By Obelit Yadgar
I first heard Rev. Samuel Khangaldy’s music at the 2009
Mesopotamian Nights production. It was the overture from the oratorio Gilgamesh and it was good stuff. The
overture, about 15 minutes or so long, uses long and luscious lines in the
tradition of the great symphonic poems by Tchaikovsky, Smetana, Liszt and
Sibelius. “Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us,” said Boris
Pasternak, and the Rev. Khangaldy’s music was such a gift.
I looked for the opportunity to chat with him about his
musical world. The Rev. Khangaldy’s music is showcased in this year’s
Mesopotamian Nights production with several compositions, so what better
opportunity for a conversation? Here are some of the things we chatted about on
the phone, since he lives in San Jose and I in Wisconsin.
Obelit: Your music is spotlighted in this
year’s production of Mesopotamian Nights program. Music by another
extraordinary Assyrian composer, George Somi, is also on tap this year. What’s
your assessment of this year’s overall production?
Samuel: I think this will be a new experience for
the audience by offering a completely different view of the choir combined with
the orchestra. Also, the arrangements by George Somi and others add to the
variety of the music. The different arrangements and musical styles, from
classical to pop, especially the nationalistic songs, will make for a really
exciting and wonderful evening.
Obelit: You had your first music lesson at age
eight. And here you are, decades later, your compositions performed everywhere.
Somewhere along in your life, did you have a sense of where you would be at
this stage in your artistic life?
Samuel: I could not imagine this day, but I
wanted to be a good composer. I liked classical music since I was a kid, and
even though my beginning lessons were in Persian pop music, I always listened
to classical radio.
Obelit: Music seems to permeate your life. What
is music to you?
Samuel: To
me, music is life, and as a Christian and a pastor, I believe salvation is the
greatest gift from God to us and I feel that music is second to that. Music is
the greatest gift from God after salvation.
Obelit: Are you a composer who writes Assyrian
music or an Assyrian who composes music? Do you see a difference, and if so,
which are you? Or does it make a difference in the artist’s life and work?
Samuel: I write music as an Assyrian, but
naturally I was influenced by the environment in which I grew up — with a taste
of Persian, Arabic, and definitely western classical music because it was my
life.
Obelit: Upon reflection, how do you assess your development as musician and composer?
Samuel: I am never content with what I am doing.
I like it, but I see that there is always room to be better and to develop. I
had good teachers and I learned a lot, but I’m never satisfied. I want my music
today to be different than it was last year, and the year before. I’m always
ready to learn more from different composers, past and present, and even the
great classical composers.
Obelit: You were born in Tehran and received a
degree in economics from the National University of Iran. At the same time you
were studying piano and music. Tehran Symphony Orchestra as well as the
National Iranian Radio and Television Orchestra performed your music. You
directed performances of choral works for the late Shah of Iran. Those are
major accomplishments. Did you have a set direction for your life at that time
or did you feel pulled in all directions by these distinctly different fields
of study?
Samuel: No, at the time I looked at these as just special events. I never thought that today I would be in this position, providing music for my community.
Obelit: At the time, then, we could say music
was just a sideline for you, whereas your main focus was on your economic
studies.
Samuel: Yes, at the time my focus was on a degree
in economics, but, at the same time, I was telling myself, “Why am I wasting my
time here? Why am I not studying music?” In those days, living in Iran, the
mindset was different. You became a doctor, an engineer, an architect, and
music was not thought of as highly as it is today. Yes, I was studying music on
the side, but now I wish I had studied music fulltime from childhood and
thought of it as my profession.
Obelit: If I remember, back then if you were
not a doctor, an engineer, an architect or someone with a tangible career, you
were nobody.
Samuel: Some people considered music as a good
hobby. Others said, “Well, we already have records to listen to and musicians
and singers, so why do you want to waste your time on music?” Some people did
not look at music as a respectable profession.
Obelit: As an Assyrian, did you face any obstacles,
artistic, social and political, in those early years?
Samuel: No, not really.
Obelit: So then many avenues were open to you
and that no one blocked your way.
Samuel: Actually I was respected, because I
served the church with my musical talent. I taught music to Assyrian children
as well as Persian. As a teacher, I was respected. As a Christian who served
the Lord with my music, I was respected. So altogether I was happy with what
was happening with my life.
Obelit: As a classically trained musician and composer, when writing and performing Assyrian music, do you feel the classical influence in your work? Are Bach and Beethoven looking over your shoulder? Is Mozart? Brahms? Tchaikovsky?
Samuel: I try to be myself, because everything I
do comes from my nature, from the depths of my feeling and my heart. But of
course, I cannot deny the presence of these composers in my life. I feel a
little bit of each in me.
Obelit: Do you feel drawn to a specific
composer from western classical music, or have a particular relationship, say,
with Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms or the other greats?
Samuel: I like Beethoven’s influence. I like the
rush, the intensity in his music. I like that kind of music — powerful and fast
and intense. When you listen to Beethoven, you know it’s different from the
other composers. On the other hand, I like the spirituality in Bach’s music,
and sometimes I show it in my music.
Obelit: What about some of the other great
composers?
