Today’s
Enlightening Entertainment
will be presented
in Arabic and English,
with subtitles in Arabic,
Aulacese (Vietnamese),
Chinese, English,
French, German,
Indonesian, Japanese,
Korean, Malay,
Persian, Portuguese,
Russian, Spanish
and Thai.
Mr. Rahim AlHaj is known
as one of the few
finest oud musicians
of our time.
Born in Baghdad, Iraq,
the son of
a legendary oud maker,
he fell in love
with the instrument
at a young age.
With his remarkable talent
discovered early on,
Rahim AlHaj studied
with the renowned
oud artist Munir Bashir,
considered
worldwide to be
the greatest oud player
of the 20th century.
Rahim AlHaj has received
two Grammy Award
nominations for
his original performances
and is known for
his collaborations with
artists of various cultures.
Since 2000, he has lived
in the United States, and
through his fascinating
performances and stories,
has been sharing
the true Iraq
with audiences
around the world.
Mr. AlHaj describes
the music
of his homeland, Iraq.
When we make our music,
we make it really sad,
but it's very soulful.
And we make,
for example, songs,
we depend on the poetry,
where the poetry
is so important
to Arab country,
specifically in Iraq
where the poetry
is more important
than music itself.
So, they integrate
between the strong words
and spoken words
as a poetry,
and the same time
to compose the music
inside this song and
to make it more powerful.
So I would say Iraqi music,
in general, [is]
more soulful, sad music,
and also has hope.
If you think about it,
it has certain hope
when you listen to it,
and you think that,
"Oh, there's
some certain element
that makes Iraqi music
so specific and so unique
at the same time.
The oud is considered
the oldest stringed
instrument in the world.
It originated
5,000 years ago with
the Sumerian civilization
that flourished in
present-day southern Iraq.
It's called
"the grandfather" for
all the string instruments,
where the lute, you know,
lute – oud,
European lute, that's
what came from oud, and
sarod in India, -rod, oud.
Guitar, when the great
oud player,
when he immigrated
from Baghdad
to southern Spain.
And now it becomes
a more really
sophisticated instrument.
It's a classical music
and you can compose
in this instrument.
Mr. AlHaj explains
why the oud
has been considered
a sacred instrument in Iraq
since ancient times.
Iraqi music is so sacred;
it's so soulful,
because it has to
come with your heart.
It has to
come with your feeling
and deep feeling
at the same time.
Rahim AlHaj recalls
his tender childhood
in his hometown,
Baghdad, Iraq.
There are two teachers
in my life and
I think one of them, he is
the most famous oud player
in twentieth century,
Munir Bashir.
The first teacher when I
was in elementary school,
he wasn’t really
a musician,
he was an Arabic teacher,
but he knows
how to play the oud
and he finds me
that I’m in love
with this instrument.
And since
I was eight years old, and
he said you are musician.
And well,
I’m just imitating him.
He encouraged me a lot,
and I think
the best teacher to me
was my mom, because
she encouraged me a lot.
Mr. AlHaj also studied
at the Institute of Music
in Baghdad and
Mustunsariya University.
He now lives in
Albuquerque, New Mexico
where he teaches
Iraqi music
to American youth,
all while leading
a thriving career
as well as a composer
and performing artist.
Thus, Rahim AlHaj is
an ambassador of
the great Iraqi civilization,
past and present.
It's the cradle
of civilization.
Mesopotamia means
the old name of Iraq,
and it's still there.
I think Iraq is
a beautiful country,
and a great people, and
they deserve better than that.
They deserve
to live beautifully,
that the way they used to.
And we contribute
something beautiful
to this world, whatever is,
whether in science
or music or in art or
even humanity in general.
I told my audience,
look, I’m here
not to entertain you,
I’m here
to give you a message.
It’s a great message
to give you an invitation
to think about the world
and to make a difference
to this world.
I was a teacher
in Baghdad.
I was really
mean, mean teacher.
So I teach my students
anything to be a musician
and they don’t like it.
They need to sing, that’s it.
So, “No! You have to
have to play oud and
you have to play cello
and violin,”
something like that.
Anyway, and then I said,
“Of course, they are kids
they need to sing and
allowed to have fun, right.
So I composed this piece
for them called
“One Voice” because
when I went back in 2004,
I searched for them,
and they are 24, 24, 25.
Anyway, so,
“One Voice.”
When we return,
Iraqi oud virtuoso
and composer
Mr. Rahim AlHaj shares
about his newest project
collaborating with
international artists
to unify our world.
Please stay tuned
to Supreme Master
Television.
Welcome back to
Enlightening Entertainment.
As a composer,
Iraqi artist
Mr. Rahim AlHaj strives
to bring humankind
together through music.
In essence, he believes,
there is no distinction
of Eastern or Western
or other genres,
because music is
a universal language.
And that's
what I'm trying to explain
why there is no difference
in the music,
it's just the taste.
It's just how
you approach the music.
And you have
the same scale,
for example, you have
a minor and major.
So when I came to
United States for example,
I didn't speak English
at that time.
So I have instrument,
so then
I can write my music.
So I just write my music
and people
they can play it.
I don't need to talk.
