Biography

By: Esha Emmanuel Tamras

Shlimon Bet-Shmuel was born on April 24th 1950 in the small village of Bet-Baidey, near the town of Amadia in the Sapna region in northern Mesopotamia (Iraq today).

At an early age Shlimon showed an interest in singing where he started chanting hymns and antiphonal (Alternation between two choirs) in the village church. The nature of the rich land and the deep rooted folk heritage mixed with ritual hymns had a strong influence in building up his talent at an early stage of life.

Aftre graduating from High School in 1970, Shlimon became an active member of the Assyrian Cultural Club in Baghdad where he made numerous stage performnce from 1970 and until he left the homland September 1973. Some of the memorable songs which he performed during this period were "Orkha D’Nineveh" or "The Road to Nineveh ", "Brata D’Oumtee" or "Daughter of my Nation", "Akkara" or "The Plowman" and more.

On August 2nd, 1973 during the celebration of the third anniversary of the Assyrian Cultural Club Shlimon performed an historical event when he sung his everlasting and epical work, the song of "Semelle" , to commemorate the August 1933 massacre of the Assyrian People in the village of Semelle near the town of "Mosul", Iraq. This song is considered to be his masterpiece and it is well known in the Assyrian communities worldwide.

Harrased by the Iraqi government authorities for his performance of his patriotic song of "Semelle"; also being identified as a nationalystic singer, lead him to seek refuge in neighboring Iran. While in Iran Shlimon studied Music and English Literature at the University of Tehran.

Bet-Shmuel's songs express the finest Assyrian spirit of a proud people longing for liberty who have become the foundation for a new Assyrian national school of musical composition.

An Assyrian Composer and song writer whose works have earned him the title of " Singer of the Assyrian Nation", most of Shlimon's work falls into two parts; Nationalistic and Folkloric. In the Nationalistic part it deserves mentioning a few well known and loved songs like "Semelle", "Akkara", "O’rkha D’Nineveh" and "Arba Ello".

The folk part, which has played an important role in Shlimon’s artistic life and continues to do so, includes songs such as "Brata D’Oumtee", "Ainakh Shittraney", " Ashurina" and "Tlula". It must also be mentioned here that Shlimon's efforts in combining romanticism with folkloric compositions has proven and displayed his artistic talent in writing short but strong and meaningful songs such as " Warda Dimmana" or "The Bleeding Rose and "Atra D’Yemee" or "My Motherland".

Semelle, Bet-Shmuel's first record was released in April 1st, 1974. This project was sponsored by the "Assyrian Council of Tehran". The following year another record "Orkha D’Nineveh' was released. Also during this time, Bet-Shmuel performed in two concerts as well as in a variety of Assyrian festivals and social activities including a performance in the city of "Urmia" in the summer of 1975 where he spent two weeks visiting the Assyrian villages around Urmia which inspired him to compose a new melody which resulted in a song titled "Ashurina".

In 1976 Shlimon Bet-Shmuel left Iran to the United States of America and settled in Chicago, Illinois. Here he released two record albums "Echo of Nineveh" in 1979 and "The Road to Nineveh" on August 7, 1983. In September of 1989 Bet-Shmuel released an audio tape entitled " Nahrain The Mother". Overall he has produced and released more than twenty well-arranged and well-orchestrated songs.

In 1993 Shlimon completed an historic and sentimental visit to the northern part of his beloved homeland. During this visit he payed homage to the burial grounds of recent Assyrian martyrs "Yousip Toma Zebari", "Francis Shabo", " Mikhael Lazar (Abu Naseer)", "Jameel Matte" and "Sheba Hamee". It deserves to be mentioned that Bet-Shmuel was the first visitor to do so.

Also during his visit to the homeland, Bet-Shmuel dedicated a beautiful folk song entitled "Zomeh O’Kozeh" to the Assyrian people of Iraq. The song expresses the feeling of deeply rooted practice of tending the flock by moving them up to the mountains in summer time and bringing them down to the low lands in winter time, racing with nature to catch the best green grass so they can produce the best milk). While in the village of "Sarsink" Shlemon met with shepherds and actually performed the song for them to see their reaction to a song that touches their own lives.

