The Ugaritic language, a Northwest Semitic language,^[1] discovered by French archaeologists in 1928, is known almost only in the form of writings found in the ruined city of Ugarit (modern Ras Shamra), Syria.^[2][3] It has been used by scholars of the Old Testament to clarify Biblical Hebrew texts and has revealed ways in which ancient Israelite culture finds parallels in the neighboring cultures.^[3]

Ugaritic has been called "the greatest literary discovery from antiquity since the deciphering of the Egyptian hieroglyphs and Mesopotamian cuneiform".^[4]

Corpus[link]

The Ugaritic language is attested in texts from the 14th through the 12th century BCE.^[5] The city was destroyed in 1180–1170 BCE.

Literary texts discovered at Ugarit include the Legend of Keret, the Aqhat Epic (or Legend of Danel), the Myth of Baal-Aliyan, and the Death of Baal — the latter two are also collectively known as the Baal cycle — all revealing aspects of a Canaanite religion.

According to one hypothesis, Ugaritic texts might solve the biblical puzzle of the anachronism of Ezekiel mentioning Daniel at Ezekiel 14:13-16; it is because in both Ugaritic and the Ancient Hebrew texts, it is correctly Danel.^[3]

Writing system[link]

Clay tablet of Ugaritic alphabet

Table of Ugaritic alphabet

The Ugaritic alphabet is a cuneiform abjad (alphabet without vowels), used from around 15th century BCE. Although it appears similar to Mesopotamian cuneiform, it was unrelated (see Ugaritic alphabet). It is the oldest example of the family of West Semitic scripts that were used for Phoenician, Hebrew, and Aramaic. The so-called long alphabet has 30 letters, while the short alphabet has 22. Other languages (particularly Hurrian) were occasionally written in it in the Ugarit area, although not elsewhere.

Clay tablets written in Ugaritic provide the earliest evidence of both the Levantine and South Semitic orders of the alphabet, which gave rise to the alphabetic orders of the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin alphabets. The script was written from left to right.

Phonology[link]

Ugaritic has 28 consonantal phonemes, including two semivowels, and eight vowel phonemes (three short vowels and five long vowels): a ā i ī u ū ē ō. (The phonemes ē and ō only occur as long vowels and are the result of monophthongization of the diphthongs “ay” and “aw” respectively.)

The following table shows Proto-Semitic phonemes and their correspondences among Ugaritic, Arabic and Tiberian Hebrew:

Grammar[link]

Ugaritic is an inflected language, and as a Semitic language its grammatical features are highly similar to those found in Classical Arabic and Akkadian. It possesses two genders (masculine and feminine), three cases for nouns and adjectives (nominative, accusative, and genitive); three numbers: (singular, dual, and plural); and verb aspects similar to those found in other Northwest Semitic languages. The word order for Ugaritic is verb–subject–object (VSO), possessed–possessor (NG), and noun–adjective (NA). Ugaritic is considered a conservative Semitic language, since it retains most of the Proto-Semitic phonemes, the case system and the word order of the Proto-Semitic ancestor.

See also[link]

Ancient Near East portal

• Ugarit
• Ugaritic grammar
• Ugaritic alphabet
• Northwest Semitic languages
• Central Semitic languages
• Semitic Languages
• Proto-Semitic language

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Bordreuil, Pierre. and Dennis Pardee. (2009). A Manual of Ugaritic: Linguistic Studies in Ancient West Semitic 3. Winona Lake, IN 46590: Eisenbraun's, Inc. ISBN 1-57506-153-8. 
• Cunchillos, J.-L., and Juan-Pablo Vita (2003). A Concordance of Ugaritic Words. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press. ISBN 1-59333-258-0.  Also available from Logos Bible Software.
• del Olmo Lete, Gregorio; & Sanmartín, Joaquín (2004). A Dictionary of the Ugaritic Language in the Alphabetic Tradition. Brill Academic Publishers. ISBN 90-04-13694-0.  (2 vols), (originally in Spanish, translated by W. G. E. Watson).
• Gibson, John C. L. (1977). Canaanite Myths and Legends. T. & T. Clark. ISBN 0-567-02351-6.  This contains Latin-alphabet transliterations of the Ugaritic texts and facing translations in English.
• Gordon, Cyrus Herzl (1965). The Ancient Near East. W. W. Norton & Company Press. ISBN 0-393-00275-6. 
• Greenstein, Edward L. (1998). Shlomo Izre'el, Itamar Singer, Ran Zadok. ed. "On a New Grammar of Ugartic" in Past links: studies in the languages and cultures of the ancient near east: Volume 18 of Israel oriental studies. Eisenbrauns. ISBN 978-1-57506-035-4.  Found at Google Scholar.
• Moscati, Sabatino (1980). An Introduction to the Comparative Grammar of Semitic Languages, Phonology and Morphology. Harrassowitz Verlag. ISBN 3-447-00689-7. 
• Parker, Simon B. (editor) (1997). Ugaritic Narrative Poetry: Writings from the Ancient World Society of Biblical Literature. Atlanta: Scholars Press. ISBN 0-7885-0337-5. 
• Pardee, Dennis (2003-2004)). Rezension von J. Tropper, Ugaritische Grammatik (AOAT 273) Ugarit-Verlag, Münster 2000: Internationale Zeitschrift für die Wissenschaft vom Vorderen Orient. Vienna, Austria: Archiv für Orientforschung (AfO).  P. 1-100, p. 101-200, p. 201-300 p. 301-404.
• Segert, Stanislav (1997). A Basic Grammar of the Ugaritic Language. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-03999-8. 
• Sivan, Daniel (1997). A Grammar of the Ugaritic Language (Handbook of Oriental Studies/Handbuch Der Orientalistik). Brill Academic Publishers. ISBN 90-04-10614-6.  A more concise grammar.
• Tropper, J. (2000). Ugartische Grammatik, AOAT 273. Münster, Ugarit Verlag. 
• Woodard, Roger D. (editor) (2008). The Ancient Languages of Syria-Palestine and Arabia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-68498-6. 

External links[link]

• Ugarit and the Bible. An excerpt from an online introductory course on Ugaritic grammar (the Quartz Hill School of Theology's course noted in the links hereafter); includes a cursory discussion on the relationship between Ugaritic and Old Testament/Hebrew Bible literature.
• BBCi website: "El in the Ugaritic tablets" gives many attributes of the Ugaritic creator and his consort Athirat.
• Abstract of Mark Smith, The Origins of Biblical Monotheism: Israel's Polytheistic Background and the Ugaritic Text.
• Introduction to Ugaritic Grammar (Quartz Hill School of Theology).
• Unicode Chart.
• What's Ugaritic Got to Do with Anything? by Michael Heiser, Ph.D.

Malek Jandali مالك جندلي
Birth name	Malek Jandali
Born	(1972-12-25) December 25, 1972 (age 39) Waldbröl, Germany
Origin	Homs, Syria
Genres	Classical Jazz Arabic Classical Film Music
Occupations	Composer-Pianist
Instruments	Piano
Years active	1981–present
Labels	Soul b Music
Website	www.malekjandali.com/
Notable instruments
Steinway & Sons

Malek Jandali (Arabic: مالك جندلي‎) (b. 1972),^[1] is a Syrian composer and pianist considered to be among the most versatile and creative musicians in the Arab world.^[2] He is the first Syrian and only Arab musician to arrange music based on the oldest music notation in the world,^[3] which was discovered in the Bronze Age city of Ugarit, Syria.

Life[link]

Malek Jandali was born in Germany and raised in Homs, Syria.^[4] Malek began his musical career as a pianist, winning the first prize at the National Young Artists’ competition of Syria in 1988.^[2] Jandali studied at the Arab Conservatory of music in Damascus with Valdimir Zaritsky and Victor Bunin from the Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory. In 1995, he received a full scholarship to the US and attended North Carolina School of the Arts (NCSA), under Eric Larsen. He has appeared as a soloist in performances around the world from New York, Washington D.C.,^[5] Moscow, Cairo, Paris, Istanbul to Las Vegas, including The Cairo Symphony Orchestra, The Ludwig Symphony Orchestra,The Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Syrian National Symphony Orchestra at Damascus Opera House. Malek received numerous prizes including the Wallace Stegner Grant For The Arts Fellowship and the 1997 Outstanding Musical Performer Award from Queens University. He studied composition and orchestration with Harry Bulow, Lawrence Dillon and Richard Prior. In 2004, he completed his masters degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Malek currently resides in Atlanta, GA and travels frequently to perform concerts and complete film scoring projects around the world.

Music[link]

Jandali is the only Syrian and the first Arab composer to arrange the oldest music notation in the world^[3] discovered in the Bronze Age city of Ugarit, Syria. Malek has a deep interest in writing music for dramatic purposes and has often drawn upon visual images for musical inspiration. His compositions range from solo instrumental pieces to large ensemble and orchestral works. His music is dynamic, energetic and powerful, combining orchestra with piano and Arabic modes and melodies.^[6]

Malek has a special interest in Arabic music where he incorporates the "maqams" or modes with western harmony in his piano and orchestral compositions. His constantly expanding horizons have led him to become a unique composer with the ability to juxtapose oriental melodies with complex harmony to end up with an original blend of civilizations.^[7]

He also experiments not only with live, acoustical instruments, but also the implementation of MIDI and electronic sounds. A prolific composer, Malek has written and produced music for corporate multimedia, video presentations and commercials. Recent projects include scoring music for an independent films, television programs and documentaries. In April 2011, he composed a song titled "Watani Ana: I am my homeland" which was inspired by the Arab Spring revolutionary movements in the Middle East .^[8]

