Salam Omeish: Arabic hymns from Amman

About Salam Omeish

Salam Omeish is a Jordanian pianist, composer and arranger associated with the Amman Baptist Church. A 2011 report on the church's Ajloun conference calls him 'Jordan's leading pianist'; a 2024 feature on the Alhan Al Raja band describes him as a composer and musician at the church and quotes him on the hymn-writing of his father, Fawwaz Omeish. Fawwaz founded the Amman Baptist Church and was its pastor; Hymnary.org records his death in 2012. The family's hymns, according to Salam, spread through Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine and later among Arab communities abroad.

The catalogue holds a selection of that repertoire rather than a complete edition. Hymnary.org indexes 31 tunes under Salam Omeish's name and three texts; the Arabic hymn database Taranim Arabia lists 169 entries in which he appears as composer or arranger. The 26 files here are short hymn settings drawn from the Arabic Protestant repertoire, and several titles are the opening line of the text rather than a tune name. The catalogue appends 'Salam Omeish سلام عميش' to almost every title, which makes the raw titles longer than the works.

Only five of the 26 have lyrics attached, even though the texts exist and are printed in Arabic hymnals such as تسابيح المحبة. The genre field calls all 26 classical, and the difficulty index places every one at 1, so neither field separates a congregational hymn from a piano arrangement. The catalogue also records no dates, publishers or translators.

Listening and playing notes

These are congregational hymns, so the first decision is tempo for singing rather than playing. The melodies are mostly syllabic and strophic, with repeats that let a congregation learn the tune by ear; keep the accompaniment simple and the inner parts quiet. In Arabic, the text carries long vowels and emphatic consonants, and the phrasing should follow the words rather than the bar lines. Where only a melody is given, add harmony sparingly and leave space for the voices.

Selected scores

1. طوباك يا مسكين

   A setting of the Beatitudes' 'blessed are the poor'; the most-viewed file on the page, with 12 views.

2. أعبدوا الرب بفرح واهتفوا

   An invitation to worship whose first line urges the congregation to serve the Lord with joy and to shout aloud.

3. أسترني ربي بدمك

   A Communion or Passion hymn asking to be covered by the blood of Christ.

4. معترفا لا بر لي

   A confession of human unrighteousness; the title means 'confessing that I have no righteousness of my own'.

5. داس رأس الحية

   The title, 'he crushed the head of the serpent', points to Genesis 3:15 and its reading as a promise of Christ's victory.

6. سمعت صوتك يدعو

   'I heard your voice calling': a hymn of response to a call, in the language of discipleship.

7. فيك يا كل الأماني

   'In you are all my hopes': a short hymn of trust.

8. فوق تل الجلجثة

   'On the hill of Golgotha': a Good Friday hymn on the crucifixion.

9. آخذا صورة عبد صائرا في شبهنا

   The title follows Philippians 2, 'taking the form of a servant, being made in our likeness'.