While in "Duhok" Shlimon delivered a lecture on the Assyrian Original Melodies at the "Assyrian Cultural Center" of Duhok. Also during this visit he was interviewed numerous times by the local newspapers, publications, radio and television programs organized by the "Assyrian Cultural Center" of Duhok and participated in the commemoration events of Assyrian Martyrs Day on August 7, 1993 Dohuk (Nohadra) where he delivered a speech and a poem entitled "Epic of Yousip Hubert- Youkhanan" Three Assyrian Martyrs. He visited Barwar, Sapna, Zakho, Mangeshe, Semelle, Aqqra, Erbil, Shaqlawa, and Diana regions and met with farmers, intellectuals, and students residing in those regions.

On April 14th. 1997 he gave a lecture on the Historical Influence of the Assyrian Music on Western Chants at the "Assyrian American Civic Club of Turlock, California". He was also invited by "Assyrian Cultural Center of Bet-Nahrain" in Ceres, California to participate in the commemoration of Assyrian Martyrs Day hosted on August 9, 1997 where he gave a speech on the Assyrian Martyrs and a lecture on the Historical Influence of the Assyrian music on western chants. Shlimon Bet-Shmuel's speech and lecture were received very well by the close to four hundred people attending this event.

During this same occasion Bet-Shmuel performed "Semelle", "Orkha D’Nenveh" and other songs while accompanied by Rev. Dr. Fereidoun Es-haq on the piano. The performance was very well recieved and and the audience requested an encore or " Orkha D’Nineveh". This was a remarkable performance coming after years of self imposed solitude to protest the status-quo of Assyrian art. The event was televised via Assyria Vision TV owned and operated by the "Assyrian Cultural Center of Bet-Nahrain" in Ceres, California to the local communities as well as over the internet.

Shlimon Bet-Shmuel accepted an invitation from the "Assyrian American National Federation" that hosted the annual Assyrian Convention and delivered the same lecture he delivered in April 1997 in California as mentioned in the above paragraphs. This event took place on August 30, 1997 in the city of Dearborn, Michigan where the 1997 convention was convened.

On November 23, 1997 the same lecture was delivered to the audience of the " United Assyrian Youth of Canada, Toronto". Currently Bet-Shmuel is busy working on new song projects as well as researching the history and origin of the Assyrian musical instruments and its contribution to mankind. Mr. Bet-Shmuel is planning to publish a book entitled "Musical Instruments in Ancient Mesopotamia".

In October of 1998 the United Assyrian Associations in Europe extened an invitaion to Bet-Shmuel to participate in various cultural activities for the club membership, his participated consisted of the following events.

• On October 22, 1998 Mr. Bet-Shmuel lectured at Ashur Association, Stockholm, Sweden on the Historical Invluence of the Assyrian Music on Western Chants, he also performed some of his songs accompanied by the Swedish pianist Anna Boghenheim. This event was part of an Assyrian Cultural Week activity that included other dignitaries such as Rev. Shmuel Dinkha of San Jose, California, Author Dr. Saadi El-Maleh of Montreal Canada, Writer Aprim Shapira of London England, Actor Sami Yago of London England, Nutritionist Dr. Mikhail Abdullah of Warsaw, Pland, Author Saleem Matar of Geneva, Switzerland, Anthropologist Dr. Mohammad El'Bander of Arhus, Denmark and Poet Mikhail Mammo from Sweden and others.
• On October 31, 1998 Mr. Bet-Shmuel delivered his lecture on the Historical Influence of the Assyrian Music on Western Chants, at Babylon Associaion, in Jonkoping, Sweden.
• On November 6, 1998 Mr. Bet-Shmuel delivered his lecture on the Historical Influence of the Assyrian Music on Western Chants, at Nineveh Club, in Arhus, Denmark
• On November 8, 1998 Mr. Bet-Shmuel delivered his lecture on the Historical Influence of the Assyrian Music on Western Chants, at Bet-Nahrain Association in Wiesbaden, Gernmany.

Early March 1999, Mr. Bet-Shmuel was invited by the Ashur Association of Stockhom, Sweden to give a concert and he performed on April 4, 1999 accompanied by a five piece Swedish orchestra.