Awards[link]

• National Young Artists Competition - First Prize - Syria, 1988
• North Carolina School of the Arts - Full Scholarship - USA, 1995
• The Stegner Foundation for the Arts Fellowship
• Queens University - Outstanding Musical Performer - USA, 1997
• Echoes from Ugarit The first arrangement of the oldest music notation in the world! USA, 2007
• The 2011 Freedom of Expression Award - CAIR Los Angeles, USA, 2011^[9]
• Culture and Arts Achievement Award, Network of Arab American Professionals of New York, 2012

Albums[link]

His latest album "Echoes from Ugarit" includes original music compositions for piano and orchestra recorded with The Russian Philharmonic Orchestra with Seregey Kondrashev as a conductor, and Andrey Kudryavtsev concertmaster. This is the first arrangement of the oldest music notation in the world. The release of “Echoes from Ugarit” was accompanied by a hugely successful tour of the USA, Europe and the Middle East.

The earliest music notation of which a written record exists anywhere on earth appears to be the Hurrian Hymn (Fink 1988; Dumbrill 2000,[page needed]). The clay tablets were discovered in the ancient city of Ugarit on the Mediterranean coast of Syria. This music may have been microtonal, even though, while interpretation of many aspects of the Hurrian records has been disputed (West 1994), expert opinion overwhelmingly favors some variety of diatonic, Pythagorean tuning (Duchesne-Guillemin 1975, 1977, 1980, 1984; Kilmer 1965, 1971, 1974, 1976; Vitale 1982; West 1994; Wulstan 1968).

Concerts and projects[link]

His diverse career remains truly international, as he continues to captivate audiences in concerts throughout North America, Europe and Middle East. Malek has performed in sold-out venues in London, Cairo, Damascus, Istanbul, Paris and Atlanta as well as The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.^[5] and Stude Hall^[3] at Rice University in Shepherd School of Music in Houston to name a few. He performed his works with many orchestras such as [www.cairo-symphony.com The Cairo Symphony Orchestra], The Russian Philharmonic Orchestra and the Ludwig Symphony Orchestra. Concert tours include cities such as London, Paris, Moscow, Dubai, Damascus, Istanbul and countries such as Italy, Australia, China, Canada, Japan and Egypt. Click here for a complete list of past and upcoming performances. Future recording and production plans include solo piano music and several orchestral works, as well as scoring for a number of documentaries and independent films.

Affiliations[link]

• The Recording Academy
• The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP)

References[link]

External links[link]

This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links, and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references. (April 2012)

• The Official Website - الموقع الرسمي للموسيقار السوري مالك جندلي
• Syria Comment CD Review
• NPR The Front Row Interview - Houston, USA
• BBC World Service Radio Interview - The Strand - London
• Composer & Pianist Malek Jandali on National Public Radio (NPR) The Craig Fahle Show
• CNN World News:Syrian musician blames security forces for his parents' beating
• NPR News:Syrian American Musician will Continue to Perform Watani Ana Despite Threats
• الأسطورة تنبض بالحياة في موسيقا مالك جندلي
• The National Newspaper - Syrian tablet fragment shatters long-held beliefs about origin of music - By Stephen Starr
• CBC Radio Interview
• "Arab American News - The first Arab composer to arrange world’s oldest music notation: Syria is the birthplace of alphabet, music and harmony!
• "What's On" Magazine - March 2008- From Ugarit to the World! - Interview With Composer & Pianist Malek Jandali
• "Forward Magazine - December 2007 - Syrian Echoes that Reach the World; Malek Jandali Plays Passion on Strings!
• "Annahar Newspaper - April 17, 2008 - عازف البيانو والمؤلف الموسيقي السوري مالك جندلي
• "Dubai Jazz - Malek Jandali: A Truly Hidden Syrian Gem!
• "The Center for Arab Culture and Dialogue - Washington D.C.- Syrian Musician Arranges and Performs World's Oldest Music Notation
• Dubai TV interview - Meeting with Barween Habib
• "www.US4Arabs.com - First Arab composer to arrange world’s oldest music from Syria!
• "Asdaa Newspaper - Press Release - Montréal Canada - May 2008
• "Arab News - Press Release - Middle East - May 27, 2008
• "Cham Press - Article (Arabic) - مالك جندلي يحاول أن يعلم الأمريكيين ثراء الثقافة العربية ويؤكد عظمة الموسيقى السورية القديمة
• "Ministry of Culture - Arabic Press Release - Damascus, Syria
• "Al Watan Newspaper
• "Syria News Article - موسيقا مالك جندلي تحاكي الحضارة السورية على أهم مسارح أمريكا
• "Huffington Post, June 11, 2011
• "Ahram Online - Malek Jandali honoured with 2011 Freedom of Expression Award