I talked to my wife in Ram Allah a few hours ago, and I was wondering why I should continue playing music,...but then I realized that this instrument can be a weapon too.

W With those words, Samir Joubran plucked the first note on his ’ud. His comments are echoed by many of his Palestinian peers, who seize every opportunity to bring awareness to Palestinian suffering through their music. His first solo improvisation or taqsim immediately set the mood for a truly captivating evening of music and song, ranging from classical instrumental to nationalist to Arab folk and Palestinian repertoire. His performance was one of a series of events that took place in mid-October 2000, in Montreal, Canada, as part of “Rhythms from Palestine,” a cultural event organized by MAP, or Medical Aid for Palestine, a non-profit organization based in Montreal.

Events like this one that combine musical performance with a social message and activist goal have become commonplace for contemporary Palestinian musicians seeking local and international recognition. Their stories of discrimination, hardship, and sacrifice for their art play in counterpoint with their various experiences of Diaspora. In contrast to other musicians of the Arab world, their musical perspective is unique. Their limited ability to travel or interact with other musicians from the Arab world, combined with a lack of national infrastructure, have encouraged many Palestinian musicians to be experimental. They tend to negotiate among soundscapes ranging from international pop and jazz to Western art music to Middle Eastern musical styles. The result is not a hybrid, eclectic music?which is often the way musicians of non-Western origin are described by record labels and scholars?but a sound that is independent and innovative. This article attempts to bring to light some of this mostly undiscovered talent. It reaches out to different areas of the musical spectrum, touching on the more traditional side through Samir Joubran’s classical improvisations and El-Funoun’s reinterpretation of Palestinian-Arab folk songs, and on the avant-garde side through the music of Sabreen, the pop sound of Amal Murkus, and the musical intersections of Adel Salameh. Even though I have limited my discussion to Palestinian musicians born or living in the Palestinian territories and Israel, it is nevertheless virtually impossible to make a concise and fair synthesis of such a vibrant scene. Prominent musicians and ensembles not reviewed in this article include ‘ud master and violinist Simon Shaheen, clarinetist and ney player Suhail Khoury, and member of the Ramallah-based Oriental Music Ensemble (OME) and composer Patrick Lama.

Being Palestinian myself, I was first introduced to my musical heritage through the old and often badly recorded cassettes of folk and nationalist songs my parents kept playing in the car. Lack of access to Palestine, created by the ongoing Israeli/Palestinian conflict, has given this music a symbolic value treasured by Palestinians of the Diaspora who view it as a last tie to their homeland—pre-1948 Palestine. My current research explores this notion of homeland in Palestinian music and dance, as well as the conflicting identities that emerge from various experiences of Otherness faced in and out of exile. While I first intended to limit my work to folk music, I soon realized that contemporary Palestinian musicians have created and are in the process of creating a rich mosaic of sounds that deserve recognition and attention from scholars in Middle East studies. While vocal music has always been dominant in Arab and Palestinian musical culture, instrumental music is making headway through the efforts of these musicians, some of whom are presented in this article.

Born in Nazareth in 1973 into a family of ’ud makers, Samir Joubran played an instrument made by his brother for his solo concert during “Rhythms from Palestine” in Montreal. His style demonstrates an extreme sensitivity towards the ’ud, not as a tool to produce sound, but almost as a living being and/or fellow musician. His relationship with his instrument was reflected in his comments about teaching and performing. When asked what would be the first thing he would teach an ’ud apprentice, he replied without hesitation: “How to develop a relationship with the ’ud.…Some musicians rape their instruments, others are submissive to it, some treat it as a friend whom they can leave for a while and then give it an occasional visit, and some cannot live without it.” Graduate of the prestigious Abdul-Wahab Conservatory for Eastern Music of Cairo (Egypt) in 1993, Joubran has specialized in the genre of taqsim. In fact, his first album (produced by Yabous Productions, a Jerusalem-based non-profit organization aiming to revive and enrich the cultural life in Palestine) is entitled Taqasim (1997). Joubran has participated in national and international festivals in France, Jordan, Qatar, and Cairo.  His improvisations are embedded in the classical Middle Eastern tradition of the Arab musical modes or maqamati, but also focus on exploiting the full potential of his instrument. This technique was apparent during his concert, when Joubran produced flashes of atonality, polyphonic harmonics, subtle nuances, and aggressive attacks, thus enhancing the complexity of the patterns and musical phrases he performed. Joubran may be considered a traditionalist; indeed, he has been critical of musicians who include Western instruments in the classical Arab ensemble or takht (comprised of ’ud, qanun, violin, ney, and riqq) without first mastering real knowledge and the capabilities of their own instruments. Unlike some other Palestinian artists, Joubran is hesitant to lump together instruments with different personalities, timbres, and histories.