In 1763, the Amstelveen, one of the largest ships of the Dutch East India Company, sailed from the VOC's port in Middelburg and sailed to the Persian Gulf to trade goods, primarily sugar. It started its expedition from the Netherlands, sailed to Batavia (nowadays Jakarta, Indonesia) and then headed towards the Persian Gulf to reach Khark Island and Bushehr.
After leaving Batavia, the ship never made it to its destination. Due to the crew's mistake and disastrous weather conditions, it wrecked somewhere close to the southern coast of Oman.
From that point, out of almost 105 crew, 30 survived the storm but had to survive the rough situation of Oman's burning hot desert and high sand dunes to reach Muscat to get help.
This story was a mystery for almost 250 years until a logbook by Cornelis Eyks, the only surviving naval officer of that expedition, was found. With his notes, it is now discovered a tragic end to the crews and the miraculous survivors from a disastrous shipwreck and deadly hot dunes of Oman.¹
The new project of the Nachtlicht Ensemble, Boven Water! (Above Water!), guided the audience through this tragic story of survival with works by Arjan Linker, Jacob van Eyck, Kevin Volans, Cipriano de Rore and a new composition by me: "Lost in an Eternal Mirage".
Besides the pieces, Eline Veldhuisen made beautiful animations for the concerts that guided the audience through the ship's expedition, accompanied by Dimitri Geelhoed's soundscapes and electronics.
"Lost in an Eternal Mirage"
Sail through the history of VOC, Oman and the Persian Gulf
When Nachtlicht Ensemble told me about their project, I felt a deep connection to it, as it resonated with the cultural and historical background of my motherland, Iran. In the story of the VoC shipwreck, after the survivors reached Muscat to find help, they set sail again to the Persian Gulf and then to Gombroon (modern-day Bandar Abbas) in the Kingdom of Persia. At that time, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) was controlling this port and the local spice and silk trade for more than a century (1654-1756).
In my childhood, I visited Bandar Abbas and remember the busy port there with many boats, sailors and fishermen. It is one of the liveliest cities on the southern coast of Iran with incredible people, top food, and rich folklore culture. So, discovering the fate of the VOC's crew in this same city was somehow a strange surprise to me.
Another strong bond for me with the shipwreck story was their sail through the Persian Gulf. Since the project got started, I couldn't stop thinking about the special folk songs (or let's say Sea Shanties) originating from the sailors in the Persian Gulf, called Neymeh.
* If you look at the map below, you can find the port of Gombroon (on the map Gamron) located at 27°N, 74°E.
At the beginning of the project, my friends from the ensemble gave me a special gift that became the main guide to my journey through exploring the story and writing the piece. A book called "Shipwreck & Survival in Oman, 1763." What is so special about this book is that the author follows the story of the shipwreck day by day, from the moment of the accident to three years later, based on the discovered notes and diary of the sole naval officer survivor (Kornelis Eyks) along with various other pieces of evidence, maps, and letters. The narration is written in such detail that fully pictures the horrific situation they faced. They not only had to endure the extreme heat with no water and food but also had to fight for their lives against the Bedouin Marauders.
18th August 1763 "They (Bedouin marauders on camels) came at us furiously. They put their naked backswords on our stomaches or chests, and their crooked daggers on our throats, and forced us to take off our clothes,..." (Doornbos 2016, 65)
Along the process, I got the unique opportunity to meet the producer of a beautiful documentary called "Expedition Oman", directed by Gilles Frenken who follows Eyks' notes and visits every location of the crew step by step, from the sea to the desert. I had a great time watching this documentary after reading the book.
Neymeh: Sea Shanties of Persian Sailors
Bushehr is a coastal province situated in southern Iran near the Persian Gulf. With a history of thousands of years, from the mid-18th century, the city was Iran's most important harbour city and a central hub for trade and diplomatic relations with many countries.² Therefore, a great part of the cultural diversity of the city has been shaped by the sailing, fishing and maritime traditions that have connected the people to various cultures across the Persian Gulf and beyond. The influence of such a history is evident in the sea shanties that were once common among sailors and fishermen in this region. I use the past tense because, in recent years, much of this culture has been fading due to technological advancements and machinery.³
The sea shanties known as "Neymeh" are tunes sung by sailors during different phases of their work on the lenj (traditional wooden fishing boats common in that area, Launch boat) to coordinate the fishermen and crew on board and to elevate their spirits. These songs are sung collectively, with everyone participating often while at the sea.
