First Yemeni Music House officially opens

Let the music begin, says al-Rowaishan.

A large crowd of artists, musicians, members of the diplomatic corps and other interested people gathered Saturday morning, March 18, in Sana’a at an opening ceremony for The Yemeni Music House. The Yemeni Music House is the first place to be dedicated to monitoring and documenting Yemeni popular songs for agriculture, labor, fishing—the songs of the fishers, nomads, pastoralists, and craftsmen, as well as the wedding songs. 

According to the Minister of Culture, Khaled al-Rowaishan, the ministry is also preparing to set up an institute for arts in Sana’a.  Such work comes in the framework of the ministry’s strategy to develop all the beautiful arts, to encourage the artistic talents of Yemenis, and improve the Yemeni artistic movement in general.  The ministry will also support all the inherited artistic forms of all Yemeni governorates. “The celebration of opening the Yemeni Music House is the first step to develop the Yemeni popular songs.

It is not impossible for the person to walk in outer space. Achieving any great work needs the strong will,” said al-Rowaishan.     The minister praises Fouad al-Sharjabi, the founder and director of the Yemeni Music House, for his rare courage to set up such house, and work to collect the Yemeni artistic heritage, and preserve it. “The music is an essential part in the Yemeni songs.

Al-Sharjabi can be the first one in entering such field, and he can provide a model for a great artist who cares and respects the music and art. Al-Sharjabi translates the human and spiritual meanings of the music on the real ground,” said al-Rowaishan. “I am proud to be standing in front of a select group of artists in such occasion. The house comes as a result of the young artist Fouad al-Sharjabi’s ideas and previous ambitions to establish such house, which he has wanted to do for a long time.

The moment to establish the Yemeni Music House comes to be in the real ground,” said Mohamed Atroush, an artist and the chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Yemeni Music House.  Al-Sharjabi expressed his pride in holding such a large number of artists at such a gathering, to participate in a ceremony to open this house.  The huge crowd reflects the noble qualities of interest in art and music, and those qualities reflect the beauty and purity to contribute and develop the Yemeni artistic heritage to reach to the world level, he said.

He also thanked al-Rowaishan’s efforts to support and attend the ceremony.  The ceremony also included a film on the history and objectives of the house, and the developmental history of music and its spiritual significance, as a thing that can cross the borders, centuries and cultures to reach to inside the human soul without problems. The opening ceremony also included a number of young people, who sang a song called “A message of peace” in three languages: Arabic, French and German.

At the end of the ceremony, gifts were distributed to the audience, including a cassette containing songs of the great popular singer, Abdul-Bassit Absi, and another CD-ROM with images and voice explaining the Yemeni Music House’s development, as well as music and the process of collecting and documenting the Yemeni inherited songs.

The American jazz group Alvin Atkinson and the Sound Merchants visited the Yemeni Music House in late February, to express their admiration for the house, and to hear some popular Yemeni  songs.  They also played a concert in Sana'a in Sunday, Feb 25. The concert was hosted by the US embassy and the Ministry of Culture. The concert was very well received by the large crowd.

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