Samuel: I like the poetry in Chopin. Sometimes
you can hear it in my piano compositions. I like the freedom in Camille
Saint-Saens. Even though he was French, he freely used African and Middle
Eastern melodies and themes in his music.
Obelit: Oh, yes, a good example is the fifth
piano concerto by Saint- Saens, titled “Egyptian.” One clearly hears those
themes in it. The Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra, titled “Africa,” in which
Saint-Saens uses Nubian themes and folk songs. He is a fascinating composer,
and I know what you mean by the freedom in his music.
Samuel: Yes, of course. I ask myself, “Why can’t
I do that?” Because I feel the same freedom to use melodies that are not
Assyrian — I mean in spirit. After all, music is the universal language and I
feel completely free to use whatever I want.
Obelit: What are your thoughts about Assyrian
music arranged and performed for western-style chamber ensembles and big
orchestras? Mesopotamian Nights productions have been a major force in
presenting Assyrian works in symphonic and operatic forms.
Samuel: I take that as a big step forward in
Assyrian music. One thing I know about Persian traditional music is that it’s
not developed because they think of it in simple arrangements. Now that
Assyrian composers are embracing the western style of music in broad terms, it
is opening new doors. I see that our music is so rich that our composers can
produce it in great orchestral works.
Obelit: I have read some sniping against
Assyrian music being arranged and orchestrated for western-style ensembles:
that this detracts from the “purity” of Assyrian music. I find the comments
absurd. What does “purity” mean? Does that mean we’re stuck forever with the zoorna and the davoola, that we have to limit ourselves to the musical instruments
of our forefathers, and that we are not creative enough, visionary enough to
explore other performance medium?
Samuel: In this year’s Mesopotamian Nights
program you will hear how beautifully Assyrian classical melodies are arranged
and orchestrated for a big symphony orchestra. George Somi does a beautiful job
by bringing in the zoorna and the davoola in the symphony orchestra. That
shows you that you can use simple Assyrian instruments in the big orchestra.
It’s world music and you can do anything you want without any obstacles and
nobody can limit you. It’s an unlimited musical world.
Obelit: You immigrated to the U.S., in 1984,
with your family and settled in San Jose, California. Later you received a
degree in theology from San Jose Christian College — later changed to William
Jessup University — and were ordained in 1996. Currently you’re the associate
pastor at the Assyrian Evangelical Church of San Jose and the Bay Area. Does
religion influence your music?
Samuel: Yes, of course.
Obelit: How so?
Samuel: I mentioned that to me music is the
greatest gift from God after salvation. I started with church music and as a
kid played piano in church. I look at God as a great musician and artist. If a
string on a wooden box creates music by vibration, that’s the nature God put in
that string and the wooden box. We hear music in birds and in nature. So, yes,
God is a great musician and He inspires me. God has given me musical talent and
I try to glorify Him with it.
Obelit: You’ve composed orchestral music,
choral, solo, especially for the piano, Gospel, Assyrian folk dances. Is there
a particular medium you prefer?
Samuel: I like the whole thing. Everything. Every
style. For instance, piano solo is the best way to express my feelings when I
am alone. I sit at the piano and my fingers run on the keys, creating something
I never thought to create. Music seems to come by itself without my thinking.
That’s internal feeling. It comes from deep within me. I cannot do that
immediately with the orchestra. The piano is the first and the best instrument
for me to express my internal feeling. And then, if necessary, I can transcribe
it for a big orchestra.
Obelit: Early on, in Iran, you switched from
the accordion to the piano. What compelled you to make the switch?
Samuel: I played according for three years and
pretended it was the piano — I would sit on the floor with the according
keyboard on my lap horizontally and play it like a piano. I was invited to play
the accordion in school many times, but I didn’t like to do that. So then when
my father suggested we sell the accordion and buy a piano, I could not be
happier and my answer was a big yes. We sold the according and bought a piano —
the only piano available in town.
Obelit: Do
you compose at the piano? Who was it, Stravinsky, who composed at the piano
standing up?
Samuel: Sometimes at the piano and sometimes on
the electronic keyboard. Sometimes, when I don’t have an instrument, while
driving or in bed, I hear the music and the instrument that can produce that
feeling better. For instance the oboe. Or should it be a violin or a trumpet?
Whatever instrument comes to mind and that I feel fits.
Obelit: Do you compose when time allows or
devote a regular time to it?
Samuel: No, I don’t have set hours to compose.
I’m a pastor and have to be available anytime that the church needs me, or
people need me. I also teach piano. I am occupied with so many things and I
have to make time for them. So I do music between jobs. I compose whenever time
allows, but mostly in late evening.
Obelit: Do you need inspiration to compose? Or
do you have a specific method to get the creative juices flowing? For instance,
Brahms said he got some of his best musical ideas while polishing his shoes in
the morning?
Samuel: I am in love with music, with life, with
my family and with nature. I’m also in love with my Assyrian heritage. I find
inspiration everywhere. There are moments when you can feel inspiration is more
dominant, but there is always something to inspire me.
Obelit: What role does Assyrian nationalism
play in your music?
