The incredible 14-year-old self-taught violinist who fled Syria ...

... and joined Sydney Youth Orchestra

By: Helena Asprou, ClassicFM London

After a turbulent childhood in the midst of a war zone, young musician Aboud turns his life around using his incredible gift

For most 14-year-old Syrians living in Aleppo, life is a series of great challenges – but one young boy has managed to turn his luck around.

Born into a war zone, Aboud Kaplo is a self-taught violinist who originally used his talent to help him cope with his city’s ongoing conflict.

As the Syrian unrest escalated, Aboud and his family fled to Lebanon carrying only their essential belongings – including the boy’s rickety, child-sized violin.

While seeking refuge in Beirut, they met a musician from the University of Oxford who quickly realised Aboud’s skill and loaned him a restored, full-size violin from the university’s archives.

The musician was Susie Attwood, a former student and violinist at Oxford university, who had met Aboud while filming The Wait – a movie about Syriac Christian families waiting in a monastery in Lebanon in hope of receiving a visa for a new country.

Since then, life has become a very different story for the young performer…

Aboud Kaplo plays the violin. Picture: Amr Kokash

New strings – and new horizons

It’s not every day that you’re given a violin after a chance encounter – and the university’s donation to Aboud was extra special.

With more than 2,000 instruments dating from medieval times, Oxford’s Bate Collection is rather exceptional.

The violin they sent to Aboud, which is manufactured by German brand Wolff Brothers, is a 19th-century instrument with a heart-warming history.

Andy Lamb, the Collection’s manager, said: 'The moment I read about this lad’s situation, I realised that the Bate Collection and Faculty of Music could make some kind of positive contribution towards his quality of life.

“I immediately had an instrument in mind. It belonged to a former curator, Dr Hélène Larue, a very generous person, and I knew that if she had been confronted with this situation, she would have donated an instrument instantly.”

After receiving this exquisite gift, the teenage string enthusiast hasn’t been able to put his violin down and has now joined the Sydney Youth Orchestra.

Aboud Kaplo. Picture: Amr Kokash

From Aleppo to Sydney

Despite his lack of music education while living in Syria, Aboud’s passion and commitment for teaching himself the violin has led him to happier times.

Through sheer determination and a lot of YouTube tutorials, he has landed himself a scholarship with the prestigious Sydney Youth Orchestra and now lives in Australia with his family.

Since his arrival, Aboud has been receiving weekly violin lessons in the traditional Western Classical style to ensure that he can read well and play in orchestras or chamber ensembles.

Speaking to SBS News about the opportunity, Aboud said: "I love playing the violin because I can express myself; when I'm sad I play the violin… when I'm happy. Every time when I feel, I play the violin."

When Susie Attwood heard the news, she said: "I got a message from Aboud's mum with this picture of him in Sydney with a violin on his back – a selfie with his family in the background.

"It's amazing that this violin has travelled from Oxford to Lebanon and now all the way across to the other side of the world to Australia. He takes good care of it and I hope that he'll be able to take lessons soon and fulfil his dream."

Self-taught violinist. Picture: Amr Kokash

His father, Amanouel Kaplo, added: “I’m very proud, he has known his way since childhood, and he has always loved music.”

The orchestra is delighted to welcome Aboud and will be helping him to improve his technique even further by teaching him music theory.

The orchestra’s general manager Mia Patoulios commented: "He has this beautiful understanding of music and I think that's the thing that unites all our young people."

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"Access to music ...

... remains out of reach for the majority of children’ says Julian Lloyd Webber

Julian Lloyd Webber. Picture: Steve Thorne/Getty Images

By Elizabeth Davis, ClassicFM Londoon

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The principal of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire has spoken out against the decline in arts subjects in English schools

In an article in The Times, Julian Lloyd Webber has attacked the decline in arts subjects in England, saying:

“Access to music remains stubbornly out of reach for the vast majority of children from less privileged backgrounds.”

The cellist, who is now Principal of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, lays the blame with the EBacc.

“Since the introduction of the EBacc in 2010, the number of GCSEs taken in arts subjects has declined by 34 per cent,” he writes. “Yet judged by any rational criteria, removing arts subjects from the national curriculum makes no sense at all.”

The EBacc is a set of subjects, chosen by the Government and does not include music, drama or art. Many education professionals say it is driving the decline in arts subjects in schools, although the government has consistently denied this.

Many music teachers blame the EBacc for the decline in students taking the subject. Picture: Getty

In The Times, Julian Lloyd Webber goes on to point out that the music industry brings in £4.4 billion a year to the economy, but that there are other reasons the arts should be accessible for school children regardless of their background:

“On a practical level, many jobs will soon be lost to automation but jobs in the arts will be among the least affected. On a social level, all our children should have a right to experience music, not just the ones with parents who can afford to pay for expensive instruments and tuition.”

Julian Lloyd Webber@JLloydWebber

In today's @thetimes https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/too-many-children-are-denied-the-joy-of-classical-music-z98v3ntdv …
I await the response from @DamianHinds
We urgently need to find a solution!

