Mohsen Subhi
Encyclopedia
Mohsen Subhi (October 4, 1963–August 2, 2009) was a Palestinian
composer
of classical Arabic music and arranger
of modern Palestinian music
and folk song.
A master oud
player and percussionist, Subhi was born in Ramallah
, Palestine
on October 4, 1963, where he established himself as a young musician, composer, performer and teacher. He moved to Boston
, Massachusetts
in 1997 and continued living and working in Palestine, the United States
(Boston and San Francisco) and Jordan
.
Mohsen composed, arranged, (re)interpreted and performed music for television, plays, films and live audiences. After receiving a grant to record his second classical Arabic music (instrumental) CD, Mohsen Subhi (also known as Abu Kinaan) died as a result of an unfortunate accident on August 2, 2009 in Ramallah. He was buried in Al-Bireh
.
as his main instrument. Master oud player Hatem Al-Afghani was among Mohsen's early music teachers. In the United States, Mohsen attended classes at Berklee in Boston and the Longy School of Music (Cambridge, MA) where he continued developing his unique style.
He also taught percussion and/or Oud to children and adults through institutions, schools and private lessons in Ramallah and Jerusalem (Palestine) as well as Boston (1997–1999) and later on, San Francisco (U.S.)
Although best known as an Oud
player, Mohsen also used the Buzuq
, and was no less talented as a percussionist playing derbakeh (tabla), taar, mazhar
(frame drum), and daf
(tambourine) fusing Arab, Persian, Indian and African rhythms.
Raseef al-Madeena
Mohsen Subhi played buzuk and percussion with the Ramallah-based group, Al-Rahhala including its 1988 "Raseef al-Madeena".
While serving as the Music Director of the Palestinian National Music and Dance Troupe (El Funoun) in Palestine, http://www.el-funoun.org Mohsen composed the music to their popular production “Zaghareed” (also Zaghareet) Ululation
s in 1997. http://www.el-funoun.org/productions/zaghared.html. Mohsen's reinterpretation and rearrangement of traditional Palestinian folkloric wedding songs was choreographed and danced by the internationally recognized Palestinian dabkeh group, El Funoun Dance Troupe and performed starting 1997. Zaghareed could be best described as "an artistic work that combined authenticity with originality, traditional raw material with more modernistic dance components, and finally a very Palestinian theme with attributes that carry a universal appeal.".
Mawasem
In 2006, the Lebanon based independent record label
Incognito released Mohsen Subhi's instrumental, Mawasem [Seasons], the first compilation of his renowned composition of oud pieces, accompanied by bass, cello and piano (featuring Antoine Lammam - percussions). http://www.palestineonlinestore.com/music/mohsensubhi.html. In Mawasem, explains Jihad Touma, "Subhi starts in maqam
, in a circle widening with revelation, proceeding to a point where, necessarily, commentary falls short." (translated from Arabic from the backcover of Mawasem). Touma continues,
Commenting on Mawasem, Rabih Z wrote in the June 2006 issue of Time Out Beirut:
for a number of films documenting Palestinian life and history. Examples of film scores by Mohsen include:
His music was used as additional tracks in other movies. Examples include:
http://www.philistinefilms.org/salt_soundtrack.html
August 3 through 7th, 2009 and September 10, 2009). His latest (and last) classical Arabic music (instrumental) CD will be released in the near future.
The October 2009 issue of This Week in Palestine "shar[ed] words rushed by his untimely departure" (http://www.thisweekinpalestine.com/i138/pdfs/October%20138%202009.pdf pp. 56–57)
See also http://www.thisweekinpalestine.com/details.php?catid=11&id=2906&edid=174
http://www.menhon.com/singers/albums/277/Mohsen_Subhi/
For a glimpse of Mohsen, see the trailer for "The inner Tour" where he says: "Some people, they don't like their lives. That's why I ask." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGIoWNFcXPs
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
of classical Arabic music and arranger
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
of modern 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 folk song.
A master oud
Oud
The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
player and percussionist, Subhi was born in Ramallah
Ramallah
Ramallah is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank located 10 kilometers north of Jerusalem, adjacent to al-Bireh. It currently serves as the de facto administrative capital of the Palestinian National Authority...
, Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
on October 4, 1963, where he established himself as a young musician, composer, performer and teacher. He moved to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
in 1997 and continued living and working in Palestine, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(Boston and San Francisco) and Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
.
