A Commemoration of Halabja’s Tragedy

Mehrenegar Rostami has published an essay emphasizing the main motivation behind the creative collaboration of the Silk Road Ensemble's instrumentalists in one of their exceptional and extraordinary compositions known as "Silent City." In remembrance of Saddam Hussein's barbaric 1988 chemical attack on the Kurdish city of Halabja in Iraq, this musical masterpiece was created. The peaceful city was performed in 2005 for the "Silk Road Ensemble" by renowned Iranian kamancheh virtuoso Kayhan Kalhor.

Each member of the Silk Road Ensemble worked together musically for a specific reason. This composition functions as a case study to explain the fact that in their performance, the honor and memory of the sufferers of Halabja reveal the primary obligation to remember the incident as to promote and support justice as well as keep up the hopes high. Along with it this composition also raises the question that how the commemoration of the sufferers of Halabja and the memories of warfare and hostility are reflected and represented in music that integrates elements and rudiments of various musical traditions.

If we overview the whole composition and purpose of ‘Single City’ presented by Silk Road Ensemble then we not only observe its role in reminding us of that tragic incident in 1988 and aware us of its severity but also view its part in presenting a model of peace connections and cultivating sense of hospitality among different cultures.

The active and evident connection between politics and music, especially songs composed with a political expression as their main theme, has been observed in multiple cultures. It is a common fact that music markedly affects various political activities and services, but it has not yet been cleared that how much general public connect and apprehend music on a political level. With the passage of time, the level of violence and conflict around the world has shown a particular increment across the globe. When it comes to war, there are multiple types and forms of it, and they are going on around us almost in every part of the world.

Scholars and scientists are now greatly emphasizing on finding out the role of music in such conditions of war and conflict. Music plays an important and significant role not only during the events of conflicts but also after them. Music not only plays the role of awareness and highlighting the significance of traumatic or victorious events but also helps or makes people remember them. Ethnomusicologists like Svanibor Pettan and John H. McDowell who interpret music as a social process to understand and apprehend its meaning and its purpose also studies its role in commemoration of significant historical events.

According to Paul Ricoeur, a renowned French philosopher, music is more influential in bringing back memories rather than playing a part in supporting justice. He argues that memory is a specific process of remembering a particular event, person or process and when we claim that we remember it also means that we did not forget it. As Ricoeur says, “the shadowy underside of the bright region of memory, which binds us to what has passed before we remember it.” (Ibid., the lot. 349)

The memory contains both good and bad recollections of past and Ricoeur refers it to ‘good use of memory’ when you remember something good and ‘abuse of memory’ when you contain memories of the sufferings. The line that is drawn between proper use and misuse of memory is drawn by way of remembrance of the particular event. The main point is that memory is the only string by which we can connect past with the present. Ricoeur claims that there are certain risks associated with different kinds of memory. Therefore, we must appreciate the difference between conflictive portions of remembrance as well as also acknowledge the fundamental significance of historical knowledge.

‘Silent City’ is an attempt to take us back to the day in 1988 when in the early afternoon of a spring day there was an immense destruction in Halabja through a bombardment of damaging chemicals. It was only a couple of days before the Nowruz that is an Iranian and Kurdish ceremony for the celebration of New Year. Rostami tells us that she was only eight years old at that time and it was the time during Iraq-Iran war. She recalls that her father worked in association with an organization named “Médecins Sans Frontières” also known as “Doctors without Borders” immediately after the attack to support the victims.

After all these years, her father remembers that “I saw alleys with dead bodies, houses full of dead bodies, everywhere were dead bodies. I saw a father who had embraced a seven- or eight-year-old girl in his arm ... Both were dead lying in an alley.” (Personal communication with the author, September 17, 2013)

According to officials, almost 5,000 innocent people lost their lives along with approximately 9,000 severely injured people. But many people like my father, who witness that tragedy with their own eyes claim that destruction was much worse than these number. Chemical machinery had never been used on such a vast scale in human history before. (Hiltermann, A Poisonous Affair, 15.) One of the sufferers of that savage attack opened up in the Kurdish Online Newspaper and told his story as it was a lovely day of spring. Around 11 am, there was an explosion of artillery round in Halabja and bombs dropped off by planes start exploding everywhere. Bombing attention was majorly in the northern area. We, to save our lives, ran and hide in our basement and somehow survived.

Kalhor, the composer of the piece of Silent City, back in 2005 was asked by Harvard University to write down a music piece for ‘First Nights’ that was music appreciation class there. Belonging from Kurdish background and deeply affected inside from the tragic incident in Halabja, Kalhor dedicated his piece of Silent City to the sufferers and victims of that attack. The specific piece was composed and designed by four members of ‘The Silk Road Ensemble’ who also worked together after Silent City and created ‘String Quartet.' The piece had covered many paths before it attained its shape and position in the ‘Silent City.'

