John Erlich - 7-14-2009 at 03:34 PM
I downloaded (from a "pirate" music blog site) MP3 versions of four excellent CD recordings by the Music Faculty of Kaslik University in Lebanon. I
emailed the Faculty of Music at Kaslik in an attempt to obtain the recordings legitimately. No reply.
Does anyone know where I can purchase these CDs?
Thanks,
John
John Erlich - 10-12-2009 at 11:29 AM
My two emails to the USEK Music Dept. have gone unanswered. 
Here is the link to download the MP3 version for free: http://www.welove-music.net/2009/06/oriental-choir-of-faculty-of-mu...
There are other recordings of the USEK Music Faculity Ensemble available here: http://www.saintrafqaoflebanon.com/hymns.htm Especially check out the third recording, which is secular music (mostly mouwachahat).
Peace,
John
katakofka - 10-12-2009 at 01:20 PM
aida shalhuub, the conductor of Orientalia is singing on that hymn from the Maronite chruch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO7VJUj-uMU
note how simple is the melody, typical of old middle eastern music in which the makams are based on 3 or 4 notes.
fhalaw - 10-26-2009 at 01:12 PM
thanks for this..
Great stuff, the oud taqasim in on the second disk is really good.
Who is the oud player for that group?
John Erlich - 11-3-2009 at 05:28 PM
No idea who the oud player is, other than that he or she is an USEK Music Faculty member.
I surfed the web and found a Lebanese resident in the USA (jr. college prof.) who studied music at USEK and begged her help. She said she contacted
them, forwarding my email. Very kind of her but...still no reply.
Shlama,
John
John Erlich - 12-16-2009 at 03:08 PM
The 5th "Orientalia" recording is also available at the music blog I pasted above.
John Erlich - 11-2-2010 at 02:02 PM
Update: Found out from a FOAF (friend of a friend) who went back to Lebanon for a visit and checked for us that these CDs can only be purchased at the
Kaslik University bookstore. Talk about a "private printing!" Too bad... 
John Erlich - 11-19-2010 at 09:13 AM
I am a techno-dinosaur and need some help:
I just learned of the possibility of converting MP3s to .wav files, so I can convert rare recordings (such as the Orientalia series) to listen to them
on my home stereo.
So I tried to go back and convert my MP3 copies of the 5-disc Orientalia series to .wav files. It turns out that, somehow, my copies are Windows
Media Player files (?) and Roxio won't convert them to .wav files.
I did go back and try to download the Orientalia series again, this time being sure to save the files as MP3s. Unfortunately, only the 5th CD in the
series is still available on the "pirate" download sites.
Does anyone know how to convert Windows Media Player files to .wav?
Thanks,
John "Stegasaurus" Erlich
John Erlich - 12-3-2010 at 12:26 PM
OK...figured out how to convert the files...Windows Media to MP3 or WAV. What an education!
-J