So, the common things
between us as a globe,
is the music.
And I think
this is a great message
to the world.
If we have this common
things in the world,
why we fight each other?
Why we concentrate
on our differences
more than our
similarities, right?
We have the same music.
You have seven notes
and I have seven notes.
And let's share
whatever we have
to make the world
a better place to live.
When Mr. AlHaj’s
duet album with
famous Indian musician
Amjad Ali Khan
was released in 2009,
it was nominated for
a 2010 Grammy Award
in Best Traditional
World Music Recording.
Mr. AlHaj is not only
a master composer
for the oud, but skillfully
created whole new
harmonized pieces
for some of the world’s
greatest musicians.
I started to compose music
actually for concerto
for the orchestras
and string quartet,
within a Western
Classical musical,
we call it, right?
I find it so important to me
to write music to
let other West in general
to understand
where we came from.
I started to compose music
from different continent
of the world.
Chinese pipa
and with Liu Fang,
I compose music for her,
for African,
with Toumani Diabaté.
With native American,
with Robert Mirabal,
with Latin American,
with Santa Fe
Guitar Quartet.
I mean, every single things
in the world,
whether they’re
world renowned musicians,
I wrote music for them
with oud.
That's all we have.
It's the music,
it can unite us.
Before we are a musician,
we are a human being.
And you have to be
a good human being
before you will be
a musician or an artist.
Being an artist mean, you
have more responsibility
to serve this world
in better way,
to tell the truth.
So I think
mission of the musician
is to deliver the message
of peace and love
and compassion.
One, two, three, four
I think after nine years
being in the United States,
a lot of people
they became more familiar
with the oud.
And some are followers,
actually they follow me,
wherever I go,
to other concerts
here and there.
The same time, like I said,
it's the responsibility,
is to make the music
more accessible.
And that's what I'm doing
basically as a teacher
in my beloved home
in Albuquerque,
when I teach music theater
and ensemble.
Because,
they’re accustomed and
used to playing Beethoven
and Mozart and Schubert
and Bach right?
But now they play
something really different
from what they are used to.
Mr. AlHaj has visited
his homeland frequently.
He has used his music
as a voice for
the disadvantaged women
and children in Iraq
through benefit concerts.
First composition
I would like to play
is called the “Halum”
(Dream).
It’s about the desire
that we have to
touch our own truth.
And I composed this piece,
after having
a conversation with
my nephews and nieces,
and I told them:
“What are you dreaming
right now?”
They said:
“Well, go to school
and have electricity
and have clean water,
and be safe.”
And that's
how Iraq children,
unfortunately,
they are dreaming
just to have basics of life.
For them
to have a real life dream.
I’ve been receiving
probably hundred
of emails every day
from people
that are fans and friends
and they listen to me
and they say “Well,
thank you very much
for letting me understand
what’s going on
inside of Iraq.”
And that’s
what’s the great thing
about United States
people here.
American people,
they are beautiful people,
are wonderful people.
Finally, Mr. AlHaj
expresses his vision
for our world.
My vision to the world
will be just the globe,
and that’s my new record,
it’s called “Little Earth,”
and including
all the musicians
from seven continents
just to play music.
And some of them,
we didn’t speak
the same language,
but we speak
the one language,
is the music kind.
So I’m optimistic
the world will be
a great place to live and
we can love each other
and help each other
and make the place
wonderful to be
and concentrate again
on our familiarity
and similarities.
Let’s unite together.
Night’s last piece.
I think we have time,
or don’t we have time,
I don’t know.
So now, this piece
is called “Chant.”
(And to you be peace.)
“Chant.”
And I remember my mom
when I was little,
when the kids start crying,
and being annoying, so
she started Irish rhythm.
You know what, and then,
made up some song
“Habibi, my sweetheart”
to keep them quiet.
It’s for oud
and string quartet,
so I’m the oud;
you are the string quartet.
So when I say,
one, two, three, four,
one, two, three, four,
you’ll keep it the same.
Uh huh.
And when I say,
one, two, three, four,
you will end,
okay with four.
Let’s rehearse.
One, two, three, four.
One, two, three, four.
Perfect. Here you go.
Okay, now.
So one, two, three, four.
We sincerely thank
Mr. Rahim AlHaj
for bringing near
to our hearts the voices
and feelings of Iraq,
your beautiful country.
May Allah bless you in
your continued endeavors
to bring understanding,
caring, and peace
in our world.
Rahim AlHaj’s music
is available at
Thank you
gracious viewers
for your company today.
Please stay tuned
to Supreme Master
Television
for Words of Wisdom,
coming up next
after Noteworthy News.
May all your loving wishes
take flight.
The miracle story of
a New York, USA surgeon
who survived
a lightning strike…
I was standing
at the phone and I saw
this big flash of light
come out of the phone
and it hit me
right in the face.
I see my legs dissolve
and I can see that
I’m becoming
a floating energy ball
of some sort.
To find out about
one man’s extraordinary
near death experience
and the latent talents
it awakened within him,
please watch part one of
“Dr. Anthony D. Cicoria:
The Story of
One Profound
Near Death Experience”
Monday, June 14 on
Science and Spirituality.