With the collaboration of some excellent musicians and their work, that particular piece was the longest one of the composition. This article also included the splendid work of musicians of Brooklyn Rider and Yo-Yo Ma. Silent City’s structure is derived from interactions of various cultures that mainly emerged from Silk Road Project of Yo-Yo Ma. Ma, the celebrated cellist of Chinese origin, describes Silk Road as an allegory or symbol for the purpose of sharing and learning across different disciplines, cultures and art forms. According to Ma, Silk Road represents the combination and connection of people of various origins of the world and their work together as one unit.

According to Kalhor, the essential composer of Silent City, a strong bond developed between him and musicians of Brooklyn Rider and this friendship and strong affiliation also helped and motivated them for their work in the Silent City composition. Silent City was the result of teamwork and attachment of some musicians, and they connected with each other mentally and emotionally during the formation of this piece which ultimately led to the formation of such a great piece of music. Because of this underlying emotional attachment and affiliation, the music of Silent City depicted high bond and connection of different cultures and their particular music together.

‘Silent City’ consists of four primary parts including first part of ‘introduction’ (group improvisation, led by Kalhor), second part of ‘Echoes’ (group improvisation, led by Colin Jacobsen and Kalhor); third part of ‘Chant’ for kamancheh (solo improvisation by Kalhor) and fourth part as the Composed Part (formed/co-arranged for the whole group by Kalhor and Lev Ljova). Silent City was not only the representative of Kurdish background because of Kalhor, but it represents two different and discrete musical backgrounds including Western Classical along with Iranian/Kurdish traditional music.

Kalhor applied two major styles in developing and making the Silent City. It includes improvisational and compositional styles. The part consists of impoverished styles created first and the largest part of the piece. It covers groups as well as a solo part. Kalhor portrayed an impoverished picture of all the movements and mentioned it in the Persian liner notes. These notes are written for the explanation of the Silent City. The other compositional styles are based on the other three parts or section of the piece of the Silent City.

These parts consist of signs, and that’s why these all are unique. If the musicians used these styles, then they have the opportunity to use it in their way, and they can interpret these sign into their style of interpretation. These forms, signs, and parts are distinguished because these all are the only elements that used to explained and described. These components are the ones which include tempo, rhythm, range and the other choices of combining are changing, and it depends on the musician who selects it and wants to play it in its styles and ways.

Kalhor explained in his interview in the year of 2011, when he talked about the Silent City, that the impoverished elements and styles are consists of some specific rules and regulations. But these rules and regulations are yet not certainly determined and confirmed. In his point of view, these undetermined patterns make it more interesting and intriguing. It gives the opportunity to the musicians that they can play them in their way and styles differently each time they used it.

In Kalhor’s opinion, the impoverished pattern and elements of the Silent City give an opportunity to its users to improve and enhance their imagination. The elements and patterns will not go well if the users and musicians do not use it in the way of improvisation. They should have the courage and bravery to do it in its unique way. Kalhor describes it in a metaphor of “picnic” in which he wants to show the contribution of the musicians in one piece of word. He used the word picnic because the beats and styles are music so different from each other. Like on a picnic party, someone likes to bring drinks, someone likes to bring eggs and sandwiches, some bring sports things to play, and it is just like that.

In the viewpoint of Colin Jacobsen, the Silent City’s impoverishment patterns and elements are similar to the musical landscape. The musical landscape refers to the Iranian model of music name Shur. He explains further that if some individual is painting something particularly a picture, then he needs the details because the details are the most important element in the picture painting. Later on, the individual further moves on and stay very deep in the moments and wants to create a musical landscape.

The relationship of cords in the Silent City is also unique. The musicians who are using the music and patterns of the Silent City are illustrating the musical scenery by performing in the way of scenery. The impoverishment is selected and chosen by the musicians, and they choose it because it gives them the opportunity to use and interact with the impoverishment patterns on their own. It is beautiful and unique because it is different from the other patterns and styles. It always gives a challenge to the musicians with different performances and styles. The impoverished style gives a different performance every time, so these performances are called mortification.

In the type and pattern of solo movement, the impoverishment the Iranian traditional music is not used always. The movements and styles are most performed in free or differing styles and linked with the Kalhor solo impoverishment styles and patterns. It includes the Iranian as well as Kurdish music. The instructions and guidance are based on the Kalhor designed and given instructions. It involves the scale, dynamic, and pitches of the music. It always started with the low pitch then it moves towards the high pitch. Then it changes with the beats and movements with the pitches. The players and musicians are allowed to play the patterns in their way and new pitches spontaneously. The changing of the pitches does not happened at the same time so it is played differently and simultaneously.