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Too many children are denied the joy of classical music

A recent ministerial pronouncement, all but submerged in the Brexit quagmire, proclaimed that “universities must recruit more white working-class students” or “face sanctions”. Damian Hinds, the...

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He was writing in response to a recent statement by education secretary Damian Hinds that said universities could face sanctions if they didn’t recruit more white working-class students.

Lloyd Webber said: “Mr Hinds should be overseeing a co-ordinated government policy which allows access to the arts for all our children, from primary school through to higher education.”

What should your New Year's resolution be ...

... according to your instrument?

By ClassicFM London

508

It's that time of year again! In need of a resolution? Tell us what you play - we’ll take care of the rest.

Setting yourself a New Year's resolution can be tricky. How do you choose just one area for improvement for the whole year, especially when you're a musician with foibles all over the place?

Fear not - we're here to help. Simply tell us which instrument you play, and we'll give you the perfect self-improvement task for the coming 12 months. You're welcome.

Happy New Year 2019 - Frohes Neues Jahr 2019

All I want For Christmas Is You

A music theory analysis of Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’

By Kyle Macdonald, ClassicFM London

Ever wondered why the sound of Mariah’s melismas makes you feel all warm and fuzzy? Here’s a rigorous musical analysis of ‘All I Want For Christmas is You’ – and why it’s pretty much impossible to write a Christmas hit without sleigh bells.

Released in 1994, Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas is You’ has morphed into a seasonal pop-gospel classic. Let’s break down the musical magic.

Introduction

A 50 second-long intro really hooks in the listener. After some trademark Carey melismas on ‘true’, we get a classy rallentando which leads into a perfectly placed appoggiatura on ‘you’.

It might be long, but it creates suspense by the bucket load.

Orchestration

It’s a scientific fact that sleigh bells equal snow, winter and Christmas – and Mariah uses them aplenty. Straight out of Leroy Anderson’s 1948 hit ‘Sleigh Ride’, they’re an essential element of the song’s orchestration.

Tubular bells ring throughout, giving a nostalgic, ecclesiastical feel. There’s also a certain genius in the simplicity of the piano and drum layering, with simple but infectious fills every four bars to keep those toes tapping.

Harmony

The song is in G major, but the intro takes us through a G - B - C - E flat - D - Em - E flat - D - Am - D - G chord sequence, packing in a whole load of harmonic tension that will finally be released when we hit that first verse.

Slate magazine’s resident musicologist counts 13 distinct chords at work throughout the song, giving it a sumptuous chromaticism against those driving 4/4 sleigh bells.

Mariah Carey Performs During NBC's Pre-Tape Christmas Tree Lighting. Picture: Getty

A Christmas chord?

Time for a lesson in scrunchy harmonies, guys.

There’s a theory, put forward by Slate and later illustrated by Vox, which says the chord under ‘presents’ in the opening line – a scrunchy half diminished chord, or D minor 7 flat 5 to be exact – is what makes this song Christmassy.

It’s a deliciously appealing idea, a secret chord that injects a feeling of warm, festive spirit, like a home filled with the smell of cloves and mulled wine.

But not everyone is convinced. Over the centuries, many have tried to link notes and chords to characteristics, but in the end, it’s all in the ear of the listener.

That being said, a scrunchy chord does stand out in the harmonic texture. So, if a half diminished chord makes you feel Christmassy, let it make you feel Christmassy.

The vocals

A few months ago, we asked Classic FM presenter and legendary Baroque soprano Catherine Bott to share her thoughts on the iconic voice.

She said: “Mariah is brilliant because she takes that shouty voice higher in pitch than any classical singer that I’ve ever met. It’s really, really impressive.”

The real story behind 'Silent Night'

Who composed the carol, and what are the lyrics?

My Maddy Shaw Roberts, ClassicFM London

Simple but moving, ‘Silent Night’ is a perennial favourite among carollers. But who composed the carol, and what are the original lyrics?

The story goes that ‘Silent Night’ (originally ‘Stille Nacht’) was first performed on the evening of Christmas Eve in 1818.

Joseph Mohr, a young Catholic priest at St Nicholas Church, Oberndorf bei Salzburg in Austria, was in despair: the organ at his church had been incapacitated by mice, and the chances of fixing the instrument before the evening service were looking slim.

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But young Joseph had an idea. A few years before, he had written a rather beautiful poem called ‘Stille Nacht’. So, he asked Franz Xavez Gruber, a schoolmaster and organist in a nearby town, to set his six-stanza poem to music.

That night, the two men sang ‘Stille Nacht’ for the first time at the church’s Christmas Mass, while Mohr played guitar and the choir repeated the last two lines of each verse. Good thing they didn’t call an engineer…

St Nicholas Church, Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. Picture: Getty

What are the lyrics to ‘Silent Night’?

Some pop versions of the carol, such as Destiny’s Child’s (slightly odd) 2001 R&B rendition, use only the first verse of the original hymn.

But most hymn sheets and Carols for Choirs books use three verses, omitting Mohr’s original third, fourth and fifth stanzas.

