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A video of a choir featuring Ottawa schoolchildren singing a traditional Muslim song as part of a Christmas season pageant has gone viral on the Internet.
As of late Sunday, nearly 700,000 people had looked at a YouTube posting of a massed choir of 285 children from Ottawa and Kingston’s French public schools performing “Tala’ al-Badru ‘Alayna,” an historical song that was apparently sung when the Prophet Mohammed sought refuge in Medina.
“We were certainly not expecting this kind of response when we did it,” Robert Filion, the choir director with De La Salle high school, said late Sunday. “It’s just tremendous, and we could not ask for anything more.”
Each year the school organizes a Christmas season pageant that brings in the choirs from 10 French public schools and one in Kingston for performances. For the first time this year, the event included music from the Muslim world.
“Each year we try to incorporate songs from different parts of the world,” said Filion. “We’ve done Hebrew songs, Catholic songs, songs from Germany and songs from Haiti. This year I wanted to include something from the Muslim world.”
It wasn’t easy. As Filion explained, Islam does not have the kind of choral tradition common to Christianity and, hence, there is “hardly any music in terms of choirs.”
A colleague of Filion’s, Laura Hawley, eventually found a traditional song that, with the inclusion of a melody, could be recast in a choral arrangement.
Filion and Hawley presented the material to local imams to make sure what they intended would be suitable. “We were very careful to find the right song,” he said. “We wanted to make sure what we were planning to do wouldn’t give offence.
Judging by the reaction to the YouTube video, it was the right call. No surprise, some are interpreting it as a symbolic “welcome to Canada” for the recently arrived refugees.
Filion, however, emphasized that the choice of the song had nothing to do with the Liberal government’s plans to bring in thousands of “refugees” from Syria. Indeed, the song and the pageant were planned long before the arrival of the migrants.
Nonetheless, the reception to the choir’s efforts has been largely positive.
“My entire family cried at seeing this … Canadian children sang an ancient Arabic song,” posted Mona Eltahawy.
“Such a beautiful gesture by the Canadians! Brought me to tears,” said someone identified as Humaa_K.
“Just to listen up to those kids singing I do have goose (bumps),” said Manseur Abdelkader.
“I’m crying,” JaneKa posted. “How can Canada be so amazing?”
Filion saw similar reactions among his audience, particularly the parents of the three Muslim girls in the choir. “The girls had no problem singing Ave Marie but they were delighted when we started to rehearse this song. They told me that it is one of the best known songs (in the Muslim world) and easy for children to learn.”
The parents were equally pleased. “We had some in tears.”
The lyrics are:
Oh the white moon rose over us
From the valley of Wada’
And we owe it to show gratefulness
Where the call is to Allah
Oh you, who were raised among us
Coming with a word to be obeyed
You have brought to this city nobleness,
Welcome best caller to God’s way
查看原文...
As of late Sunday, nearly 700,000 people had looked at a YouTube posting of a massed choir of 285 children from Ottawa and Kingston’s French public schools performing “Tala’ al-Badru ‘Alayna,” an historical song that was apparently sung when the Prophet Mohammed sought refuge in Medina.
“We were certainly not expecting this kind of response when we did it,” Robert Filion, the choir director with De La Salle high school, said late Sunday. “It’s just tremendous, and we could not ask for anything more.”
Each year the school organizes a Christmas season pageant that brings in the choirs from 10 French public schools and one in Kingston for performances. For the first time this year, the event included music from the Muslim world.
“Each year we try to incorporate songs from different parts of the world,” said Filion. “We’ve done Hebrew songs, Catholic songs, songs from Germany and songs from Haiti. This year I wanted to include something from the Muslim world.”
It wasn’t easy. As Filion explained, Islam does not have the kind of choral tradition common to Christianity and, hence, there is “hardly any music in terms of choirs.”
A colleague of Filion’s, Laura Hawley, eventually found a traditional song that, with the inclusion of a melody, could be recast in a choral arrangement.
Filion and Hawley presented the material to local imams to make sure what they intended would be suitable. “We were very careful to find the right song,” he said. “We wanted to make sure what we were planning to do wouldn’t give offence.
Judging by the reaction to the YouTube video, it was the right call. No surprise, some are interpreting it as a symbolic “welcome to Canada” for the recently arrived refugees.
Filion, however, emphasized that the choice of the song had nothing to do with the Liberal government’s plans to bring in thousands of “refugees” from Syria. Indeed, the song and the pageant were planned long before the arrival of the migrants.
Nonetheless, the reception to the choir’s efforts has been largely positive.
“My entire family cried at seeing this … Canadian children sang an ancient Arabic song,” posted Mona Eltahawy.
“Such a beautiful gesture by the Canadians! Brought me to tears,” said someone identified as Humaa_K.
“Just to listen up to those kids singing I do have goose (bumps),” said Manseur Abdelkader.
“I’m crying,” JaneKa posted. “How can Canada be so amazing?”
Filion saw similar reactions among his audience, particularly the parents of the three Muslim girls in the choir. “The girls had no problem singing Ave Marie but they were delighted when we started to rehearse this song. They told me that it is one of the best known songs (in the Muslim world) and easy for children to learn.”
The parents were equally pleased. “We had some in tears.”
The lyrics are:
Oh the white moon rose over us
From the valley of Wada’
And we owe it to show gratefulness
Where the call is to Allah
Oh you, who were raised among us
Coming with a word to be obeyed
You have brought to this city nobleness,
Welcome best caller to God’s way
查看原文...
