In 2011 one of the worst humanitarian crises of our time began in Syria. The civil war in Syria has subsided and lost prominence in the last years in public discourse, particularly since the spotlight shifted to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Yet, the aftermath of the war is going to accompany Syria for years and decades to come.
I composed a piece entitled Aleppo in the Fall of 2016 with the intention of putting some of my feelings about the conflict into music. It was first performed in my Soul Searching recital and later recorded.
I recommend you listen to the piece before reading any further:
Aleppo is a meditation on the conflict in Syria. It begins with the guitar as a single voice, a voice that foresees conflict. For me, this is the situation prior to the war. Syria had some obvious problems which led to the Arab Spring protests. In my composition, this is demonstrated by the restlessness and melancholy of the initial melody.
It is not violent, but it is also not peaceful.
The piano, bass, and drums enter after the initial statement to provide the background for what would have been the initial protests in Syria. People were rising up and demanding change, but they did not want conflict and they were not expecting to be massacred by their own government.
Then, in an instant, things turn violent.
The government responds with guns and tanks to the protests, going against civilians in an effort to crush the demonstrations. While in the war this part lasted for years, I decided to make it not so long in my composition to show that while violence, war, and death are loud and tear our hearts away, ultimately it’s not what we should dwell upon. I also decided to compose a simple melody in the background of the conflict to show that life and love are always present even in the midst of the worst conflicts.
The longest part of my composition is actually the reflection that we ultimately need to make on the conflict. This is exemplified in the guitar, saxophone, and piano solos, the three of which acquire entirely different characters, reflecting different responses to the conflict.
I do not wish to force an interpretation of such responses upon the musicians or the listeners and so will leave that up to interpretation.
What is essential to recognize is that we are all called to respond to such atrocities in our own way, whether that is taking center stage in raising up our voices or being in the background, accompanying a public discourse that demands change.
Lastly, the composition ends with a question mark, which is the current situation in Syria. The conflict has all but ceased but what is next? Syria is still in a situation of utter destruction. The thousands of lives that have been lost will not come back. And we still have to face a world in which innocent children are killed for the ambition of a few, including in the still ongoing conflicts around the world.
If the music moves you, then please do something! Here are some concrete things you can do:
- Inform yourself about the conflict by simply googling “Syria” or “Syrian conflict.”
- Donate to Mercy Corps, an organization that has been working in Syria since 2008.
- Support the White Helmets, a group of unarmed volunteers in Syria who risk their lives to help anyone in need.
- Share this post and this composition to raise awareness about the conflict.
- Pray for the situation in Syria.
- If you’re an artist, use your art to promote change! And let me know if you want to collaborate. I’d love to incorporate some sort of visual art into this project.
This is just an initial list and there’s so much more that can be done! If you know of other concrete ways in which we can help please write it in the comments.
I profoundly thank the musicians in this recording:
Devon Murray – bass, engineer and mixing
Julian Dittmer – Piano
Samuel Gracida – guitar
Steven Sinclair – saxophone
Will Ash – drums
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