Historical and Objectives

It is in the extension of “Selecteum des Arts et des Sciences” – universal non-profit Cultural Centre created in 2007 that Dédé Hourani and the members of the Cultural Centre, passionate about art, culture and music, decided to get together, to better spread and develop Lebanese, Oriental and European talents.
The quartet created by Selecteum "Quatuor Musique del Tempo", established in 2007 under the patronage of Selecteum des Arts et des Sciences by members of the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra who subsequently quit their posts in the orchestra and their professorship posts in order to dedicate their time to the project. The quartet members are all graduates from prestigious conservatories including the Moscow Conservatory and Trinity College of Music (London). They have taken part individually and collectively in international competitions such as the Osaka Chamber Music Competition 1993 (Japan), the John Barbirolli String Quartet Prize 1996 (London), and have had the privilege of performing in prestigious venues stretching from England to South Korea, including the highly-acclaimed Moscow Conservatory Hall, Moscow State Historical Museum (Russia-Red Square) with Akadem Quartet in 2016, Minsk State Philharmony (Belarussia 2015), Palace of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in Kolomenskoye (Russia 2014), Saint Lorenzo Church (Rome 2016) and Queen Elizabeth Hall (London), Saint James Church (London 2017), The Annunciation of Mary Franciscan Church (Slovenia 2017).
"Quatuor Musique del Tempo" performs the standard repertoire, classical and contemporary as well as quasi-Arab music derived from Middle Eastern folk tunes, which have become popular with a great number of audiences everywhere. The Quartet is also involved in several other chamber music projects linking them up with renowned musicians playing quintets, sextets and more, performing a variety of standard and contemporary compositions. Music del Tempo is renowned for its charity work, giving free concerts and workshops to the needy in orphanages and old people’s homes, or indeed any underprivileged groups who may request their services home and abroad.
Following the unequalled success of its “Quatuor Musique del Tempo” accompanied by its singers and their success abroad, in Europe among other places, “Selecteum des Arts et des Sciences” is seeking to take a new step whose main aim is to raise the interest of a large number of music lovers and set the basis for the foundation “Ensemble Musique del Tempo” whose singers participate in this form of music with the most difficult musical architecture, creating a favourable climate to spread this formal and demanding discipline thanks to virtuoso musicians and singers. The aim is to broaden their horizon in these fields during lyrical and musical “Masterclasses” and through conferences about classical music and lyrical song, in order to acquire a solid training dedicated to the technique of chamber music as well as vocals. At the same time, the “Ensemble Musique del Tempo” functions like a higher institute of music and singing where partitions selected in the musical libraries of the Selecteum centre flourish and are at the musicians’ disposal. It will also be possible to experiment translation into modal writing, better suited to the stylistic personality of the “Ensemble Musique del Tempo” and the true expression of the work to be played, considering the realisation of the double chords and especially the piano chords when the pianist and singer are introduced sometimes. Aesthetics fully express the composer’s thought and vision. These Quatuors, and quintets or duos or trios and the resulting lyrical accompaniment, will carry something fascinating.
It will then be the accomplishment of a musical and lyrical artistic project.
