Seminar explores history of Qatari military music

A seminar on Qatari military music was held at Katara Drama Theatre on Monday evening under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, represented by the Music Affairs Centre (MAC), in in co-operation with the Ministry of Defence and Qatar Armed Forces Band Regiment.
Major-General Salem Fahad al-Hababi, Commander of the Military Performances and Music Centre, was a key speaker at the symposium, which was moderated by MAC deputy director and poet Abdul Hameed al-Youssef.
The seminar is the first of its kind in Qatar and part of the Music Salon seminars presented by the MAC.
It was preceded by an open-air military parade at Katara, announcing the seminar with 50 brass musicians.
On the stage, there were 45 musicians who presented special military music melodies much to the delight of the audience.
The seminar was presented by journalist Abdul Hameed al-Youssef. Major-General al-Hababi reviewed the history of military music in Qatar, which was founded in early 1949.
"We started with the trumpet, which was used in military procedures such as gathering, leaving, raising the flag, lowering the flag and saluting the leader. The brass band, bagpipers and percussions were formed in 1954 to begin a new phase under the name of the 'Music Unit of the Armed Forces', and then it became the Qatar Armed Forces Band Regiment," he recalled. "The first and second bands were formed in 1982, and from 1998 to 2010 it became four integrated music bands, in addition to the Symphony Band Music School.”
Major-General al-Hababi continued: “The music school has a major role in the battalion, as it trains the soldier through a group of musical courses, on top of which is the foundational music course, which lasts for two years.
"There are also several courses such as the progressive course and the leadership of small bands, wherein the school trains the musician to perform at all kinds of ceremonies, including marches, waltzes, selections and common pieces.
"There is no doubt that the band regiment shoulders a great role, the most important of which is the Amiri Diwan ceremony to receive the guests of His Highness the Amir, the celebration of Qatar National Day, and the graduation of the Armed Forces' training colleges and institutes. It also contributes to the graduation ceremony of male and female students of Qatar University and Doha University for Science and Technology, the Scientific Excellence Day, and sports events in Qatar."
A regular soldier needs 8-10 years of training to be able to play the national anthems of different states and a range of selections of melodies, he added.
The speaker stressed that band regiment has participated in several international festivals in countries such as the US, France, the UAE, Oman, Italy, Germany, China, Russia and Bahrain.
"The band regiment won the admiration of people in those countries, especially with their Qatari melodies and Western instrumentals using bagpipes. We also saw the participation of the Armed Forces Symphony Orchestra in the 2022 World Cup. The orchestra has also been competing with orchestras from other countries in performing international instrumentals, and state officials have praised it."
The Armed Forces Band Regiment performed several melodies at intervals during the seminar and crowned the show with two popular songs, 'Oh Qatar, You Are the Life' and 'God, O My Life, Qatar', which won the admiration and enthusiasm of the spectators.
Maryam Yassin al-Hammadi, director of the Culture and Arts Department at the Ministry of Culture, and Khaled al-Salem, director of the MAC, honoured all those in charge of organising and implementing the seminar, both civilians and military, at the end of the event.