Marcel Khalifé
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Marcel Khalife (; born 10 June 1950 in Amchit) is a Lebanese musical composer, singer, and oud player. Khalife is considered a
folk hero A folk hero or national hero is a type of hero – real, fictional or mythology, mythological – with their name, personality and deeds embedded in the popular consciousness of a people, mentioned frequently in Folk music, folk songs, folk tales ...
in the
Arab world The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in ...
, and he has been described as the "
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...
of the Middle East."


Biography

In 1983,
Paredon Records Paredon Records was a record label founded in 1969 by Barbara Dane and Irwin Silber to publish recordings of cultural expressions, especially protests, in order to preserve them. Paredon wanted to spread awareness of multiple movements and topics. D ...
(later acquired by
Smithsonian Folkways Smithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was f ...
) released ''Promises of the Storm'', a collection of protest songs and political ballads.


Tunisia

In July 2009, Khalife returned to Tunisia to perform on the stage of the
Roman amphitheater Roman amphitheatres are theatres — large, circular or oval open-air venues with tiered seating — built by the ancient Romans. They were used for events such as gladiator combats, ''venationes'' (animal slayings) and executions. About 230 Roma ...
to a full house, as part of the 45th
International Festival of Carthage The International Festival of Carthage () is an annual music festival taking place in July and August since 1964 in the coastal city of Carthage (Tunisia). History It was established as a two-day Jazz festival on the initiative by intellectuals ...
. Speaking to the audience, Khalife opened the concert by stating:Committed Marcel Khalifa Re-visits Fans in Tunisia
by Iman Zayat, ''Alarab Online'', 29 July 2009
Khalife later dedicated a song to the "revolutionary leader
Che Guevara Ernesto "Che" Guevara (14th May 1928 – 9 October 1967) was an Argentines, Argentine Communist revolution, Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and Military theory, military theorist. A majo ...
".


''Ana Yousef, ya Abi'' case

Three times (1996, 1999, and 2003), he faced criminal prosecution for his song ''I am
Joseph Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...
, O Father'', written by the Palestinian poet
Mahmoud Darwish Mahmoud Darwish (; 13 March 1941 – 9 August 2008) was a Palestinians, Palestinian poet and author who was regarded as Palestine's national poet. In 1988 Darwish wrote the Palestinian Declaration of Independence, which was the formal declarat ...
.


Education

Khalifé studied the oud at the Beirut National Conservatory of Music and graduated in 1971.


Professional life

After graduating from the Beirut National Conservatory of Music in 1971, Khalife taught the art of oud playing there until 1975. Between 1972 and 1975, he taught music at public universities and several private music institutions in Lebanon while at the same touring the
MENA The Middle East and North Africa (MENA), also referred to as West Asia and North Africa (WANA) or South West Asia and North Africa (SWANA), is a geographic region which comprises the Middle East (also called West Asia) and North Africa together ...
region, Europe, and the United States to perform. He formed in 1972 a musical group in Amchit to revive his village's musical heritage, and it performed for the first time in Lebanon. He formed in 1976 Al Mayadine Ensemble, which toured
Arabic-speaking countries Arabic in countries with more than 50% Arabic-speakers is considered a majority language, otherwise it is a minority language. Arabic and its different dialects are spoken by around 422 million speakers (native and non-native) in the Arab wo ...
, Europe, the United States, Canada, South America, Australia, and Japan. Khalife was awarded the American Folkloric Festival Award in 1975, the National Palestine Medal for Arts and Culture in 2001, the
UNESCO Artist for Peace UNESCO Artists for Peace are international celebrity advocates for the United Nations agency UNESCO. This category of advocate is intended to heighten public awareness in addition to the categories UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and UNESCO Champion for ...
award in 2005, the Lebanese government Cedar Medal in 2005, and the Charles Cros Award for World Music in 2008. Khalife performed globally during his career, including throughout much of the Arab world. A long-time supporter of the Palestinian struggle for self-determination, he released the song, Nashid al-Intifada (“Anthem of the Intifada”) in 1989, amid the non-violent First Palestinian Intifada.  


Personal life

His eldest son,
Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...
graduate Rami Khalife, is a pianist and composer. In October 2011, the
Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO), a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, was founded in 2007 by Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned, the then Emir of Qatar's consort. The orchestra performs both Weste ...
, under the conductorship of James Gaffigan, premiered Khalife's 'Chaos', for orchestra and piano, with Khalife at the helm as a soloist. In February 2013, Rami Khalife's Arab Spring-inspired 'Requiem' was premiered, within the same program as Marcel Khalife's suite "Oriental".


Works


Books

In 1982, he wrote a six-part ''Anthology of Studying the Oud''.


