Artist Elham Abu Al-Saud … 60 years of creativity, honored in the Days of Culture

The godmother of children’s music and the first Syrian composer,  artist Elham Abu Al-Saud, who spent more than two-thirds of her ninety years writing and composing songs that bring joy and hope to children, was honored at the Opera House during the Ministry of Culture’s celebration of its 63rd founding anniversary.

Elham Abu Al-Saud began her artistic career from childhood by learning to play under the tuition of  her father, who was fond of music and good at playing and composing, so he taught her the rules of playing and notation. Her knowledge was further deepened and developed during her studies in Damascus primary and preparatory schools, to begin her journey in the world of music with the piano that she learned to play at the Dohat Al-Adab School.

Family responsibilities did not hinder her artistic ambition  and  her husband was of great help . She got her high school degree while she was the mother of a young child. She was sent to Egypt to study music at the Faculty of Music Education at Helwan University, where she was taught by the talented artist Ratiba El Hefny. She once played in the presence of the great musician Mohamed Abdel Wahhab, who was impressed by her  oud playing.

Upon her return to Syria, Elham worked with the Ministry of Education, where she actively contributed to supporting the promising talented  students. She composed dozens of songs and chants, and was one of the founders of the Solhi Al-Wadi Institute, where a group of the most successful, and distinguished Syrian musicians who enriched the national music scene graduated .

She has two hundred and seventy children’s songs. She chose the lyrics of her songs from the collections of Suleiman Al-Issa and other poets, seeking the simple words and light and graceful poetic meters.

She used to sit for hours and days at the piano until she got the desired melody, playing it to everyone around her and listening to their notes to take advantage of it.

The artist composed many of the guiding environmental songs that aim to teach children hygiene, morality, and love of the environment such as the song “My Clean Environment” , which combines singing with acting.

Elham Abu Saud has written 15 textbooks for various school levels, drawing on her experience in teaching in most Damascus schools as well as adopting the Austrian artist Carl Orff’s method of teaching music by playing.

Abu Al-Saud, who is the first Arab maestro to highlight the experiences of well-known composers in Syria and the world, has worked to present  musical studies and research at seminars and lectures in Syria and abroad. She was chosen to participate as an innovator at the Festival of Arab Women Creators in the Tunisian capital. In Algeria, she presented a paper on the types of Arab music composition, indicating that she enjoys presenting these researches to people in an encouraging and enjoyable way with clips of live singing and playing.

The artist believes that music has a great influence on children, especially when they listen to pieces of music that suit their ages, develop their taste, form their musical awareness and bring joy to their souls, as well as help them deepen their studies. Therefore, she was working to turn the music lesson into a space of fun, joy so that students love the lesson, and enjoy every minute of it.

In recognition of her outstanding role in spreading and supporting music and art throughout the Arab world, she received thirteen Arab awards and represented her country in a number of conferences in Tunisia, Egypt, Kuwait, Algeria, and Morocco. She has been honored at a number of conferences and festivals, the most important of which is the 23rd Arab Music Festival in Cairo.

Amal Farhat