Mohsen composed, arranged, (re)interpreted and performed music for television, plays, films and live audiences. After receiving a grant to record his second classical Arabic music (instrumental) CD, Mohsen Subhi (also known as Abu Kinaan) died as a result of an unfortunate accident on August 2, 2009 in Ramallah. He was buried in Al-Bireh
Al-Bireh
al-Bireh or el-Bira is a Palestinian city adjacent to Ramallah in the central West Bank, north of Jerusalem. It is situated on the central ridge running through the West Bank and is above sea level, covering an area of...
.
Education and training
Mohsen began teaching himself music at the age of seven, initially as a percussionist and later on adopting the OudOud
The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
as his main instrument. Master oud player Hatem Al-Afghani was among Mohsen's early music teachers. In the United States, Mohsen attended classes at Berklee in Boston and the Longy School of Music (Cambridge, MA) where he continued developing his unique style.
Early career
Mohsen composed, arranged, (re)interpreted and performed music for educational purposes, television, plays, dance troupes, films and live audiences. His unique contributions to Arab classical music and Palestinian folkloric dance brought him wide recognition as a rising musician.He also taught percussion and/or Oud to children and adults through institutions, schools and private lessons in Ramallah and Jerusalem (Palestine) as well as Boston (1997–1999) and later on, San Francisco (U.S.)
Although best known as an Oud
Oud
The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
player, Mohsen also used the Buzuq
Buzuq
The buzuq is a long-necked fretted lute related to the Greek bouzouki and Turkish saz. It is an essential instrument in the Rahbani repertoire, but it is not classified among the classical instruments of Arab or Turkish music...
, and was no less talented as a percussionist playing derbakeh (tabla), taar, mazhar
Mazhar
The mazhar is a large, heavy tambourine used in Arabic music. The mazhar's frame is generally made out of wood. The instrument's brass jingles are quite large . It is played with a shaking technique that gives it a raucous sound...
(frame drum), and daf
Daf
A daf is a frame drum used as a musical instrument in popular and classical music. The term daf is used in Iran / Kurdistan for a large drum that has a series of four interlinked rings in the frame. Daf is mostly used in Middle East, Iran, Armenia, Pakistan, Turkey, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan and ...
(tambourine) fusing Arab, Persian, Indian and African rhythms.
Raseef al-Madeena
Mohsen Subhi played buzuk and percussion with the Ramallah-based group, Al-Rahhala including its 1988 "Raseef al-Madeena".
Later musical works
ZaghareedWhile serving as the Music Director of the Palestinian National Music and Dance Troupe (El Funoun) in Palestine, http://www.el-funoun.org Mohsen composed the music to their popular production “Zaghareed” (also Zaghareet) Ululation
Ululation
A is a long, wavering, high-pitched vocal sound resembling a howl with a trilling quality. It is produced by emitting a high pitched loud voice accompanied with a rapid movement of the tongue and the uvula. The term ululation is an onomatopoeic word derived from Latin...
s in 1997. http://www.el-funoun.org/productions/zaghared.html. Mohsen's reinterpretation and rearrangement of traditional Palestinian folkloric wedding songs was choreographed and danced by the internationally recognized Palestinian dabkeh group, El Funoun Dance Troupe and performed starting 1997. Zaghareed could be best described as "an artistic work that combined authenticity with originality, traditional raw material with more modernistic dance components, and finally a very Palestinian theme with attributes that carry a universal appeal.".
Mawasem
In 2006, the Lebanon based independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
Incognito released Mohsen Subhi's instrumental, Mawasem [Seasons], the first compilation of his renowned composition of oud pieces, accompanied by bass, cello and piano (featuring Antoine Lammam - percussions). http://www.palestineonlinestore.com/music/mohsensubhi.html. In Mawasem, explains Jihad Touma, "Subhi starts in maqam
Arabic maqam
Arabic maqām is the system of melodic modes used in traditional Arabic music, which is mainly melodic. The word maqam in Arabic means place, location or rank. The Arabic maqam is a melody type...
, in a circle widening with revelation, proceeding to a point where, necessarily, commentary falls short." (translated from Arabic from the backcover of Mawasem). Touma continues,
And then there is the passage... He proceeds with working the maqam, confounding it, subtly morphing its identity into hybrid, genuine forms, loading every sound with the pangs of yet unborn maqams... Breaks are not expected in the moments and the spaces they span. Breaks are expected in their reflections. The 'oud trembles, groans, lurches, longs... The 'oud listens to its echo. The echo of the 'oud infuses the horizon of the rhythm as homogenous column. And in the end, the maqam settles on the inevitability of its absence.
