Mustafa al-Kurd

Mustafa al-Kurd was a prominent Palestinian musician, composer, and actor. While deeply rooted in his native Jerusalem, he blended widely diverse musical traditions, including classical Arabic oud music, Sufi chants, Byzantine singing, European organ music, and Palestinian folklore. In so doing, he created a unique genre of contemporary Palestinian political revolutionary music that “laid the foundation of the nationalist song” and earned him the moniker of “Voice of Palestine.”

Mustafa al-Kurd was born on December 20, 1945, in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem. He spent much of his childhood in the Old City; his family-owned property in Hosh al-Bustami (also known as al-Tahhan courtyard) close to Bab al-Silsila.

His father had worked hard to build a house outside the Old City walls in al-Baq‘a, a New City neighborhood that later became part of West Jerusalem, but like tens of thousands of Palestinians, the family lost their house after the 1948 War (see The West Side Story). They lived temporarily in Jericho before returning to Jerusalem in 1951.

Al-Kurd retained vivid memories of his Jerusalem childhood. He went to al-‘Umariyya School, one of the oldest schools in the city, located in the northern corridor of al-Aqsa Mosque.

In 1958, when he was barely 13 years old, al-Kurd’s father passed away. The eldest of five children, al-Kurd had to bear the responsibility of supporting his mother and siblings. He quit school and found employment as a metalworker for a little over 10 years.

Already in those days, al-Kurd was known for his extraordinary musical ear and singing. An appreciation for music seems to have run in his family: His mother had a mesmerizing voice, and his father had an exceptional ability to perform tajwid (recitation of the Quran with pleasing articulation, intonation, and elongation).

Jerusalem’s rich sounds—its church bells and adhan—harnessed al-Kurd’s music ear. As a child, his workmates referred to him as the “artist.”

Fascinated by music, al-Kurd ventured deeper into it after age 16 when he started working in Nablus, which is where his maternal married aunt lived. He often sang by the window of his aunt’s house in the Old City of Nablus, and their neighbor, Hasan Dawud Hasanein (Abu Ali), was intrigued by his musical ability. With his encouragement, al-Kurd became acquainted with the oud and taught himself to play it.

In Nablus, al-Kurd did metalwork for long hours, and then spent his nights accompanying his mentor, Abu Ali, in his musical performances and endeavors.

He juggled music and work and might have stayed longer in Nablus had the 1967 War (the Naksa) not broken out in early June. With memory of what had happened to Palestinians in the 1948 War, he feared being stranded outside of his city. On June 5, 1967, therefore, he packed his belongings and took the bus to Jerusalem:

After Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967, al-Kurd found opportunities to realize his prodigious musical gifts. Having entirely taught himself, he found a way to make a meaningful impact through his songs. He began composing political songs in the colloquial Jerusalemite dialect, which resonated with the Palestinian public and spoke to their political reality.

Al-Kurd saw the importance of collaborating with musicians as a means to document the reality on the ground while highlighting the Palestinian collective identity. In October 1967, he joined the artists’ syndicate (made up of local artists and based on al-Zahra Street in East Jerusalem) in several plays, such as The Defeat of the Devil and The Outcast. The latter captured the sense of hope and determination to remain in the land despite the daily difficulties. These plays addressed the sense of loss pervasive among Palestinians in Jerusalem (and throughout the rest of the occupied territories) as a result of the Israeli occupation.

In 1970, he cofounded the Jerusalem Conservatory for Art and Theater. It functioned for a couple of years but had to shut down because of lack of resources. In the meantime, he helped establish the Balalin [Balloons] Theater Troupe, an experimental theater company founded by François Abou Salem, made up of Palestinian writers, theatrical actors, directors, performers, and musicians from Jerusalem and the Galilee. (Abou Salem, though born in France, moved to Sheikh Jarrah with his parents at age three and lived there for the next decade until heading abroad for education for about 10 years before returning to Jerusalem.) Balalin is considered the first theatrical group established in Palestine after 1967. Al-Kurd began writing music for the plays and soon became a vital member of this troupe, which successfully organized the first Palestinian festival for theater and folklore in Ramallah in 1973 and held various performances. Theater plays included Walid Abdul Salam’s Ta‘ akharfak ya sahbi (Let me tell you something, my friend) and German playwright Bertolt Brecht’s The Exception and the Rule. Al-Kurd both sang and acted in those plays. According to a letter written by his wife, Helga Baumgarten, upon his death, “He demonstrated tremendous talent as an actor and fascinated Abou Salem with his ever-changing roles”2 at that time.