Quiz: How well do you know your Christmas carols? >

Silent night, holy night!
All is calm, all is bright.
Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child.
Holy infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight.
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia,
Christ the Saviour is born!
Christ the Saviour is born

Silent night, holy night!
Son of God love’s pure light.
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth

'The Legend of Silent Night' 1968 Vienna Boys Choir. Picture: Getty

What are the original German lyrics to ‘Silent Night’?

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht
Alles schläft; einsam wacht
Nur das traute hochheilige Paar.
Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar,
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Hirten erst kundgemacht
Durch der Engel Halleluja,
Tönt es laut von fern und nah:
Christ, der Retter ist da!
Christ, der Retter ist da!

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Gottes Sohn, o wie lacht
Lieb’ aus deinem göttlichen Mund,
Da uns schlägt die rettende Stund’.
Christ, in deiner Geburt!
Christ, in deiner Geburt!

What are the lyrics to 'Hark! The Herald Angels Sing' ...

... and what's the story behind the carol?

By: Helena Asprou, ClassicFM London

It's one of the best-known pieces of Christmas music. Here’s everything you need to know about the timeless carol 'Hark! The Herald Angels Sing'.

The lyrics for ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’ were written by Methodist Charles Wesley in 1739. But the tune that's most familiar today was written by Felix Mendelssohn.

Since then, ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’ has become one of the most widely sung carols in the UK – and yet, many people are unaware of the fascinating story behind it.

This carol first appeared in the collection Hymns and Sacred Poems – but Charles Wesley's words were sung to a somewhat gloomy melody, rather than the joyous version we all know and love today.

Salisbury Cathedral Choristers Prepare For Christmas Services. Picture: Getty

What is ‘HARK! The Herald Angels Sing’ actually about?

The purpose of the carol was to explore the spiritual theme of ecotheology, linking Christ’s intention to redeem not only humankind, but nature as a whole.

The words ‘Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled’ in verse one, and ‘Light and life to all He brings, Ris'n with healing in His wings’ in verse three represent this contrast.

Are there other adaptations of this carol?

Wesley’s original words for the carol began with the lyrics: “Hark how all the Welkin rings, Glory to the King of Kings”, before being rewritten by George Whitefield in 1754 – to begin with the couplet we know today – and again in 1782, giving us the complete text we sing now.

The tune we know today was adapted by the English composer William H. Cummings from a melody in Felix Mendelssohn's 1840 choral cantata Festgesang.

Charles Wesley, 18th century English preacher and hymn writer. Picture: Getty

Today, the version of ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’ that we're familiar with generally stays true to the fine details of Cummings’ adaptation (particularly its harmonisation).

But over the years, composers have written descants for the final verse. Perhaps the most famous is the one written by Sir David Willcocks in 1961 for the annual Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King's College, Cambridge.

So, what are the words to the most recent version of this jubilant piece?

Lyrics to Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Hark! The herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled."
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies,
With th’angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem."
Hark! The herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Christ by highest heav'n adored,
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come,
Offspring of a Virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,
Hail the incarnate Deity,
Pleased as man with man to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Hark! The herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris'n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Hark! The herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Christmas music, carols and songs

Christmas music, carols and songs

Christmas without music would be unthinkable, and as carols and seasonal songs have evolved over hundreds of years, their melodies have come to evoke tranquillity and peace.

In medieval times, the word ‘carol’ referred to a round dance with musical accompaniment (‘carole’ in French). It later developed into a song form of verses and a refrain. 

Not all the original texts had Christmassy words but many were associated with Mary, Advent and Christmas. The term has since come to be applied to all Christmas songs, whether or not in carol form. 
Christmas Carols were introduced to formal church services by St. Francis of Assisi. 

‘One of the oldest printed English Christmas carols is the Boar's Head Carol, sung as the traditional dish is carried in on Christmas Day at Queen's College, Oxford; it was printed in 1521.’ (Oxford Dictionary of Music) 

Christmas carol fans will be pleased that they were not alive between 1649 and 1660, when Christmas carols were banned by Oliver Cromwell. He thought that worship should be solemn, and so Christmas was only celebrated in England by a simple service at that time. 

'Silent Night' was written in 1818 by Austrian priest Joseph Mohr. He was told the day before Christmas Eve that the church organ was broken and would not be repaired in time for the Christmas Eve service so he wrote a carol that could be sung by choir and guitar. The result - 'Stille Nacht'. 
English church musician W.H. Cummings adapted a theme from Mendelssohn’s choral work Festgesang for the Christmas carol Hark! the Herald Angels Sing. 

In a carol symphony, four movements are held together by one main carol and other carols are used for secondary themes. The first composer to write a carol symphony was Victor Hely-Hutchinson (1901-47), who was born in South Africa but lived in England for most of his life. His carol symphony begins with 'Adeste Fideles' followed by 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen', the 'Coventry Carol' and a touch of 'The First Nowell'. Finally, the symphony finishes with 'Here We Come A Wassailing' and 'Adeste Fideles'. (By ClassicFM London)