An orchestrated piece only symbolizes the patterns of the story which Kalhor told about the impoverished movements. According to Kalhor, musicians must hear each others’ performances for the sake of finding and achieving the particular regularity that is persistent in irregular sounds. He accentuates the importance of listening to the music and performance of ‘Silent City’ and realizing the significance of its role.

Kalhor also explicates the learning they received about group listening as he recalls that time when they learned to listen to each other with complete attention and capacity during their assemblage for the composition of Silk Road Ensemble. He explains that it is one of the essential things to adopt and practice for this piece as if a person does not pay attention to the performance of the person behind him, he would not be able to perform correctly.

Kalhor clarifies that the composition and performance of a specific piece are different as there is a group of four or five people playing it. It is different from the situation when a single person performs with something. During performing in a group, it is important to completely and attentively coordinate with one another otherwise it will not be music but only noise and bedlam. As he recalls the whole event and its preparation, Kalhor describes that he, at first, wrote only the composed movement. But when he assembled its instrumentation then he organized an opening part as well which will be then followed by composed movement.

As we listen to the whole part, the group creativeness and uniqueness can be observed in the composed part, and it was added by Lev Ljova as well. The primary purpose behind the compose movement was to indicate the sudden change and swing in lives of people. Kalhor clarified that after kamancheh plays the funeral song, there is a swift and gentle change that seems to arrive in life.

As the piece progresses and continues to advance, the orchestrated part represents the fact that how people possess the ambition and purpose to help and support each other. Because of this positivity and inspirations, life comes back to the barren land and souls of people reach back to their original place.

Silent City, along with its other significant points and associations, possess uniqueness in its mode. Dastgah-e sure formulates the basis or foundation of Silent City, and it is one of the most significant modes in the radio of traditional music in Iran. This particular model not only plays its role in the foundation of the piece but also forms its cultural basis and connections as well.

According to Kalhor, the mode of dastgah-e sure acquires certain importance because it persists in a variety of cultures and that is why it connects multiple cultures. He certainly utilizes an oratory that makes dastgah-e sure unique and momentous and its use as the basic foundation of the piece makes the composition more understanding, approachable, relatable and corresponding. The musicians acknowledge that this mode persists in almost all cultures and regions across the globe as it is present in North Africa as well as Muslim-inhabited areas of China.

The internal structure of short is greatly similar to the structure of A minor present in the classical music of the Western world. Only a slight change in its second-degree can transform it into A minor, and only if the musician plays the Kamancheh more sharply, the sound produces our mode of short. Sharper playing can lead the music from a mode of short to the mode of Kurdish maqams.

Another reason for using short as a priority in the piece of Silent City includes the fact that she is quite flexible and bending as compared to other available modes. It is one of the potent reasons why this mode was chosen, as a priority, to be chosen in the piece of Silent City as only by playing less or more sharply this mode can be transformed into music of different cultures. Along with this reason, it was more easy and adaptable for all the musicians of the Silent City especially the Brooklyn Riders.

Colin Jacobsen has mentioned that because of such reasons Silent City was a piece must easier to be played as compared to Kalhor’s other pieces or compositions being playing in collaboration with the Silk Road Ensemble. As we get to know more about the basics of Silent city, we realize that because of easy converging abilities of the mode of short it has better access to the audience belonging to various cultures and can communicate and convey its meaning to an extensive range of audiences.

The mode of short is considered as the mother of all patterns in radio in the traditional Iranian and Kurdish music. Not only this mode greatly communicates, but its ups and downs elevate and bring down the mood as well for the purpose of reminding the people of the incident of chemical attack in Halabja.

Works Cited

Eyerman, Ron. Qualitative Sociology, vol 25, no. 3, 2002, pp. 443-458. Springer Nature, doi:10.1023/a:1016042215533.

Mannheimer, Ernst. "Music And Politics". The Australian Quarterly, vol 21, no. 1, 1949, p. 97. JSTOR, doi:10.2307/20633134.

Manuel, Peter. "World Music And Activism Since The End Of History [Sic]". Music And Politics, XI, no. 1, 2017, University Of Michigan Library, doi:10.3998/mp.9460447.0011.101.

Rostami, Mehrenegar. "Silent City: A Commemoration Of Halabja’S Tragedy". Music And Politics, XI, no. 1, 2017, University Of Michigan Library, doi:10.3998/mp.9460447.0011.105.