Notes of Hosam Hayek blow from Palestine to İstanbul

İstanbul: the first stop

“We live in hard circumstances with big hopes but narrow opportunities,” says Hayek, describing his experiences growing up. “Especially when you are musician, you need a lot of space and freedom that we don’t have in our lives.”

When he began to work on his first album, his search for talented virtuosos to perform with led him to the İstanbul-based Taksim Trio -- Hüsnü Şenlendirici (clarinet), İsmail Tunçbilek (bağlama) and Aytaç Doğan (kanun) -- whose 2007 album was met with acclaim all over the world. Thus, İstanbul became the place to be for Hayek since he wanted to create his music in the environment that would provide him the best opportunities. “I decided to come to İstanbul,” says Hayek, “because I didn’t want to make any compromise on my music quality. I also chose the best musicians in this genre here in Turkey.”

So İstanbul and the Turkish musicians welcomed Hayek. “I have to admit that I fell in love with İstanbul and her people,” says the oud player. “I was received in the best way. The musicians were more than kind with me, and I felt at home at every moment in this cozy place.”

Working on his album for more than a year, Hayek collaborated with the aforementioned Turkish musicians, who agreed to work with him after listening to his oud playing. “I am proud that significant musicians such as Aytaç Doğan, İsmail Tunçbilek, Hüsnü Şenlendirici and Özer Arkun played on my album,” notes Hayek. “I also plan to perform live concerts composed of the songs in my album with Turkish musicians. And, of course, I will continue to collaborate with various professional Turkish musicians.”

Spirit of Palestine

A feeling of longing and melancholy is dominant in Hayek’s music, which can be understood from the album’s name, “Stranger in My Homeland,” as if reflecting the story of the lands he has come from. “Not only is the political issue the reason of the melancholy in my music,” says Hayek, explaining the sadness inherent in his melodies, “I also have that emotional and sensitive personality myself.” However, Hayek has also managed to integrate the traditional notes of his homeland with Western elements, in what Hayek describes as the music coming from his heart. “When I create my music, I don’t have any specific aims,” says Hayek. “I just play and compose what I feel. Those Western elements in my music are the result of playing the piano and listening to classical and jazz music.”

What is the place of music in such conflicts? What role does it play? As a musician and lecturer in the music department at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, teaching about the historical evolution of Arab music, Hayek’s answer to this question is clear. “The conflict between the Arabs and the Jews is based on territory and rights,” indicates Hayek, “so every solution has to be based on these issues, too.”

“Music can play a big role in improving the feelings between human beings. But it can’t change the decisions of the governments, and unfortunately, it can’t change the daily hard life,” he says, explaining the influence of music on ameliorating the conflict between societies.

In this respect, Hayek doesn’t agree with the term “leaving” in describing his trip to İstanbul. “I never left my country, and I will not do that,” says Hayek. “It is my father’s and grandfathers’ homeland, and I will not run away to another place.” However, the prevalent violence and conflict prevented Hayek from concentrating on his work. “I recognized that, as a musician, I must look for a stable country in order to make the world listen to my music and our story in Palestine,” he says.

Despite the relaxing effect of music -- especially Hayek’s -- the people of his homeland, Palestinians and Israelis, don’t have access to his music. “Doublemoon Records [the label that put out the album] doesn’t have distributors neither in Palestine nor in Israel,” says Hayek. “But, we must find a solution for that because I want my ‘people’ listen to my music in the Palestinian Authority and also the 1.5 million Palestinians living in Israel.”

Hopes and dreams

“I prefer for my music to be defined by the media and, of course, by the people and not by me,” says Hayek. “As a musician, I have big hopes and lots of dreams. First, I will be happy if my music reaches all over the world. Second, I want to play my music on the stage and get feedback from the crowd, particularly in Turkey.”