{{Short description|Syrian musician (1948–2014)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2026}} {{Infobox musical artist | background = person | native_name = ܝܘܣܦ ܡܠܟܝ | native_name_lang = syr | birth_date = 1948 | birth_place = Qamishli, Syria | death_date = 18 April 2014 | death_place = Sweden | genre = Assyrian folk-pop music | occupation = Musician, composer | years_active = 1968–2014 }}
'''Joseph Gergis Malke Khuri''' (sometimes '''Malki'''; {{Langx|syr|ܝܘܣܦ ܡܠܟܝ}}) (1948 – 18 April 2014) was a Syrian musician.{{Sfn|Zeitoune|2007|p=548}} Born to a family originally from Midyat, he studied music from an early age, beginning his career in the 1960s composing Assyrian songs. Later, he would move to Sweden where he founded the Assyrian National Federation and bring Sweden's Assyrian community together through music and dance.
Malke is considered to be one of the most well known Assyrian musicians, having a significant impact on the development of Assyrian folk-pop music in the 20th century. Throughout his career, he composed songs for various other Assyrian musicians, and argued for the right of Assyrians to make music.
== Early life and beginnings == Joseph Gergis Malke Khuri was born in the Syrian city of Qamishli in 1948,{{Sfn|Zeitoune|2007|p=548}} to a family originally from Midyat in southeastern Turkey.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Romanos |first=Hannibal |date=21 April 2014 |title=Musikern och kompositören Joseph Malke har gått bort |trans-title=Musician and composer Joseph Malke has passed away |url=https://huyada.com/musikern-och-kompositoren-joseph-malke-har-gatt-bort/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240814020610/https://huyada.com/musikern-och-kompositoren-joseph-malke-har-gatt-bort/ |archive-date=14 August 2024 |access-date=11 January 2026 |website=Huyada |language=sv-SE}}</ref> In his youth, he studied music with the Syriac Scout Band where he played the saxophone. He began studying music in the early 1960s under the direction of Hasan al-Turk, and played with a big brass band alongside other musicians; he would later continue to play saxophone with the same musicians under the direction of Gabriel Asaad.{{Sfn|Zeitoune|2007|p=548}}<ref name=":0" />
Around this time, music making among Assyrians was still considered taboo due to the belief that the Syriac language was sacred.{{Sfn|Lundberg|2009|p=166}} Malke and Abrohom Lahdo tried to convince some poets to write songs, but their efforts proved futile.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Syriac Music: History of the Syriac Folk music |url=http://www.syriacmusic.com/history.asp?menuid=mm&type=history&purpose=modernmusic |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328045954/http://www.syriacmusic.com/history.asp?menuid=mm&type=history&purpose=modernmusic |archive-date=28 March 2016 |access-date=11 January 2026 |website=www.syriacmusic.com}}</ref> In 1967, Malke composed his first song, "Rhimto d'leb" ({{Langx|syr|ܪܚܝܡܬܐ ܕܠܒܝ}}), which was written by Abrohom Lahdo and recorded by both Jalil Maiilo and Ninib Lahdo.<ref name=":0" /> In the same year, he composed the song "Grishla Idi" ({{Langx|syr|ܓܪܫ ܠܗ ܐܝܕܝ}}), written by Chabo Bahé in 1962.<ref name=":1" /> He would follow after by composing "Thet Lamfido" ({{Langx|syr|ܬܬ ܠܡܦܝܕܐ}}), written by Hanna Lahdo.{{Sfn|Zeitoune|2007|p=548}}
== Career == In 1968, Malke's professional career would begin when he moved to Damascus and played with the city's radio orchestra.{{Sfn|Zeitoune|2007|p=548}} While in Damascus, he worked professionally as a musician in night clubs.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Lundberg |first=Dan |title=Virtual Assyria: Expressive specialists |url=http://old.visarkiv.se/online/assyria/virtual_assyria_9expressive.html |access-date=11 January 2026 |website=old.visarkiv.se}}</ref> In the early 1970s, Malke studied to become a film director in Spain,<ref name=":2" /> where afterwards he migrated to Sweden in 1971.{{Sfn|Lundberg|1998|p=23}} During this time, he organized parties in cities where Assyrians lived such as Motala, Linköping, and Gothenburg.{{Sfn|Lundberg|2009|p=169}} Malke was also one of the founders of the Assyrian National Federation in Sweden, and utilized music to bring people together as many were abstinent to the idea of founding the Federation.<ref name=":2" /> In 1975, he founded the Babylon Music Group with Afram Asaad, George Sawma, and brothers Boutros and Simon Hadrouli; the group would play on Swedish national television in 1977.{{Sfn|Zeitoune|2007|p=548}}
