| Our schedule today was thankfully more
relaxed. After breakfast, we headed to the NMC where we performed
yet another children's concert. We feel that we have left a lasting
impression on many young students in the last several days with our
performances and interactions with them. After the concert, many
students stopped by to chat with the musicians and asked questions.
This was the very first time students were bold enough to approach
us. It was such a privilege to learn about their music education and
social background. Jordan is truly a multi-national country. There
were many Iraqi and Egyptian students studying among the Jordanians.
Many students also asked how they can study the various instruments
they heard today. We were delighted to hear this question as it
tells us that we have succeeded in peaking their interest in music.
Speaking of multi-nationality, the FSO-Amman Symphony Orchestra is a
very diverse orchestra. In addition to the Jordanians, musicians
from Azerbaijan, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Russia, and Syria are also part
of the orchestra. This is probably as diverse of an orchestra as we
will ever get to play in our lifetime. The musicians were very
friendly and there was absolutely no hint of any political
displeasure toward us. We were united as musicians with only one
goal of making music.
This multi-national blessing is also a
curse. Different countries play with different tuning standards and
this is a challenge for intonation. FSO musicians have to tune
higher than the American standard of A440 in Jordan. In the simplest
explanation, the pitch standard is one of the most important
foundations in music. As an example, woodwind and brass instrument
makers customize their instruments differently for different target
markets. American musicians would need an instrument pitched for
A440, while our European counterpart would play on instrument pitched
ranging from A442 - A444 (depending on their country). Of course
this pitch value for the note 'A' (440) may be lower or even higher.
Adjustments to lower or increase this frequency are not impossible,
but not preferable. This is because forcing an instrument to play
differently from its target pitch frequency creates a whole host of
undesired problems ranging from deterioration of tone quality to
embouchure fatigue. In string instruments, increasing the frequency
standard requires additionally tightening of their strings. When new
strings are put on the instrument, they go through a period of
adjustment before 'settling' in. Once the strings have settled,
increasing the tension to raise the pitch standard results in
additional tension that could cause the instrument to malfunction.
It may be costly to repair. The over tightened string will also want
to return to its 'settled' position of the lower pitch. Regardless,
our musicians responded to this challenge professionally and are
adjusting accordingly.
After lunch at the NMC, we visited the
Roman Amphitheater and Hill of the Citadel (Jabal al-Qal'a) that is
located in the middle of Amman. It was a magnificent sight as we
roamed the ruins taking pictures. The Amphitheater rises tall into
the sky and some of our musicians braved the steep steps to climb to
the very top. We had hoped that our FSO-Amman Symphony Orchestra
concert could be performed at the Amphitheater, but due to logistics
reasons, it was not possible. It would have been an absolutely
amazing experience. The Citadel was located on top of the hill and
overlooked the downtown of the city of Amman. It was a spectacular
sight as we explored the area that is so full of history. One of our
musicians commented that it seems so wrong to be ‘stepping on
history’ so casually as we explore the site. After an exhaustive
hike on these two attractions, we returned to the Kings Academy for a
quick cleanup.
Our rehearsal began at 6:30 P.M., as
usual, and we rehearsed mainly the Dvorăk symphony. After the
rehearsal, Maestro Fakhouri took us to a local Jordanian hummus
restaurant. The food was unbelievably delicious. The Maestro
explained that this is one of the most famous hummus restaurants in
town. He even demonstrated the proper way to enjoy the hummus
Jordanian style! Of course no hummus dinner is complete without a
cup of Jordanian tea. The Jordanians enjoy their tea with sugar just
like us in the south! However they prefer them hot with a sprig of
fresh mint leaves for refreshing flavor. After a filling meal (full
of fiber!), we returned to the Academy for the evening, awaiting
anxiously for another eventful day in Jordan.
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 "Amphitheater ruins towering above us at the entrance" |
 "Amphitheater view from the middle of the ruins" |
 "Hercules Temple at the Citadel" |
 "View overlooking the city of Amman from the Citadel" |
 "A VERY delicious hummus meal after rehearsal" |
 "Maestro Fakhouri's other expertise... how to eat a hummus meal in Jordan!" |
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