Commenting on Mawasem, Rabih Z wrote in the June 2006 issue of Time Out Beirut:
Mohsen Subhi has a very personal way of playing the oud, due to his previous experience as a percussionist and his subtle assimilation of Indian, African and Mediterranean influences. The album has received popular and critical acclaim in Lebanon: It is difficult not to fall helplessly in love with Mohsen Subhi's bewitching album Mawasem. Subhi's masterful oud playing is akin to a mystical art, making this CD breathtaking listening. (Rabih Z, Time Out Beirut, June 2006).
Film scores
Mohsen composed and performed the original soundtrackSoundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
for a number of films documenting Palestinian life and history. Examples of film scores by Mohsen include:
- The Presence of Absence in the Ruins of Kafr Bir’im by John Halaka (2007)http://www.sittingcrowproductions.com/KafrBirim.html
- The Imaginary Village by Sandy Tolan and Melissa Robbins (2004) http://transom.org/shows/2004/200406_imaginary_village.html Melissa Robbins, co-producer (with Sandy Tolan) of “The Imaginary Village” commented on working with Mohsen and the impact of his music on the documentary
It was also a thrill for me to work with an original score, by Palestinian-American musician Mohsen Subhi Abdelhamid--to have the extra tool and the extra challenge of music. At some point, the music began to feel like another voice in the piece, with its own message to shape and respect.
- The Inner Tour by Raanan Alexandrowicz (2001). Mohsen (spelled Muhssein Abed Al Hamid in the credits) was one of three artists whose music is used throughout the documentary. He spent the three days in the bus with the group of Palestinians whose stories the documentary attempts to tell and can be seen throughout the movie, often playing his Oud. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9507E4DB143AF932A35757C0A9649C8B63
- Ali wa ashabuhu [Ali and his Friends] by Sobhi Al-Zobaidi (2000) http://www.acdir.net/acdir/Films/Film_overview_en.aspx?f_id=189
His music was used as additional tracks in other movies. Examples include:
- Salt of this SeaSalt of this SeaSalt of this Sea is a 2008 Palestinian film directed by Annemarie Jacir. It is Palestine's submission to the 81st Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film-Awards:* FIPRESCI PRIZE - INTERNATIONAL CRITICS AWARD...
by Annemarie JacirAnnemarie JacirAnnemarie Jacir was born on January 17, 1974, she is a Palestinian filmmaker and poet.She has been working in independent cinema since 1994 and has written, directed and produced a number of award-winning films including Until When, A Few Crumbs for the Birds, and a Post Oslo History. She was...
, (2008) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1090680/
http://www.philistinefilms.org/salt_soundtrack.html
- This Palestinian Life by Philip Rizk (2008) http://www.thispalestinianlife.org/Makingof.php
Death
On August 2, 2009 Mohsen Subhi died in Ramallah as a result of an unfortunate accident. Mohsen was buried in Al-Bireh (see the daily Al-QudsAl-Quds (newspaper)
Al-Quds is a Palestinian Arabic language daily newspaper, based in Jerusalem. It is published in broadsheet format. It is the largest circulation daily newspaper in the Palestinian territories. It was founded in 1951 by Mahmoud Abu-Zalaf, who served as its editor-in-chief until his death in 2005...
August 3 through 7th, 2009 and September 10, 2009). His latest (and last) classical Arabic music (instrumental) CD will be released in the near future.
The October 2009 issue of This Week in Palestine "shar[ed] words rushed by his untimely departure" (http://www.thisweekinpalestine.com/i138/pdfs/October%20138%202009.pdf pp. 56–57)
"In the act of performance, Mohsen
would wrap himself around the belly of
his oud – holding on to it as much as
holding it – close his eyes, and let handplectrum-
fingers-string-nerves-fleshwood
fuse into a continuum of vibrations,
which entrances as it grips the listener
in its resonance." (p.57).
See also http://www.thisweekinpalestine.com/details.php?catid=11&id=2906&edid=174
See also
For samples of Mohsen's music (from Mawasem), visithttp://www.menhon.com/singers/albums/277/Mohsen_Subhi/
For a glimpse of Mohsen, see the trailer for "The inner Tour" where he says: "Some people, they don't like their lives. That's why I ask." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGIoWNFcXPs