Let’s Play For Peace
Music Press Asia’s Weekly Playlist Series: See how environmentally conscious and musically in-tune companies come together to make music to promote peace and play for change.
Music Press Asia’s Weekly Playlist Series: See how environmentally conscious and musically in-tune companies come together to make music to promote peace and play for change.
Healing with sound is believed to date back to ancient Greece, when music was used in an attempt to cure mental disorders. Throughout history, music has been used to boost morale in military troops, help people work faster and more productively, and even ward off evil spirits by chanting.
Today we at Music Press Asia is boosting our playlist curation services focusing on promoting peace and hope. Via the editorial system, the curation of peace-making musical works highlights the importance of friendship and peaceful endeavors.
While there are many opinions waiting to be heard, we aim to get down to the real music and its effects in our modern-day world that coincides with developing technology in artificial intelligence and Web3.
There are many musical works that promote peace and cultural exchange, both in their composition and performance. Here are some examples.
PEACE THROUGH MUSIC: A Global Event for the Environment | 200+ Artists Unite to Save Our Planet
Join Playing For Change and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for Peace Through Music: A Global Event for the Environment. Playing for Change is a multimedia music project formed by Mark Johnson and Enzo Buono, began in 2004 with the dream to “inspire, connect and bring peace to the world through music.”
This online event seeks to unite the world in taking action for a sustainable future, advance progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). And amplify the voice of the most left behind, including Indigenous communities, whose knowledge and wisdom can help show us the way forward but is often unheard.
Featuring performances by Baaba Maal, Ben Harper, Black Pumas, Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi, Giovanni Hidalgo, Jack Johnson, Jake Shimabukuro, John Paul Jones, Keb’ Mo’, Lee Oskar, Liniker, Mickey Hart, Paula Fuga, Rhiannon Giddens, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Rosanne Cash, Sara Bareilles, Sikiru Adepoju, Slash, Stephen Perkins (Jane’s Addiction), Taj Mahal, The Lumineers, The Pocket Queen, Tony Kanal (No Doubt), Yusuf / Cat Stevens, Zakir Hussain and more. Narrated by Robbie Robertson and Sir David Attenborough.
Collaborators include Conservation International, American Rivers, REVERB, and the Playing For Change Foundation. Part of the funds raised will advance education programs led by the Playing For Change Foundation with the support of UNFPA to positively impact the lives and choices of adolescents and youth around the globe.
Watch the 1-hour performance on YouTube here.
HIROSHIMA PEACE SONG
In September 1949, “the A-bomb Reference Material Display Room” was established in the Hiroshima City Central Community Center. This was the start of the public display of atomic bomb materials.
Under the “Hiroshima Peace Memorial City Construction Law,” which was promulgated that year, the Peace Memorial Hall was opened in June 1955 and the Peace Memorial Museum in August 1955, in Peace Memorial Park.
In June 1994, to improve display and collection functions and provide more space for peace education, Peace Memorial Hall was renovated and integrated into the Peace Memorial Museum. The two facilities are now open as a renewed Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum on April 25, 2019.
Selected by Hiroshima City, ‘Hiroshima Peace Song’ is composed by Minoru Yamamoto and lyrics by Yoshio Shigezono. Lyrics below:
- Cloud is white, the fluttering place
The boundless Sky, from east to west
High up in Sky, Echo with peace song
The bell rings,The peaceful bells
Now our world, let’s wake up in peace
That bitter honor, to be peace here - Sea wave blue, Up and Down
The boundless Sea, from south to north
Far away sea, find out prayer
The bell rings, The peace bell
Now our world, Let’s overcome hardship
Towards the future, Look up the sky - How many wind, clean and bright
The boundless country, for the world wide
Put our heart into, Understand each other
The bell rings The peace bell
Now our World, Let’s reach out now
That reunion together, sing peace song
Listen to the Hiroshima Peace Song here.
Koolulam | One Day by Matisyahu
Koolulam is a social-musical initiative, meant to bring together people from any and all walks of life. Its idea? To simply stop everything for a few hours and just sing – together.
Original song: Matisyahu
Musical production and arrangement, vocal arrangement: Yaron Eigenstein
Lead conductor, vocal arrangement: Ben Yaffet
Second conductor, vocal arrangement: Lilach Krakauer
Guitar: Maor shvartzberg
Bass: Uri Pindek
Drums: Oded Levi
Qanoun: Yael Lavie
Second Pianist: Maayan Bar Sever
On-location recording engineer, mastering: Barak Yechezkeli
Mixing engineer: Yonatan Danino
PA engineer: Sela Waisblum
Hebrew translation: Koolulam crew
Arabic translation: Matan Serry
Listen to Koolulam here.
Imagine by John Lennon
“Imagine” is a song by British rock musician John Lennon from his 1971 album of the same name. The best-selling single of his solo career, the lyrics encourage listeners to imagine a world of peace, without materialism, without borders separating nations and without religion.
After “Imagine” was featured at the 2012 Summer Olympics, the song re-entered the UK Top 40, reaching number 18, and was presented as a theme song in the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics. Described as a piano ballad performed in the soft rock genre, the song is in the key of C major.
Listen to ‘Imagine’ here.
PEACE 4 UKRAINE
SHCHEDRYK – PEACE 4 UKRAINE is the song of the Peace 4 Ukraine project that has brought together artists from different countries to call for peace and a sustainable future.
Artists:
ALMA MLJAČ; vocal – Slovenia
MUSIC SCHOOL CHOIR 4, KRYVYI RIH – Ukraine
MARINA MÅRTENSSON; vocal – Sweden
MÁRIO LÚCIO SOUSA; vocal – Portugal, Cape Verde
KAITI GARBI; vocal – Greece
KARIN MENSAH; vocal – France, Senegal
VANESSA SULICS, JÁZMIN GRULYÓ, HANNA WACHTER & DÓRA ORBÁN; vocals – Hungary
PIERO MAZZOCCHETTI; vocal – Italy
SARA ŠPELEC; vocal – Slovenia
TINKARA KOVAČ; vocal, solo flute – Slovenia
FEDERICO GHIGO RENZULLI (of Litfiba); guitar – Italy
IAN ANDERSON (of Jethro Tull); solo flute & all other flute parts – United Kingdom
DOROTA MIŚKIEWICZ; vocal – Poland
MIŠO KONTREC; vocal – Roma Community
PETRA ANTOLIĆ; vocal – Croatia
TINKARA KOVAČ, MATIJA BOLČINA, MOJCA ŠTOKA MOYA & BOŠTJAN PERTINAČ; vocals – Slovenia
Marina Mårtensson was recorded by Janez Križaj @ Studio Metro, Ljubljana, Karin Mensah by Roberto Cetoli @ Accademia Recording Studio, Verona, the kids from Hungary by Tilen Sapač & Julija Fajhtinger @ Homeland Production, Murska Sobota, Sara Špelec & Tinkara Kovač by Jani Rednak @ Studio Burja, Sežana & Federico Ghigo Renzulli by Fabrizio Simoncioni Simoncia @ DPoT Recording Arts, Prato.
Mário Lúcio Sousa, Kaiti Garbi, Karin Mensah, Piero Mazzocchetti and Dorota Miśkiewicz appear courtesy of Numar Un label.
Listen to ‘SHCHEDRYK’ here.
FUNDRAISER: JAN BLOMQVIST AT PINK LAKE, UKRAINE
Premiered on July 1, 2022, this stream is to show Jan joining the fundraiser for the brave Ukrainians, to provide housing for refugee families with children. He asks for support by donating to the project.
The festival Jan played on Pink Lake in 2021 is now driving the ‘HUTIR’ humanitarian project. It aims to construct fast-built settlements to provide free and long-term housing for families with children in a safe region of Ukraine. When the war is over the settlements are to be converted into a rehab.
Over a hundred thousand families in Ukraine have lost their homes, including some people you see on in the stream. They moved to safer regions, and a lot live in refugee camps and common spaces, with little hope to come back to normal life.
Watch the stream and information to donate, here.
Other music related to peace-making efforts:
ORCHESTRAL WORKS
- Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony: This masterpiece is widely regarded as a symbol of universal brotherhood and joy, especially in its final movement, which features the famous Ode to Joy chorus. The lyrics are based on a poem by Friedrich Schiller that expresses a vision of human unity and harmony. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony has been performed in many occasions to celebrate peace and reconciliation, such as the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the end of apartheid in South Africa in 1994, and the 50th anniversary of the United Nations in 1995. Listen here: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 IV Ode To Joy. A performance by Yutaka Sado & Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.
- The European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO): This orchestra was founded in 1976 as a cultural ambassador of the European Union, bringing together young musicians from all member states to perform across Europe and beyond. The EUYO aims to foster a sense of European identity and diversity through music, as well as to promote dialogue and cooperation with other regions and cultures. The EUYO has collaborated with musicians from China, India, Brazil, South Africa, and the Middle East, among others. Their recent performance is a moving Elegy for Peace concert at Rome’s Palazzo Montecitorio.
- The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra’s India Tour: In 2014, this orchestra embarked on a three-stage tour across India, in partnership with the British Council, as part of the cultural programme of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. The tour involved a true cultural exchange between musicians from both traditions, featuring collaborations with Indian classical and folk artists, workshops with local students and teachers, and performances of new works by Indian and Scottish composers.
- The Greater Europe Peace Orchestra: This orchestra was created in 2016 by UNESCO as a platform for cultural cooperation and dialogue among young musicians from different countries of the European continent. The orchestra aims to promote peace and mutual understanding through music, as well as to showcase the diversity and richness of European musical heritage. The orchestra has performed in various venues and events, such as the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, the European Parliament in Brussels, and the World Forum for Democracy in Strasbourg.
Do you have similar music you’d like to share with us? Write to us at editorial@musicpressasia.com and share your views.