We aim to discover our Lebanese talents, not only their voices and skills but also those of the musicians of the “Quatuor Musique del Tempo” with their rich journey and that has known great success in Europe. You can follow their fabulous journey on Selecteum’s YouTube channel and especially the variety not only in their repertoire but also the wealth of a civilisation filled with Lebanese talents, capable of singing in many languages, which is rare! It is also a claim of this identity at the crossroads of two musical conceptions influenced by various cultures and their lyrical works, which confers to “Selecteum des Arts et des Sciences” and its musicians and singers multiple interest, both artistic and ethnological; it is the cultural and musical centre’s objective, almost unique in its multiple activities and whose objective is to make all the arts evolve, without distinction, especially the musical and lyrical arts. And since the musical arts address the conscience of our inner self and reveal the character’s personality in his musical art or in an opera, they are of two aspects: musical and lyrical, essential and proper to the Age of Enlightenment and there is the aim of “Selecteum des Arts et des Sciences”. As long as the human discourse describes the material reality and as long as music and song are the languages of psychic reality, melody invades the mind and brings out messages through its waves to the conscience’s surface and transmits impulses whose background music accompanies our thoughts in an inner song, and can influence the human soul sometimes without even understanding the lyrics, because music and song free the imagination and are associated with ideas and images, creating emotions that can be positive especially when it is beautiful music and a beautiful song, which makes the composition remarkable because beautiful music fundamentally imposes its duration, its melody, its harmony and its tempo, constituting its main component. This form of musicality and frequencies charged with emotions is fully associated with that of this universe that haunts our spirit and which at the same time, expresses what cannot be expressed in the flow of our thoughts; we remain in awe of these musical airs and rhythms that impose themselves and do not leave us because the beauty of the music or songs rises mysteriously to the surface of our conscience as a listener.
Music takes up a place of choice at Selecteum, I hope that music and the arts will remain a sacred language for Lebanon and a symbol of unity and that the Lebanese society will remain open to musical arts. We must therefore be vigilant and determined to protect the arts and ensure its longevity to avoid watching them disappear. Thus, it is thanks to Selecteum’s musicians and singers as well as the presence of its members who are aware of the beautiful language of music and vocals that a vaster and more generous inspiration is born, whatever the difficulties; hope remains possible, all the more so since music and song are the land where all populations meet.
Such a language never dies since it dominates life and relying on its noble matter so rich, and the emotions it provides, I write about the arts and music and its passion carries me. The beauty of this language and its solid alliance in our thoughts inspires a great deal thanks to its wealth and grandeur, easing the task of expressing ourselves where a solid passion and our thoughts blend; all this occupies a place of choice in our minds and in our hearts, settling us into reality, a deep and endless source of beauty and the wealth that burst on the sidelines of many concerts as a live witness of the interest in music and song as well as in the multiple arts.
However, the cultural situation is deteriorating due to the lack of sufficient subsidies and this is a major issue; first we must develop the credits by the Ministry of Culture because it is about the cultural heritage which made the wealth and pride of our country being in danger! So we must redirect the credits of the culture of musical arts and their particularity for our future generations and the will to do everything we can to develop the adequate efforts and reach the high level of musical masterpieces.
The major challenge of our programme at Selecteum is to increasingly enrich our musical cultural heritage especially this year, marked by perpetual and countless crises. Misfortune has a good side: it taught us to know the moral, human and cultural values and the confinement imposed on all of the suffering humanity allowed us to review our long and fruitful journey and appreciate the influence our musicians and our singers had on our dear co-citizens.
Our presence at Selecteum for music and song in this cultural centre so dear to the hearts of the Lebanese takes into account the enormous responsibilities that have been entrusted to it, and simply materialises the pre-eminence of culture and musical arts. We assume our role courageously with professionalism in a spirit of total sincerity, to strengthen the foundations, with pragmatism and patience, of this cultural space that has always united all the communities, which can only carry hope, in this world where conflicts seem to take more and more the path of incomprehension and uncertainty, and even the path of violence instead of sharing the sublime language which is that of culture, arts, music and song and especially of knowledge. The constructive role of Selecteum, founded in 2007, was able to lead to a mutual understanding and dialogue between nations thanks to many concerts given elsewhere because music is a universal language, very far from the unleashing of passions and conflicts; and these exchanges will only bring points of view closer and help to better understand each other, without ever forgetting that “Selecteum des Arts et des Sciences” never ceases to pursue its noble mission and the cultural centre is an integral part of it and I particularly appreciate the relentless efforts carried out for our institution, all of which is done in a climate of understanding and mutual trust between its members and perseverance, with unequalled professionalism. While hoping that Lebanon, in line with its millennial tradition as an intellectual hub will remain despite all the difficulties and hardships, passionately smitten with culture, multiple arts and knowledge, all the while wishing the best for you and your families, we remain faithfully yours.