Although only recently recorded in Palestine, the songs in Ila Mata (Until When) have been long in the making. Marking the sixth production of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music (ESNCM), Until When was launched on October 15 in Ramallah and consists of a compilation of thirteen songs that were written and composed by Rima Nasir Tarazi and sung by Soprano Tania Tamari Nasir.

Tarazi and Nasir have been working closely together for many years. Not only are they sisters-in-law but they are also united in their passion for the arts and literature as well as in their concern for issues with a human dimension. All this is revealed in this beautifully produced hour-long CD, the songs of which comprise a unique documentation of the poignant resilience of a country and a people under occupation, the story of Palestine and the Palestinians.

The CD is accompanied by a booklet that contains the Arabic lyrics and their English translation as well as some information about the two artists and a personal testament to their experience.

Here are some excerpts from Rima’s notes about the special period in her life, in the aftermath of the 1967 Arab/Israeli war and the horrific occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and how it affected her music:

Soon every Palestinian home was to be touched by the brutality of the occupation. This led to a need to record my emotions in my own words and music as I stood to witness the unending suffering of my people. The first such song was the song of the Bird, which I wrote for the children of the Society of Inash el Usra and which I dedicated to Palestinian children on the occasion of the International Year of the Child in 1979. Later on, I embarked on writing more songs, which were inspired by courageous men and women in their struggle against oppression and injustice. Every time I sat at the piano to impart my pains, I would recall the warmth of hope and determination radiating from the eyes of the children I would encounter on my visitations to the families ravaged by loss of loved ones, homes, or vineyards, which uplifted my spirits and impelled me to end each of my songs on a hopeful note.

Writing about her own experience, Tania reminisces:

I can still remember that day, sometime in 1979 when Rima asked me, as she usually does each time she finishes composing a new song, to listen to the song of the Bird which she had just composed, a song for children she told me ... Listening to Rima play the music and murmur the words, I was captivated and could not run away from an instantaneous feeling of wanting to sing the song myself. Along the years, Rima and I worked on more songs that carry the same pathos and dreams. It was a unique musical experience for me, an experience that expressed my identity and in which I found my humanity, an experience that continues to this day to enrich me and infuse my life with joy and hope.

The CD is currently sold at the ESNCM in Ramallah, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem and also online at ESNCM’s website: www.birzeit.edu/music and www.PalestineOnlineStore.com. For more information on how to order the CD, please contact the ESNCM at 627-1711 or info@ncm.birzeit.edu.