In the early 1970s, al-Kurd began setting the poetry of well-known Palestinian poets to music, and his career took off. He wrote political songs that would gradually “help push a new wave of ‘Palestinian liberation music,’ or what would later be called ‘committed singing.’”3

A popular anthem that he became known for was the 1972 “Hat al-sikkeh” (Give me the plow and sickle). The lyrics, “Give me the plow and the sickle, and never leave your land” resonated among Palestinians throughout occupied Palestine. It gained renewed popularity during and after the First Intifada. The song acted as a call against emigration and set out the foundation for political song. In due course, he released various songs where he voiced issues concerning the land, and he managed to address matters related to the Palestinian national movement as well as the longing for peace.

His first album, al-Ard ardi [The land is my land], was created in collaboration with the Balalin troupe and produced in Jerusalem in 1974. Balalin split up into two groups in 1974 and then dissolved in 1975 due to political and artistic differences, but al-Kurd and fellow members continued to produce musically and theatrically. The album was subsequently released in France under the title Terre de Ma Patrie in 1976.

The Balalin Troupe paved the way for the foundation of El-Hakawati Troupe in 1977, which later became The Palestinian National Theatre—El Hakawati in Jerusalem, in which al-Kurd also played key roles (see below).

In 1975, he helped create the first local professional theater, Sunduq al-‘Ajab (Wonder Box), where artists would include illustrations, colored images, and other innovative tools for storytelling by which to entertain and inspire audiences.

In February 1976, al-Kurd was performing in the Balalin play Lamma enjanena (When we went mad) when the Israeli army barged in and arrested him while he was on stage. He was interrogated for almost a month and then held under administrative detention, without charge or trial for renewable six-month terms. In December 1976, despite extensive efforts by Palestinian and Israeli lawyers, he was deported. He went to Jordan and then to Lebanon.

His time in Beirut gave him an opportunity to get acquainted with celebrated artists, including the virtuoso Ziad Rahbani and celebrated filmmaker Jean Chamoun. He worked as a musician and theater specialist and taught music.

In 1977, he composed and recorded music for the Palestinian/Italian film by his friend Mustafa Abu Ali, Tel al-za‘tar, which showed the aftermath of the siege and fall of the Palestinian refugee camp, during which almost 3,000 Palestinians had been killed in 1976. He also released new records, such as the one named after the musical band he helped create, Abraham’s Noah, with lyrics by Mahmoud Darwish, Tawfiq Zayyad, Khalil Touma, and Samih al-Qasim. These songs became hits, especially among Palestinian refugees in southern Lebanon. He released Palästina, Meine Liebe (Palestine, My Love) in 1977, an album made up of songs recorded live in concert, on street corners, and in the Palestinian refugee camps, which spoke of the Palestinian liberation movement.

During his years in Lebanon, al-Kurd held several performances outside of the Middle East, including at the Festival des Politischen Liedes (Festival of Political Song) in East Berlin in 1977 and 1982. He also performed a solo concert at the Contr’Eurovision in Brussels in 1979, which was later released as the record, Mustafa al-Kurd: The Voice of Palestine.

While living in Lebanon, he met the German academic, political scientist, and activist Helga Baumgarten; they married and had a son, Sami Darwish al-Kurd, in 1981. Sami Darwish later became an accomplished musician himself.

In the early 1980s, al-Kurd and his small family moved to Göttingen, West Germany. Being in Europe gave him the chance to perform at various festivals, such as the Bulgarian Festival of Political Songs in 1983, sometimes accompanied by influential figures, such as the celebrated Palestinian poet Samih al-Qasim and the evangelical Episcopal pastor, Reverend Shehadeh Shehadeh. He released songs that became very popular, such as “Without a Passport.” This distinctive song was based on the words of Palestinian poet Rashid Hussein and addressed to Palestinians in exile.

In 1981, the family moved from Göttingen to Berlin. Helga worked at the Free University of Berlin, and al-Kurd furthered his musical gifts and studied piano and music composition at the Göttingen Academy and then music ethnology at the Free University of Berlin.

For the next few years, al-Kurd performed throughout Europe, singing songs about the struggles of the Arab world, with special attention to Jerusalem. In one performance, in which he sang about the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon and the Sabra and Shatila massacre, renowned poet Mahmoud Darwish joined him on the stage.

In 1985, with the help of Israeli lawyer Lea Tsemel, al-Kurd was able to return permanently to Jerusalem.

El-Hakawati troupe, dormant for some time, was revived and reopened on May 9, 1984 as The Palestinian National Theater—El Hakawati in a permanent home in the former Nuzha Cinema building in the heart of East Jerusalem, in time for al-Kurd’s return from Berlin to Palestine. El-Hakawati became a pillar of the arts in Jerusalem and Palestine more generally.

In 1986, al-Kurd established El-Hakawati’s music department, where he taught and composed music. He had solo as well as collaborative performances and concerts with local and international artists.

During the First Intifada, which erupted in December 1987, al-Kurd managed to once again artistically express issues related to the political reality on the ground through his music. He released the cassette Children of the Intifada (1987), which included the widely circulated and celebrated song, “Stone, Onion, and a Bucket of Water.”

Like most institutions in Jerusalem, El-Hawakati had to shut down during the Intifada, so al-Kurd established an independent institute, the Jerusalem Center for Arabic Music, where he continued to teach and produce music. He gave several international performances, including a tour in over 10 states in the United States (in 1987) and in Canada (in 1989). where he captivated the audiences. International reviewers compared the emotional impact of his music to American soul during the Civil Rights Movement.

Al-Kurd collaborated with a range of international artists, including the Greek musician Mikis Theodarakis, South African singer-songwriter Miriam Makeba, Portuguese singer-songwriter José Afonso, German poet and singer-songwriter Wolf Biermann, and American musician Pete Seeger.

He performed in major festivals, including the Rudolstadt Folk Festival in Germany in 1993; the Berliner Festival für Politik und Kultur in 2003; and in venues in Italy.

A memorable concert was held in the summer of 1989 in an open courtyard at the Old City of Jerualem’s Lutheran Church. This was a groundbreaking arrangement, as it had two oud soloists  and percussion instruments featured together. He released a record in 1993, Fawanis, in Switzerland. Al-Kurd also led an ensemble of Swiss and Palestinian musicians featuring oud, percussion, bassoon, and flute.

He performed at the Bethlehem 2000 Festival; that same year, he released his last album, al-Madah, which was largely made up of the music he performed at the millennium event.

Over time, his music grew richer, more complex, and fuller in sound: his overtly political songs transformed and took on a more lyrical and poetic turn, encapsulating his deeper emotions as an artist.

In several interviews, al-Kurd expressed his belief that music is a universal language; it is the language in how to deal with all matters of life, whether it be poverty, pain, safety, happiness, or tears. He regarded Jerusalem as a city rich with possibilities and potential but only to those who have the sentiment or desire to open up and learn.

Examples of his Jerusalemite and colloquial delivery were in the lyrics he often dedicated to Bab Hutta and Khan al-Zeit (a gate and souk within the Old City of Jerusalem) and to the sahlab of Abu ‘Umar while listening to the call to prayer at dawn. Such elements that he combined in his lyrics awakened and continue to evoke the spirit of the place, weaving its ancient stones and timeless echoes into melody.

Al-Kurd blended a tapestry of musical traditions, in keeping with his rootedness in multicultural Jerusalem. Being both composer and poet, he wove together the classical strains of the Arabic oud, the meditative rhythms of Sufi/Muslim prayer, the ethereal echoes of Byzantine/Christian chanting, the grandeur of European organ music, and the deep-rooted melodies of Palestinian folklore and poetry. In this way, he created a unique Palestinian musical style—rich in storytelling and political and cultural awareness.

