Acclaimed Syrian qanun (hammered dulcimer) player Maya Youssef recently released a new album titled “Finding Home” that reached number one at the Transglobal World Music Chart in September 2022. We talked to Maya to learn more about her music.
What are your fondest musical memories?
The evening listening sessions with my father and my brother. Every evening, my father would play music to me and my brother. Every night we listened to something completely different from the other night. We listened to Miles Davis, Bach, Philip Glass and eclectic collaborations like classical musicians playing with Tibetan monks or African choirs doing their own version of J.S. Bach. We also listened to classical music, Arabic classical music, and everything in between. My brother and I would sometimes weave a story around the music and act it out, and sometimes we would listen quietly as we draw. I used to look forward to these listening sessions.
When did you become interested in playing the qanun? Who were your primary teachers or musical instructors?
I always sang and tapped since I was little. My parents signed me up to a music institute, where I studied music theory and rhythm for 2 years. When I was 8 years old, it was time to choose an instrument. My family bought me a violin, which I reluctantly agreed to learn. One day, I was heading towards the music institute with my mother and the taxi driver was playing a recording of an enchanting instrument that blew my mind. It was the qanun! I asked the taxi driver which instrument we were listening to and told him that I was determined to learn it. His reply shocked me, but it kindled a flame within me. He told me I was a girl and girls just don’t play qanun. This is a man’s instrument, he grinned, played only by men. He advised me to forget about it. I challenged him and said I will learn to play qanun . He laughed at me.
I went to my solfeggio class, and the head of the institute walked in and announced that qanun class was open for enrollment and that we can sign up. I immediately enrolled, with the full support of my parents, who then replaced the violin they had bought for me with a qanun which was 5 times my size.
The teachers that really shaped me as a musician are Salim Sawre, an amazing Syrian qanunist who worked with the giants of Arabic music like Um Kulthum. Ustaz Salim was instrumental in building my confidence, as I was very timid and used to get extreme performance anxiety. I must also acknowledge Ustaz Halil Karaduman. I couldn’t believe my eyes or ears that the qanun can be played so freely and so expressively. I owe that to him.
What do you consider as the essential elements of your music?
Feeling and intention. To me there is no point in having great technique if music can’t reach someone’s heart. And I say intention because music is my prayer in the world.
Is there something distinct about the Syrian style within Arabic classical music?
Absolutely! There is a reason why every single huge star in the golden era of Arabic music (Um Kulthum, Fairuz, Abdul Wahab…) had to go through the rite of passage of performing in front of the Sami’aa (music connoisseurs) of Aleppo. It’s because of how rich and deep the Syrian Classical tradition is. I could talk for days about this, but in a nutshell, It is one of the oldest classical traditions in the Arab world …just like old precious wine.
Do you also play folk songs?
You cannot help but play folk songs because of how popular and well-loved they are. Before I started writing, that’s most of what I did. Particularly when I was still studying at the high institute of music where I formed bands with my friends dedicated to the performance of folk and Classical Arabic music.
Did you leave Syria due to the civil war? How did this life-changing event affect your music style?
I left Syria way before the war started in 2007. Before the war started, I was actually considering going back to Syria, but the war stopped me. The war cracked me open. I needed to be able to cry, roar, dance and say whatever I wanted to say through the qanun. I was pushed to do it and felt I either do that or I will explode. I don’t think this would have happened had the war not started.
Were you able to bring your qanun or qanuns with you?
I was able to bring one qanun. It’s the same qanun I mostly perform and record with. My other qanuns are still in my home in Damascus.
Tell us about your new album, Finding Home, and the meaning of the title.
It’s about finding that feeling of home. Home to me changed from being a place to become a state. That perfect state of peace, healing and softness. That is home, and it manifests to each one of us in different ways. You can find home in nature, in the faces of kind people you never met, in the small things that being you joy. You can find home in humanity in your spiritually. Of course, Syria will always be my home, but I am now able to access a feeling of home in so many other ways.
Some musicians like to experiment with tunings, number of strings, and other modifications. Is there anything you have modified when you play the qanun?
I did not modify my instrument itself, but I am always in a state of discovery with my instrument where I find different textures, techniques to communicate the essence and the emotional charge of the piece I perform or compose.
Who makes your qanuns?
Before I left Syria in 2007, I commissioned master qanun maker Nabil Kassis to make an instrument just for me. He made it with the very best materials, and I received it just before I left Syria.
What advice would you give to up-and-coming young women or girls who are interested in making music outside the pop mainstream?
Just follow your unique voice, particularly if it is quirky and different. We need it. The inner (and hopefully) outer rewards will be beautiful and worth doing despite all odds.
You are part of an ancient tradition. Are you involved in efforts to educate younger generations?
I see teaching and passing the tradition to whoever loves it as a responsibility. Particularly because I have a knack for creating systems that explain complex concepts like the modal system (maqam) or improvisation (taqasim) to anyone, even if you don’t have any prior music knowledge.
If you could gather any musicians, or bands, to collaborate with, whom would that be?
My dream list changes from time to time, but this one is the ultimate one, and I don’t think it will ever change: Jan Garbarek.
What is the best way to buy your albums?
Here.
What new projects are you working on?
Earlier in the year, I was commissioned to write music for portable multi tired gardens that will be gifted to every single school in Scotland. The project is called Sonic Cubes of Perpetual light. I just finished remastering the 3-movement composition to release it next year. Now I am writing a commission by Leighton House Museum ; a gorgeous Damascene /Victorian house in the heat of London. The music is inspired by the architecture of the house. I will be mainly be writing in classical Arabic style which would be fun. I won’t be able to help add a contemporary twist, though. I will then premier the material in late autumn.
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More about Maya Youssef.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.