All is not lost. Aleppo's musical tradition in space and time.

This episode will let us travel in the Syrian musical tradition, and in particular in Aleppo's ones. Jonathan Holt Shannon, interviewed for this episode, traces an historical excursus in the traditional music ending up in the contemporary Syrian scenario affected by the war and consequent migrations.When Shannon's book Among the Jasmine Trees: Music and Modernity in Contemporary Syria was published in 2006, Aleppo was still the Syrian musical city par excellence, famous for having been able to preserve its precious traditional musical heritage.In this episode, recorded before the tragic earthquake of 6 February 2023, the anthropologist and ethnomusicologist - who spent a long time in Syria - explains the cultural and musical importance of this city in the context of the Arab world, and talks about his field research and the meetings with musicians before and after the dramatic civil war that forced a large part of Aleppo's population into exile.About Jonathan Holt ShannonDr. Jonathan H. Shannon is a professor at the Department of Anthropology of Hunter College of New York. He teaches courses in the anthropology of music and the arts, as well as Middle East studies, food, culture and politics. He is a Guggenheim fellow and has authored two influential monographs on Middle Eastern music. His research focuses on musical cultures of the Arab world and Mediterranean with a special focus on Syria, Morocco and Spain.Dr. Shannon's more recent research focuses on the music of Syrian refugees in Turkey, Germany and Sweden.Episode's musical sources listQadd Yallah Sawa Al Turath Ensemble da Jardines de Jazmín, Pneuma PN 310 (2001)(Música editada por Eduardo Paniagua aparece por cortesía de PNEUMA)Samai hozam (traditional)Al Turath Ensemble from Jardines de Jazmín, Pneuma PN 310 (2001)(Música editada por Eduardo Paniagua aparece por cortesía de PNEUMA)Habibi ala al’DunyaSabah Fakhri from Sabah Fakhri Au palais des congrès, Polydor 2672 055 / Alep Disques 2672 055 (1978) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxJ4dolAttgAna fi intizarak (Zakarya Ahmad – Bayram Tunsi) Umm Kulthum https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYZG-ihqnDcTaqsim for ‘udrecorded by Jonathan Shannon (2021)Dulab Hozam (traditional)Al Turath Ensemble from Jardines de Jazmín, Pneuma PN 310 (2001)(Música editada por Eduardo Paniagua aparece por cortesía de PNEUMA)Layali (unmetered modal improvisation)Mohammed Hamadye recorded by Jonathan Shannon in Istanbul, January 2019Yamorro Oujban (Omar al-Batsch – arranged by Göksel Baktagir)From Aleppo To Istanbul Project (live recording 2019)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wuoPKDqdW8Samai hozam (traditional)Al Turath Ensemble from Jardines de Jazmín, Pneuma PN 310 (2001)(Música editada por Eduardo Paniagua aparece por cortesía de PNEUMA)Golden Flowers by Ajam quartetComposer Or Rozenfeld.Ajam quartet are an active band from BerlinWebsite: https://www.ajamquartet.com/Mshaweerak Bilfada (Nour Yamm)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiEPRv5Cq8MInstagramSoundcloudFacebookTwitterDhikr recorded by Jonathan Shannon at Othmaniyya Mosque in Alep (2006)Zakhrafa (Samer Ali)Takht al-Nagham (live recording 2019)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6VjsvT6o3sMore information SyrianMusic.orgBetween the Strings (Diab Mekari - Arif Altunkaya)Diab Mekarihttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygwQIBpzvZY℗ Planet East (Royalty free - Music For Your Videos)Disclaimer Mediterranean Intangible Heritage Soundscape is a podcast by Paolo Scarnecchia, produced by UNIMED, Mediterranean Universities Union. Musical works included in the Podcast are used for purpose of illustration for teaching, and not for commercial purposes.Please notice that opening and closing voice over is generated with AI tools.