Sami Darwish al-Kurd notes that what stood out about his father’s piano playing was his ability to combine the theoretical skills he acquired in Berlin with the eclectic music sounds he had gathered from his experience in Palestine, blending Indian, Persian, and Russian sounds into his work.5 In an interview with Dar al-Kalima University, Mustafa al-Kurd described the influences of various traditions on the music he learned in Jerusalem, including Greek traditional music, African and American soul, classical European, and Scandinavian folk music.6 His openness to new cultural and political dimensions largely broadened his knowledge and therefore impacted his music endeavors.

Al-Kurd often expressed his belief that music presented in a creative, innovative, and authentic manner can withstand the test of time. He likened it to a type of worship, which calls for honesty and loyalty and cannot handle lies or manipulation. He wanted people (particularly the youth) to reconsider their consumption of music and to question their own acceptance of what is considered trendy. He rejected the notion of lowering one’s standards for the sake of quick popularity.

Essentially, al-Kurd’s music marked the identity of the Palestinian people, as well as the overall global solidarity and struggle for liberation and against colonialism and oppression.

His discography includes the albums This Land is My Land (1974), The Land is My Homeland (1976), Palestine My Love(1977), The Voice of Palestine (1979), I Dream of Tomorrow (1980), Children of the Intifada (1987), Fawanis (1993), al-Madah (2000), The Muezzin (2009),

In 2004, al-Kurd’s outstanding contributions were acknowledged with the prestigious al-Rima Festival Award in Amman, Jordan.

Al-Kurd died in his beloved Jerusalem on February 18, 2024.

Upon his passing, the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music expressed that “the Jerusalemite Palestinian activist and artist Mustafa al-Kurd laid the foundation of the nationalist song—in sequence with the creation of the national movement since the early 1970s.”7

Jerusalemite Palestinian musician and producer, Said Murad, called attention to al-Kurd’s distinctive musical style, which resonated in the streets and neighborhoods, spoken in a simple dialect and with a fundamentally Jerusalemite Palestinian spirit.”8 Al-Kurd’s son Sami Darwish commented on the string of disasters his father faced during his formative years, “beginning with the loss of family property in 1948, the death of his father when he was a child, and then the Naksa of 1967.” The circumstances would become even more challenging, as he would get imprisoned and exiled. Still, his music would carry him through the struggles, and the resonance of his songwriting and the fire in his verses would become a source of strength for many.

In the words of his wife, Helga, in a letter written just after his death:

Dar al-Kalima University. Talk moderated by Khaled Massou with fellow students and Mustafa Kurd. [in Arabic.] February 22, 2024.

Al-Ka‘bi, Bassam. “Mustafa al-Kurd: Music Is the Rhythm of Belonging.” [In Arabic.] Institute for Palestine Studies. February 26, 2024.

Al-Kurd, Sami Darwish. Interview with Arda Aghazarian for Jerusalem Story, January 27, 2025, Jerusalem.

Mousa, Salma. “In a Continuous Return to Jerusalem: A Eulogy for Mustafa al-Kurd.” Mondoweiss, February 24, 2024.

Al-Shayeb, Yousef. “The Passing of Mustafa al-Kurd: The Throat of Jerusalem and Person Behind Hat al-Sikkeh [Bring the Plow].” [in Arabic.] February 21, 2024.

Sinan, Antoon. “Two Poems by Rashid Hussein.” Jadaliyya. March 30, 2011.

Wallace, Naomi and Ismail Khalidi. Inside/Outside: Six Plays from Palestine and the Diaspora. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 2015.

Wikipedia, S.V. “Mustafa al-Kurd.” [in German.] Accessed February 23, 2025.

Zidan, Badi‘a. “The Passing of the ‘Voice of Jerusalem’ – Artist Mustafa al-Kurd.” [In Arabic.] Al-Araby, February 20, 2024.

[Profile picture: Wikipedia]