Samuel: I love my nation and am proud to be an
Assyrian. I have always wanted to write music on Assyrian themes — Gilgamesh,
Ishtar going to the underworld, even the persecution of Assyrians during the
genocide. I love Assyrian mythology. I love the mythology from other nations,
as well, but Assyrian mythology has a special place in my heart and mind. The
Assyrian nationality and music have a special place in my life.
Obelit: Nationalism, love of our heritage as
Assyrians, runs in our blood. Wherever we go we’re Assyrians first. This
nationalism also is present in every bit of music we hear by Assyrian
composers. And rightly so, I might add. It’s been the case for just about all
our composers of the past. Do you find it so in our contemporary composers?
Samuel: Yes, I hear that in them.
Obelit: What is your assessment of our past
composers?
Samuel: Nobody can give everything, but each gave
something to our nation. Paulus Khofri gave something to Assyrians. So did
William Daniel. Nebu Issabey gave something that William Daniel didn’t. William
Daniel gave something that Nebu Issabey didn’t. We are fortunate to have had
these composers, and others, because each left us a musical treasure.
Obelit: I don’t mean to put you on the spot,
but what is your assessment of our contemporary composers?
Samuel: Prior to 2008, when Mesopotamian Nights
premiered, I could not imagine we had so many good composers and arrangers.
When these programs started, I realized how many talented musicians we have,
and they’re all awesome to me.
Obelit: Do you see any particularly bright
stars among our contemporary composers?
Samuel: It’s hard to answer that. But I see one
or two of them that can really shine in the future if supported by Assyrians. I
like George Somi.
Obelit: Yes, Somi is a remarkable young Assyrian
composer.
Samuel: Also
there is another composer and musician — Rasson Bet-Yonan. I have never met
him, but I have heard his music. When I heard his piano music and his
Variations on Assyrian Folk Music, I was amazed.
Obelit: I wrote the jacket notes for his CD
Theme and Variation in Four Movements. He really impressed me, too. A lot of
the Rachmaninoff in his music. It blends beautifully with Assyrian.
Samuel: Yes, he is really something.
Obelit: He and George Somi are bright stars.
Tell me, once upon a time Assyria dazzled the known world with its culture, art
and architecture. Perhaps even music. Do you see that, or even get a hint of
it, in us, the Assyrians of today? Will we dazzle the world with our serious
music?
Samuel: I don’t know. If it happens, it will be
in the far distance. Most nations have had centuries of musical heritage and
background. They have had great composers and millions of musical creations.
Assyrians are new in this particular world of music and have very little
experience. If I may say so, also little education compared to the great
composers of the past, and even contemporary musicians. We don’t even have
music performers — instrumentalists, I mean — to shine on an international
level. On the other hand, there is big competition in music around the world,
and there are politics involved. You have to show yourself among many musicians
from many countries. Reaching that level, when we will dazzle the world, would
be tough. I wish that happens someday, but I don’t see it in the near future.
Obelit: Upon reflecting on our music — of the
past, of today and of the future — where are we? Where have we been, where are
we, and where are we going?
Samuel: I think we are making good progress.
Yesterday we were better than fifty years ago. Today we are better than
yesterday. Our composers are growing at a great speed — many of them are active
and helping in Mesopotamian Nights. And there are a many more we don’t know
about. We now have so many more musicians than we did in the past, especially
educated musicians, that I see a bright future for our music. Yes, yes, today
we are much better compared to the past.
Obelit: What lies ahead for you? Are you
working on anything special, a big Assyrian symphony, an opera or a choral
piece?
Samuel: This year I was very involved with
Mesopotamian Nights. Two pieces in the program are my original melodies and
orchestrations, and the others pieces by other composers that I have
orchestrated. The big work that I started four years ago, Gilgamesh, I stopped that year. I want to start working on that
once again, if time allows, if God allows, and to leave a legacy behind.
Obelit: Any other compositions?
Samuel: I am working on two projects. One is some
piano music that I composed years ago that I want to publish. The other is
church songs, some sixty or seventy of them that I want to put in a different
book.
Obelit: Do you have a message for our artists,
young and old: writers, poets, composers, musicians, painters, dancers, and so
on?
Samuel: Art in general is a beautiful thing. It’s
a great gift to humanity. Everybody needs that, from the young to the old. Life
is not all work. Being sensitive with artistic feelings makes us more sensitive
to the needs of others, sharing more love and music so that we can understand
each other. Everybody needs that. So my message to Assyrian families is to
please encourage children to learn an instrument, not necessarily to become
musicians, but to at least be a friend of music and to understand music. Our
community needs to have that.
Obelit: You can add literature to that. And,
yes, poetry. Theatre. Art and sculpture. Dance. Opera. There is no limit to the
arts. You yourself are also a fine calligrapher. And a painter. Mostly in oils.
It’s easy to see the love of God and nature in your landscapes.
Samuel: If you as parents see that your children
have a special talent in music and writing and theatre and dance, encourage
them. We need that. Don’t force them to do the things that they don’t want to.
Assyrians have had great influence in history. Why not now?
Obelit: And perhaps out of all this we’ll see
future Assyrian composers.
Samuel: We can only hope and pray.