Malke assisted with production of the first Swedish-Assyrian LP-disc, "Azzen Azzen" ({{Langx|syr|ܐܙܝܢ ܐܙܝܢ}}), sung by Ninib Lahdo.{{Sfn|Zeitoune|2007|p=548}}<ref name=":1" /> Throughout the 1980s, Malke would lead many of the musical initiatives in the Assyrian National Federation as its music director.<ref name=":0" /> He played and composed music for albums recorded by Sardanapal Asaad, Mona Betros, Fuad Ispir, and Jacob Melki.<ref name=":0" /> Over the years, Malki was also a music teacher,<ref name=":2" /> and taught students which included members of the Qenneshrin music group.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Baydono |first=Cay |date=October 1994 |title=Qenneshrin - ung, talangfull musikgrupp på uppåtgående |trans-title=Qenneshrin - young, talented music group on the rise |url=http://www.hujada.com/download.php?file=199 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729050551/http://www.hujada.com/download.php?file=199 |archive-date=29 July 2014 |access-date=11 January 2026 |website=www.hujada.com |publisher=Huyådå Magazine |page=20}}</ref>
Malke, much like his successor Gabriel Asaad, emphasized the importance of the Syriac Orthodox Church in the history of Assyrian music.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lundberg |first=Dan |title=Virtual Assyria: The liturgy of the Syrian churches - Svenskt visarkiv |url=http://old.visarkiv.se/online/assyria/virtual_assyria_6church.html |access-date=11 January 2026 |website=old.visarkiv.se}}</ref>{{Sfn|Lundberg|2009|p=166}} However, while Asaad emphasized influences from Western music, Malke insisted on using characteristics of Arabic and Turkish music due to their roots in the church.{{Sfn|Lundberg|1998|p=23}} In an interview from 1997, Malke stated:{{Sfn|Lundberg|2009|p=166}} <blockquote>We have a musical legacy which goes back to the time before the Turks. Our ancestors sang this music. So these maqams existed. We know that Mar Afrem the Great and Bar Daisan taught these maqams, these scales in the church music, to pupils in Antioch and in Edessa and Nsi bin (which is called Diyarbakir today) as early as the 11th century.</blockquote>In his later years, Malke began to collect nursery rhymes and set existing texts to music. He had previously released two children songs' cassettes in 1980 and 1983 with the Ishtar Music Group.{{Sfn|Zeitoune|2007|p=548}} One of his tunes, ''"''Alap Beth" ({{Langx|syr|ܐܠܦ ܒܝܬ}}), became a song sung by Juliana Jendo in her album ''The Flowers of Assyria''.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Lundberg |first=Dan |title=Virtual Assyria: Cyberland – Music Nationalism & the Internet |url=http://old.visarkiv.se/online/assyria/virtual_assyria_3cyberland.html |access-date=11 January 2026 |website=old.visarkiv.se}}</ref> In 2003, Malke produced a video cassette of children's songs which contained subtitles in Swedish.{{Sfn|Zeitoune|2007|p=548}}
