Fête de la Musique celebrated in Baghdad

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraq ‘s Department of Musical Arts on Tuesday celebrated the World Music Day in the Baghdad-based al-Shaab Club hall in tandem with the Iraqi National Music Committee and the Iraqi Musicians Union. The event, held annually in October, was addressed by Undersecretary of Culture Taher al-Hammoud who spoke about music’s relationship with the values of aesthetics and love. The celebration program, held under the aegis of the culture ministry, involved concerts by the Munir Band of the Oud (lute), the Dar al-Salam Band, which played indigenous Iraqi music, and the Dijla Quintet, which played Iraqi and Arabian music. The Fête de la Musique , also known as World Music Day, is a music festival taking place on, which is usually the summer solstice. The Fête de la Musique began in France and has since spread to over a hundred cities. The idea was first broached in 1976 by American musician Joel Cohen, then employed by the national French radio station France Musique . Cohen proposed an all-night music celebration at the moment of the summer solstice. The idea was taken up by French Music and Dance director Maurice Fleuret for Minister of Culture Jack Lang in 1981 and first took place in 1982. AmR (P) 1