Performances

*2005.11.14:
Lincoln Theatre (Washington, D.C.) Lincoln Theatre is a historic theater in Washington, D.C., located at 1215 U Street, next to Ben's Chili Bowl. The theater, located on "Washington's Black Broadway", served the city's African American community when segregation kept them o ...
USA *2004.01.12:
Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...
Washington DC USA *2008.10.10: De Roma Borgerhout, Antwerp, Belgium *2011.03.13: Al-Bustan Concert Series, Philadelphia, PA, USA *2014.11.15: Al-Bustan Concert Series, Philadelphia, PA, USA *2016.12.18: Day for Night Festival, Houston, TX, USA *2018.05.25
Institut des cultures arabes et méditerranéennes The Institut des cultures arabes et méditerranéennes (Institute for Arab and Mediterranean Cultures (ICAM)) is an association and Geneva cultural center for the promotion of Arab and Mediterranean cultures in Switzerland. History Founded in ...
, Geneva, Switzerland


Films

Marcel Khalife has composed soundtracks for films, documentaries, and fiction, produced by
Maroun Baghdadi Maroun Bagdadi (also Baghdadi; , ; January 21, 1950 – December 10, 1993) was a Lebanon, Lebanese Film Director, film director known for his vivid portrayal of Lebanon's civil war. Bagdadi was internationally the best-known Lebanese filmmaker of ...
, Oussama Mohammed, Sophi Sayhf Eddin, and Samir Zikra. His music is also featured in the documentary Occupied Minds produced by
Jamal Dajani Jamal Dajani () is a Palestinian-American journalist and an award-winning producer. He is the co-founder oArab Talk Radio He formerly served as Director of Strategic Communications & Media for former Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah. Pr ...
and David Michaelis. His music featured in the documentary film Sons of Eilaboun by
Hisham Zreiq Hisham Zreiq (, ; born 9 February 1968), also spelled Zrake, is an Arab Israeli independent filmmaker, poet, animator, musician and visual artist. He began working in computer art in 1994, and in 1996 started exhibiting his work in galleries an ...
.


Talks

Marcel Khalife gave a talk on 12 March 2013, at the
American University of Sharjah The American University of Sharjah (AUS; Arabic: الجامعة الأميركية في الشارقة) is a private university in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. It was founded in 1997 by Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, Supreme Council Member a ...
about his latest CD, ''The Fall of the Moon,'' and his longing towards the late
Mahmoud Darwish Mahmoud Darwish (; 13 March 1941 – 9 August 2008) was a Palestinians, Palestinian poet and author who was regarded as Palestine's national poet. In 1988 Darwish wrote the Palestinian Declaration of Independence, which was the formal declarat ...
. He also spoke about the prospects of publishing his autobiography in two volumes.


Discography

Below the discography of Marcel Khalife.


Studio albums

* ''Promises of the Storm'' (1976) * ''At the Border'' (1980) * ''Ahmad Al Arabi'' (1984) * ''Dreamy Sunrise'' (1985) * ''Ode to a Homeland'' (1990) * ''Arabic Coffeepot'' (1995) * ''Voyageur'' (1998) * ''Jadal'' (2002) * ''The Bridge'' (2002) * ''Summer Night's Dream'' (2003) * ''Promises of the Storm'' (2003) * ''Caress'' (2004) * ''Peace Be with You'' (2006) * ''Taqasim'' (2006) * ''Sharq'' (2007) * ''Andulusia of Love'' (2016)


Singles

* ''Mounadiloun (Strugglers)'' * ''Oummi (Mother)''


Live albums

* ''Dance'' (1995) * ''Marcel Khalife: Magic Carpet'' (1998) * ''Concerto Al Andalus'' (2002)


Honours

*: Knight of the
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...
(2018) *: Commander of the
Order of Intellectual Merit Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * H ...
(2008) *: Grand Officier of the National Order of Merit of Tunisia (2018)


References


English


''Marcel Khalife Discusses the New and the Old in Arabic Music in a Leading Literary Supplement: The Rationalization of Arabic Music''
Translated and edited by Elie Chalala, Al Jadid magazine, Vol. 1, no. 1 (November 1995)
''Trial of famous Lebanese singer to begin: Marcel Khalifa Faces Three Years in Prison''


* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20060213024926/http://www.freemuse.org/sw11829.asp ''Lebanese singer banned in Tunisia''
''Biography''

''Interview with Marcel Khalife''


French


''Marcel Khalifé: Voyageur...'', Pierre Dupouey, mardi 10 février 2004


* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20071011142402/http://hebdo.ahram.org.eg/arab/ahram/2006/5/3/visa0.htm ''Visages'', Dalia Chams
''Biographie''


External links

*

artist for peace

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khalife, Marcel 1950 births Living people 20th-century Lebanese male singers Lebanese oud players Lebanese songwriters 21st-century Lebanese male singers People from Amsheet Lebanese Maronites