC) 1999 Sweet Sorrw, Glykeria – Amal featured on the Single “The Mothers Prayer" (NMC) 1999 Radio Darwesh, Amal appeared as a guest performing 2 Songs (Polygram Italy) 2000, In Paradiso Conte, Duet With "Stadio" (EMI Italy) 2002 Majles Arab Songs (Virgin) 2002 Ethno (Eros, Greece) 2003 EMI Australia 2005 Label Bleu – France. 2007 Putumayo – World Music USA.
Political activism
Amal considers herself a "Palestinian singer", and believes that her national pride is a cause of disconcert for many Israeli Jews. Her feminism has led to several conflicts with the Islamic Movement in IsraelIslamic Movement in Israel
The Islamic Movement in Israel is a movement that aims to advocate Islam among Israeli Arabs. It operates on three levels: religious , social and anti-Zionist...
, which demanded that her performances be cancelled during the Ramadan
Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and...
. She says "I refused to cancel. I knew that this was not the real reason, since singing during Ramadan is not forbidden. I suppose that the people from the Islamic Movement are bothered by my social agenda. I criticize not only the Jews, but also what is happening in my own society. I call for the liberation and empowerment of women. I believe that women hold the key – if they do not progress, society will not progress. But the Islamic Movement does not want women to progress. It wants us to remain in the dark".
In August 2008 Amal sang at the birthday of Maria Amman, a Palestinian girl from the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
who lost her mother, two of her brothers, her aunt and her grandmother after her house was hit by an IDF
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
projectile, which also left Maria severely injured and almost completely paralyzed. Murkus said that she was trying to "give Maria a mother's attention, not just my songs, in a humble attempt to fill a tiny bit of the void left in her life. I came today to utter Maria's voice. The voice of Palestinian children, who are victimized by the war. The State should allow Maria and her family to stay, in order for her to receive the best treatment possible; that would be the least the State can do in order to make up for what has happened to this child".
Discography
2007 Na'na' ya Na' na' (peppermint).Palestinian Folklore Renaissance.
Songs:
1) "Marshoosha"
2) "A'lrozana"
3) "Ah ya asmar"
4) "A'taa'na el-Nasrawiyyat"
5) "El-Saber"
6) "Skaba"
7) "Na'na ya Na'na"
8) "Tae'i al fay"
9) "Hayman"
10) "Bhallelak"
11) "Yallah eigheth"
12) "Tahat el-Khail"
13) "Hamam el-dar"
14) "A'zzab el Jammal"
Remixes
- CalvinQo Presents Amal Murkus-Ya Oud(Original Mix)-2009
- Israeli Made a Remix for the song Ya Oud
Compilations
- Listen To The Banned 2010