Malke's songs have been sung by a range of different Assyrian musicians, including Fuad Ispir, Jalil Maiilo, Ninib Lahdo, Jacob Malki, Boutros Hadrouli, among others.{{Sfn|Zeitoune|2007|p=548}} He additionally composed a song performed by Juliana Jendo, "Laime du Football", in support of Assyriska FF.<ref name=":3" /> In 2007, Malke was honored by the Assyrian Democratic Organization during their 50th anniversary celebration in Sweden.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=31 August 2007 |title=Grattis ADO |trans-title=Congratulations ADO |url=https://huyada.com/grattis-ado/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240518061553/https://huyada.com/grattis-ado/ |archive-date=18 May 2024 |access-date=11 January 2026 |website=Huyada |language=sv-SE}}</ref> In 2009, Syriac Music held a concert in Södertälje paying tribute to Malke, featuring performances from Ninib Lahdo, Fuad Ispir, and Pascal Touma.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=24 November 2009 |title=Syriacmusic håller konsert i Södertälje |trans-title=Syriacmusic holds a concert in Södertälje |url=https://huyada.com/syriacmusic-haller-konsert-i-sodertalje/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128160911/https://huyada.com/syriacmusic-haller-konsert-i-sodertalje/ |archive-date=28 November 2023 |access-date=11 January 2026 |website=Huyada |language=sv-SE}}</ref>
== Death and legacy == Malke died on 18 April 2014, at aged 65, in Sweden.<ref name=":0" /> Later in June, a memorial concert for Malke was organized by various Assyrian associations in Sweden.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=8 June 2014 |title=Konsert och minnesstund |trans-title=Concert and memorial service |url=https://huyada.com/konsert-och-minnesstund/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623165901/https://huyada.com/konsert-och-minnesstund/ |archive-date=23 June 2021 |access-date=11 January 2026 |website=Huyada |language=sv-SE}}</ref>
Malke is considered to be one of the most well known Western Assyrian musicians alongside Nouri Iskandar and Habib Mousa,{{Sfn|Lundberg|1998|p=22}} as well as the first professional Assyrian musician in Sweden. Abboud Zeitoune writes that "Malke's contribution in the field of the Assyrian music sustained continuously from the early sunrise of the folk songs in second half of the 1960's until now."{{Sfn|Zeitoune|2007|p=548}} In an interview from 1997, Malke stated that if it were not for music, he would not have been able organize Assyrians in Sweden in the 1970s.{{Sfn|Lundberg|2009|p=160}}{{Sfn|Lundberg|1998|p=22}} In his career, he provided arguments for the Assyrians' right to music.{{Sfn|Lundberg|2009|p=166}}
== References == {{Reflist}}
== Bibliography == {{div col|colwidth=30em}} * {{Cite journal |last=Lundberg |first=Dan |date=1 December 1998 |title=Welcome to Assyria – your land on the Cyber Space: Music and the Internet in the establishment of a transnational Assyrian identity |journal=Etnomusikologian Vuosikirja |location=Finland |volume=10 |pages=13–28 |doi=10.23985/evk.101081 |doi-access=free}} * {{Cite book |last=Lundberg |first=Dan |url=https://www.transcript-open.de/pdf_chapter/9783839410745/9783839410745-009/9783839410745-009.pdf |title=Music in Motion |publisher=Transcript Verlag |year=2009 |isbn=978-3-8376-1074-1 |pages=153–172 |chapter=Translocal Communities: Music as an Identity Marker in the Assyrian Diaspora |doi=10.1515/9783839410745-009}} * {{Cite book |last=Zeitoune |first=Abboud |url=https://www.atour.com/library/finearts/images/20100526a-Music_Pearls_of_Beth-Nahrin-biography-sample.pdf |title=Music pearls of Beth-Nahrin: an Assyrian/Syriac discography |year=2007 |isbn=978-3931358099 |location=Wiesbaden, Germany |page=548}} {{div col end}}
== External links == * [https://qeenatha.com/artist/298 Qeenatha] * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joYKtkw5olw AssyriaTV, Concert and memorial service for Joseph Malke] * [https://www.assyriatv.org/2014/07/portratt-av-musikpersonligheten-joseph-malke/ AssyriaTV, Porträtt av musikpersonligheten Joseph Malke]
{{Assyrian musicians}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malke, Joseph}} Category:20th-century Syrian male singers Category:Syrian people of Assyrian descent Category:People from Qamishli Category:Syriac-language singers Category:21st-century Syrian male singers Category:Syriac Orthodox Christians Category:1948 births Category:2014 deaths