The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Between originality and development.. Making sticks is a journey inherited from grandparents to grandchildren

2022-11-29T17:09:31.106Z


Damascus, SANA- In the heart of the capital, Damascus, there is a great determination to preserve and uphold the essence of the Syrian cultural heritage


Damascus-SANA

From the heart of the capital, Damascus, features of a great determination to preserve the essence of the Syrian cultural heritage and adhere to the identity of one of its components, which is (the Damascene oud) are evident.

Among the Damascene space, you are captivated by the Oud-making workshop (ziryab) of its young owner, Ali Khalifa, who inherited it from his grandfather and is still innovating and adding to the secret of the profession (accuracy and craftsmanship), preserving the identity of the Damascene oud and preserving the name of his grandfather in the field of making this ancient oriental instrument.

And the young man in his thirties recounts his beginnings in the world of ouds, saying to Sana: “My late grandfather, Ali Khalifa, learned from the famous craftsman Bedrosian and a group of ancient oud makers, and in 1948 he moved to his own workshop, with which the family’s journey with the oud industry began, to constitute the distinguishing mark in terms of production to cover the needs of the market and the intensity of The demand to buy oud.”

The grandfather developed the manufacture of the Damascene instrument, preserving the heritage value marked by the ancient Syrian character within the molds of “one, unchanging and unmodified” until the nineties of the last century, which earned it a distinguished reputation at the regional and international levels, and it was acquired by many Syrian and Arab oud players, including musicians Farid al-Atrash, Muhammad Abdel-Wahhab, and one of the lutes. The family is located in the Umm Kulthum Museum in Egypt.

Ali continued what his grandfather started with great skill, added to it his spirit and experience, and named his workshop (Zaryab), which was historically known thanks to him for music in general and the oud in particular, pointing out that he developed the oud to keep pace with modernity in music, so these details had a noticeable role that contributed to his success to become one One of the most famous oud makers locally and in the Arab world.

And about the stages of manufacturing the oud, Ali says: “The wood comes in large pieces and we often use walnut wood, and we cut it in the form of ribs by making its sides equal so that the left side matches the right,” indicating that he treats the wood to resist weather factors and has a sound and consistent shape according to physical rules and equations. What makes it different and distinctive, then it works to shape the rest of its parts such as the neck and the house of the keys, all the way to connecting the back and the face, and at each stage it is necessary to give the oud a period to rest and take its final shape, so that we can finally get a masterpiece.

The grandson combined the art of handicraft and mechanization together, and collected the measures of the Syrian oud, which was the most widespread at the hands of the sculptor’s family, and added mosaics to them with accuracy and higher quality. Professionals and amateurs like it.

The Syrian oud was known, according to Ali, who made everyone who hears its melodies happy with the sound of its strings, while its value increased according to the quality of the oud, the amount of time, inscriptions, decorations and other factors that increase the value of the instrument, whose prices increased due to the increase in its production costs. of Arab sticks.

Regarding the importance of walnut wood in the manufacture of sticks, Ali explained that it was distinguished by its fibers, the level of wood density, weight and size, which gives it an imprint in its affectionate voice, in addition to the use of rosewood, apricot, and rare types of wood around the world that he tries to obtain, such as (Indian sisa) that is used to make backwood or “ The bowl.”

As for the wood that is used to make the face, it is Caucasian fir wood or Canadian cedar, which is characterized by being deaf, strong, and the raw material of its sound is distinctive, despite the lack of imported wood due to the harsh war conditions, but he did not and will not stop working with his keenness to educate his four daughters, whose ages range between six and five years. Ten years of making and playing the Oud.

Regarding what distinguishes the Damascene oud, Ali says: “Its features start from the shape of the instrument, the standards of its manufacture, and the sound that flows from it and carries the melodious character close to the heart that gives warmth, in addition to the decorations and mosaic inlays that distinguished Syria in general, and which the “Nahat” family helped implement.

Amani Farooj

Follow SANA's news on Telegram https://t.me/SyrianArabNewsAgency

Source: sena

All news articles on 2022-11-29

You may like

Life/Entertain 2024-03-06T04:15:40.536Z
Life/Entertain 2024-03-17T04:16:10.298Z

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.