Walk in Beauty

Some of those suggestions are about those two musical categories already mentioned, but most are about introducing lots of other genres.

My ponderings are based on:

• My own cultural curiosity and the hope that some US listeners at the concerts in the White House may also be curious.
  
• Appreciation of cultural diversity.
  
• A strong conviction that all cultures should be met with an open mind for the idea that they may be worthy of respect.

I believe that the Obamas share these values. (And they really ought to, considering the multiculturalism - and multiracialness - of their own, extended family: Three continents, three religions, umpteen languages.) Consequently, my ideas might be interesting for them, although there is a rather limited likelihood that they will ever actually learn about them.

Let's have a look at those ideas.

Jazz

Of course the jazz concerts should mainly be with home-grown artists, for the very simple reason that USA is the home of jazz and always has had the most and the greatest jazz artists. But it might be a good idea to add some performers from elsewhere, like Brazil and Japan and India and South Africa and some Arabian and European countries.

Oh, and perhaps Cuba?

Chamber music: The composers

With chamber music it's a completely different story. USA has for decades had fine performers and composers in the tradition of European classical music, but Europe still is the mainland in this musical universe. The dominance of Europeans is nearly total among significant composers of chamber music, so this is a field where the Obamas should mostly look across the Atlantic Ocean for the music
For the simple sake of quality, it may be a good idea for the concert arrangers to focus rather much on the core repertoire of chamber music, including such masters as Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Johannes Brahms, Antonín Dvořák, Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel and Béla Bartók. But they should also show some adventurousness in their choice of composers, perhaps including a nod or two to some countries that are not high on the radar in the world of classical music.

There is one large European country that, for political reasons, might be relevant to focus especially on: Russia.

Playing Russian music of high quality in the White House would be a fine method for reaching out a hand to Russians in a simple and completely un-dangerous way that would also be musically warranted. The shamelessly emotional piano trio of Tchaikovsky is among the greatest masterpieces of its genre, and so are the string quartets of Shostakovich. Among other highly recommendable works are the string quartets of Borodin and Prokofiev, the string quartet and the piano trio by Anton Arensky and the piano trios by Sergei Taneyev, Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich.

Another interesting angle is those composers who, in one way or another, were victims of the Nazi regime:

• The fugitives, like Arnold Schönberg and Paul Hindemith.
  
• Those Jewish composers who perished in the Nazi concentration camps, like Viktor Ullmann, Gideon Klein and Hans Krása.
  
• Olivier Messiaen, who was a prisoner of war.

Some of those people wrote excellent chamber music. And some of that music was actually written in the camps, and even performed there. Concerts with such music would be a relevant reminder of the ability of artistic creativity to prevail through persecution.

The two world wars and the dictatorships in between them and after them formed present day Europe in a way and to a degree, that may be very difficult for Americans to comprehend. Even if the music should primarily be heard for its own sake, it may also – when put into context - serve as one of several tools to help gain a better understanding of Europe. It seems to me that average Americans have hugely distorted views of the continent from where most of their ancestors came.

Chamber music: The performers

As for the performing musicians, I think it should be a mix of American and foreign artists. There would be a point in inviting high quality ensembles from a broad selection of countries, but there would also be a point in letting American musicians, perhaps young talents rather than established world stars, show what they can do with an imported art form.

It should also be remembered, that there are other places to find great performers of European classical music than in Europe and USA. Canada and Australia and New Zealand have their share, though I believe that the greatest talents from especially New Zealand tend to move to larger and richer pastures. Latin America has many. And among countries with non-European cultural roots, Japan and South Korea stand out with some excellent musicians.

Other genres

My main reason for writing this piece is not about the musical genres that are already known to be represented in the planning. It's about taking a truly multicultural approach and play music of high quality from traditions throughout the world. And, in doing so, reaching out to many cultures in a way that would certainly not go unnoticed.

The way I see it, it is urgently important for the new US president to signal cultural openness in a multitude of ways, also including an attempt to present genuine and high quality examples of foreign cultures in the White House.

He has already signaled a general cultural openness, and his entire background is actually an example of it. This open and humble attitude to the world is one very important reason why US chauvinists were so much against his election. They want US imperialism, also including cultural imperialism, to triumph. They want to be able to see their nation as superior and the rest of us to acknowledge our inferiority.

But Barack Obama won and now he should try to make some further steps toward integrating USA in the world. The choice of music played in the White House may be a very significant tool.

Qawwal and ghazal from Pakistan (and perhaps India)

Pakistan is obviously, and for a long string of reasons, one of those countries that are extremely important in US foreign policy. What is interesting in this context is, that it also has one of the oldest and richest musical heritages in the world.

I think it would be a good idea to invite some singers of Muslim spiritual songs like qawwal or ghazal, from Pakistan. (Or, for that matter, India, which still has a huge minority of Muslims.) It would expose the American audience to profoundly spiritual music of great beauty. Atheists and Christian fundamentalists and some Jews and Hindus might hate the entire idea, but it would send a tremendously positive message of cultural openness and of respect to Pakistan and to Muslims throughout the world.

