Nouri Iskandar, an Assyrian composer, pioneer of classical Syrian music, and musicologist who wrote some of the most iconic Assyrian folk songs before fleeing Syria during its civil war, died on Christmas morning. He was 85.
“Malfono worked tirelessly to document our culture and to celebrate the continuity of ancient Assyrian heritage,” wrote Assyrian musician Lolita Emmanuel. “He showed the world the historically rooted contributions of indigenous Assyrians to the Middle Eastern musical landscape.”
Born in Deir ez-Zur, Syria, in 1938, Iskandar moved with his family to Aleppo at the age of three. There, he began taking music lessons and joined a local Syriac Orthodox band.
His passion for music led him to the University of Cairo in 1959, where he studied music and began composing Assyrian folk songs.
After returning to Syria in 1964, he used his training to establish Assyrian choirs and went on to write popular songs in the 1970s, including “O Habibo,” “Zliqi Frisi” and “Lo tehfukh.”
In 1972, he joined Aho Gabriel and Amanuel Salamon to found the Shamiram Folklore and Musical Group, the first ensemble to present singers performing publicly in both the eastern and western Assyrian dialects in the same concert.
The group performed annually at the UNESCO Palace in Beirut. In 1973, they took part in the first modern festival of Assyrian music in the city, presenting Assyrian folk songs alongside Lebanese musician Wadih El Safi. Iskandar later served as director of the Aleppo Music Conservatory.
He composed soundtracks for several Syrian films and television shows, including the series “Bab al-Hadeed” and the films “Public Relations” and “Guardians of Silence.”
In 1979, he wrote the score for the film “The Fifth Castle,” which won second place at the Damascus International Film Festival. His compositions also included the Syriac operetta Parqana and the famous classical song, “Solo Oud with String Trio.”
Deeply connected to the Syriac Orthodox Church, Iskandar notated and compiled more than 700 chants into a book called “Beth Gazo.”
Iskandar fled Aleppo in 2014 as Syria’s civil war intensified. He resettled in Sweden, where he lived until his death.
Listen to this concerto composed by Iskandar, taken from his album “Vision.”