The musical heritage of Syria reflects a living history and diverse cultures that transcend politics and current wars.

 Music in Syria is connected to the fabric of the place more than any other place, as Syria is famous for its rich musical heritage  and over thousands of years it has passed through religions  which  have contributed to the diversity of its music.

The Syrian musician Issa Fayyad devoted his   artistic career during  nearly half a century inside his homeland and abroad  to highlight Syrian heritage  and present Syrian identity in Western forums.

Fayyad, who was passionate about Arab and Syrian heritage, presented new experiences that adopted the merging of music and literary figures within a combination which he  called “Maghnat” ( singing).

He  told SANA  about his beginnings with the world of music when he was nine years when he received in 1972  “Al-Farabi”  Medal for Solo Singing from the Ministry of Education.

The musician Fayyad, who is a civil engineer , began  his own music experience when he founded  “Homs” band  for the Revival of Heritage in 1979, and conducted  it for years and performed original heritage music  by  the prominent  Syrian and Arab  musicians including  Abd al-Ghani al-Sheikh, Kamil Shambir, Omar al-Batsh, Bahjat Hassan and others.  “ Homs” band took part in a number of international activities  mainly  European Music Year Festival in Greece in 1985 .

Fayyad’s desire to delve into the depths of music made him travel to Iran in 1991 to learn there how to play  Persian instruments as well as all kinds  of music and singing to enrich his experience.

During the years  which Fayyad spent in the  expatriate,   homesickness remained in his  heart  and he expressed that by participating in many activities in Germany, Spain and France, through which he embodied  the musical identity of Syria. 

He joined  with his oud and  his music  the SOPF Orchestra in the German city of Magdeburg in a rare phenomenon through which the nostalgia of the oud was identified with Western instruments, and in 2015 he joined the Ottonen theater group and succeeded through this cooperation in  introducing Arab music to  the German theater.

Fayyad's artistic experience in the Western  countries  was also enshrined by  launching  in 2016  an Arabic band called “Oud”, .They participated in several German festivals and  he composed  through it a hymn in German that became sung at the annual Magdeburg festival.

Among Fayyad’s accomplishments in the expatriate community was  also his contribution with a group of Spanish artists  to establish  a musical project which  included a documentary film about music in Syria titled “Desert Air” and he formed a Syrian-Spanish band called “Orentus” Band.

The Syrian musician was awarded a number of certificates of appreciation and merit from a number of official and private artistic  bodies and institutions in Syria and abroad. He  pointed out that he follows-up via Internet  all artistic activities that are held in his motherland  which express  the level of the Syrian cadres graduated from the Faculty of Music Education at the University of “Al-Baath”  and their  great impact on the revival of artistic movement  and its position  locally and internationally.

“creativity in Syria  never ends .  Syrians  are distinguished  and  capable of restoring our country to its pioneering role in all fields of arts “ musician Fayyad concluded.

Rawaa Ghanam