It would also stress the message that Barack Obama already has sent to US Muslims in his inauguration speech: That their religion is accepted as a part of the American cultural tapestry.

Afghan traditional music

I know almost nothing about this music, but I have heard some of it and it is deeply fascinating.
Inviting musicians from Afghanistan to play in the White House would signal to Afghanis that USA are not just in their country to fight an imperialistic war and enforce "western values" on them. It might, however, endanger the musicians who could be seen as traitors by some in this tribally fractioned country. Barack Obama would need to tread cautiously here.

Iranian traditional music

An ancient cultural heritage that I know very little about. But some of what I have heard, contains a beauty that I have no difficulties whatsoever in appreciating.

It may prove very difficult for Obama to get Iranian citizens to USA. And exiled musicians may have the wrong kind of political signal value. But it's worth a try. There is high musical quality and refreshing cultural impulses to serve for a White House audience. And there is a possibility of sending an encouraging message to the people of an ancient and proud nation.

Arabian traditional music

This is a huge and diverse category. Arabic speaking nations stretch from Morocco to Iraq to Yemen. And they include countries with cultures that reach back millennia before the emergence of Islam and the spread of the Arabic language.

From a strictly political point of view, the most interesting musicians to present at concerts in the White House are from Iraq and Palestine. But any musician from the region would add political signal value to a concert.

Much of the music is of a religious nature, mostly Muslim but in some cases Christian. (The liturgical music of the Lebanese Maronites might be an interesting idea for a concert.)

Klezmer, a Jewish music

I think this is the place to remind about the existence of a genuinely Jewish musical tradition. One element of that tradition is klezmer, the eclectic music of the Jewish communities in eastern Europe. Those communities may now have mostly disappeared, but the music lives on. USA has some excellent performers, but there may be a point in inviting musicians from some of those European countries where Jews were severely persecuted in earlier times. (And not only during the Second World War, but also in pogroms before that.)

Klezmer concerts in the White House on equal terms with music from other cultures might serve to remind us all that Jews are part of the international community.

Music from the former Soviet republics

There is a wide range of music from those countries that used to be part of the Soviet Union, and it would be politically and culturally relevant to play a broad selection of it for a White House audience.

I have already mentioned some Russian classical composers, and the vast country also has a rich heritage of folk music, including gypsy music and other music by people who are not Russians, with Tuvan throatsong perhaps being most exciting of all.

Georgian traditional music might remind the audience that Georgia is more than just the birthplace of Stalin and a country that has been at war with Russia and their own national minorities.

Estonia and Ukraine have some excellent choirs.

There is, of course, much more to say, but this will have to do for now.

Music from what used to be Yugoslavia

The chaotic and violent way in which Yugoslavia broke up into its parts was easily the most tragic and freakishly insane and morally perverted process in Europe since World War II. USA also became directly involved.

Music might be a help in the healing process, and the Obamas might assist here through concerts in the White House. Part of the problem in the area seems to be that so many different cultures are so closely intermingled. But this is also a richness. If some of the rich heritage of music gains a higher international profile, we may all benefit.

Music from Latin America

I may be wrong, but I get the impression that USA during the Bush/Cheney regime managed to develop strained relationships with almost all countries in Latin America. And once again concert activity in the White House may be one of the tools to help building a mutual respect and trust.
Imagine some Chilean nueva canción ensemble singing El pueblo unido or songs by Víctor Jara in Washington. Well, that may be a bit above the mark, but what about, after a thawing of the relationship, Cuban musicians playing salsa and son?

Or, much less controversially, imagine Andean folk music, Brazilian samba and bossa nova and Argentine tango being played.

More?

Oh yes, there is much more. I could go on, but I will need to stop somewhere. Just a few more suggestions, in a shorter form:

• Flamenco
  
• Fado
  
• Nordic folk music. With hardingfele, nyckelharpa, kantele and Sami joik.
  
• Indian classical music.
  
• The huge range of African music. Perhaps with a focus on those areas where the American slaves came from.
  
• Gypsy music in general.
  
• Turkish music.
  
• Those wonderful female Bulgarian choirs.
  
• Tibetan monks. (Might be disapproved by China.)
  
• Chinese traditional music.
  
• Balinese gamelan.

Whatever music is chosen, I wish that the listeners at the White House concerts will be having a good and enriching time. And may God guide the steps of the Obamas. (It does not happen so very often that I use the G-word, but I decided that this was an appropriate time to do so.)

Oh, and I almost forgot:

"World Music"? World music?

Some people, in an act of profound ignorance combined with profound disrespect, bundle hundreds of unrelated and incredibly diverse musical genres from the entire world together in one large heap and call it ”world music”. This practice is very common at musical communities like last.fm, and it also shows in the genre options in a media player like Apple's Itunes. It says absolutely nothing about the music and only serves to characterize the people who name it like that.

But there is an increasingly common musical practice which fuses musical influences from several cultures. In this case ”world music” is actually a relevant term which shows respect for the music.