"The power of music"

The power of music

 Language and written expression IV 

 Tiva Roxana 

 Teacher: Stella Maris Saubidet Oyhamburu 

 I.S.F.D 41

Daniel Barenboim was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1942 into a Russian Jewish family, was a piano prodigy who first made his name in the 1960s as a performer of the classical keyboard repertory. He has served as music director of several major symphonic and operatic orchestras and made numerous recordings. Daniel Barenboim and his orchestra of Middle Eastern musicians were in a concert designed to promote peace between Israel and Palestine. Simply the most stunning and amazing way of how music can change the world – this is the power of music.

 In the first place the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra is multi-ethnic ensemble composed of young musicians from Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Iran, Egypt, Lebanon, and Spain. It was founded in 1999 by Barenboim and the late Palestinian-American scholar Edward Said in order to promote peace between Israelis and Palestinians and also to campaign for the peaceful and fair resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict."The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra is very sensitive to the situation in Middle East" he said in a statement before the concert. "The musicians have relatives on both sides, the sides that are killing each other and, despite this cruel war, there is no Arabic or Israeli musician who has canceled his participation in this concert for peace." This is also a gesture to Argentina.

 In addition, Barenboim is an outspoken critic of Israel’s occupation of Palestine, but rather than take up politicial activism in a typical sense, the pianist has found means to debate the meaning of democracy and cultural identity through music. Moreover Barenboim and Palestinian literary scholar Edward Said set up the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, which brings together young musicians from Israel and the Arab countries every summer with the aim of enabling a dialogue between cultures and promoting this through the experience of making music. Barenboim has also initiated a project for music education in the Palestinian territories, which includes the foundation of a music kindergarten as well as a Palestinian youth orchestra.

 However a society’s comfort is a reflection of all its citizens, and must be addressed so as to assure that each one of them is considered. Like an orchestra, a city is made up of multiple parts. In order for the music of the city to be fluid and successful, each member of its ensemble needs to be focused, healthy, and part of the process. Without a voice from everyone, something is lost from the composition of a city. It cannot be denied that when a city is in kaos, pounded with heavy artillery, mortars and air strikes sending up columns of thick, black smoke. When there are chaotic scenes as thousands of local people tried to flee. Battles erupted between troops and militants in the streets. Families have squeezed into rented apartments, however, they spend much of the day camped by the remains of their home. It is too difficult to think that music can mend people soul.

 On balance, Daniel Barenboim, who holds both Israeli and Palestinian passports, commended his native Argentina, which he said taught him that people of different backgrounds, religions, and ethnicities can all live in harmony."I want to say to you that I grew up in Argentina, and some lessons remain inside me. I learned here that you can be Jewish, Polish, German, Syrian, Turk, and there is no problem here about multiple identities. You can be any of this and also an Argentinian," he told the audiences. In the face of adversity and in the toughest of circumstances, music can lift the human spirit and bring people together like no other force on the planet. “I truly believe that music can be considered a lesson for life and for cities”, he said. To sum up I firmly believe that music can help people heart and soul because to many people in many cultures, music is an important part of their way of life.

 “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” ― Plato

 Works cited 

 Jweekly.com, Thursday, August 14, 2014. Israeli, Palestinian musicians play “peace concert”. Retrieved on 30th. September 2014 from
 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/72346/israeli-palestinian-musicians-play-peace-concert/


 Elspeth Black,The culture trip. Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said’s West-Eastern Divan Orchestra Retrieved on 30th. September 2014 from http://theculturetrip.com/middle-east/israel/articles/daniel-barenboim-and-edward-said-s-west-eastern-divan-orchestra/ 

  BMW GUGGENHEIM LAB. Daniel Barenboim. Retrieved on 30th. September 2014 from http://www.bmwguggenheimlab.org/what-is-the-lab/people/advisory-committee/daniel-barenboim

 Knell, Yolande. BBC NEWS, 15 September 2014. Gaza: Life amid the rubble. Retrieved on 30th. September 2014 from http://theculturetrip.com/middle-east/israel/articles/daniel-barenboim-and-edward-said-s-west-eastern-divan-orchestra/ 

 Kyle Macdonald, 11th August 2014. Classic Fm. Daniel Barenboim conducts Israeli/ Palestine peace concert. Retrieved on 30th. September 2014 from http://www.classicfm.com/artists/daniel-barenboim/news/concert-peace-gaza/

 Daniel Borenboim. Retrieved on 30th. September 2014 from http://www.danielbarenboim.com/about.html