For every stage of their works, there are specific chants. To name a few of them, Neymeh Langar for raising the anchor, Neymeh Jâber for washing the boat, Neymeh Tur for the fishing net, and Neymeh Gallâfi for building the boats. But my most favourite ones are the Neymeh Meydâf for Paddling the boat and Neymeh Ushâr for Launching the boats into the sea. The first one, Meydâf, coordinates the fishermen while paddling, while in the second one, Ushâr, the chants coordinate the builders to evenly pull the boat into the water. For that, the captain of the boat sings the first verse and in return, all the workers reply with the second verse. This call-and-response form creates a regular rhythm that aligns with the rhythm of their paddling.⁴ ⁵
Another fascinating aspect of these chants is the frequent appearance of nonsensical syllables in the call-and-response patterns, such as Hele Mâll, Hele Mâlli, or Hele Mâlebi. Although they have no meaning, such syllabic combinations create the rhythm for pulling the fishing net, or raising the anchor and paddling harmoniously. In addition, sometimes these syllables serve as a form of respiratory movement for the work itself. ³
Call (Captain) | Response (crew) |
|---|---|
hele hâ vo yâ allâ | hele mâl |
hole yâ mohammad | hele mâl |
mohammad resulallâ | hele mâl |
hâ vo yâ allâ | hele mâl |
hele yâ ali jân | hele mâl |
Mahoor Institute of Culture and Arts, together with Mohsen Sharifian, a renowned master of folk instruments, a ney-anban and ney-jofthi player, and a music researcher from Bushehr, has released an album featuring these sea shanties. Sneak previews of the songs are available on their website.
I really wanted to find a proper example of these sea shanties being sung by the fishermen, but unfortunately, there isn't any footage on the web. In the video below, there are some very small examples that might show you how they are sung (minute 10:36).
The Music of "Lost in an Eternal Mirage"
I was very much influenced by the story of the shipwreck together with these enchanting sea shanties. However, there was one more heavily influencing aspect of this project that was extremely unique, which was the collaboration with the Nachtlicht Ensemble itself.
Before this project, I had written a short piece for the Nachtlicht Ensemble called Bazm o Tarab. Working with them on that small project was very special. Their crossover ensemble combines musicians with jazz and classical backgrounds. As a result, they are very open to experimenting with different aesthetics and combining different genres. Having said that, for me, collaborating with them was perhaps the first time I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried to experiment with other aesthetics that I could use for writing my music. And to be frank, that was extremely challenging but in an exciting way..!
I decided to follow the story chronologically, starting from the storm, then surviving and reaching the coastline, and finally the survival. in the second part of the piece, the ensemble had to sing a small portion of those sea shanties. While Tom (on electric guitar) and Anoush (on double bass) were playing call-and-response melodies on their instruments, the other musicians were chanting Hele, Hele Mâlli (with a slower tempo than the actual sea shanties).
Experiencing the final piece in the concert hall during the Grachten Festival 2021 was incredible. The tragic lives of the Amstelveen sailors and crews, and the miraculous survival of the few fortunate ones will always remain with me. Even though this piece was a short one, perhaps someday I'll return to it and create a much longer version. I would love to go on that trip again..!!!! ⛵⛵⛵
References:
Doornbos, K. (2016). Shipwreck & Survival in Oman, 1763: The fate of the Amstelveen and thirty castaways on the South Coast of Arabia: Based on the notes of Cornelis Eyks. Amsterdam University Press.
Association for Iranian Studies. (n.d.). Margins of nationalism and empire: The modern history of Bushehr (1850–1979). Retrieved January 2, 2025. [Link]
Taati, S. (n.d.). طنین آواز دریانوردان در خلیج نیلگون فارس [The echo of sailors' songs in the azure Persian Gulf]. Jame Jam Online. Retrieved January 2, 2025. [Link]
Khajehian, M. (2012). Neymeh: The chant of the coastal inhabitants of Bushehr. Farhang-e Mardom-e Iran, Spring and Summer 2012, Issue 28 and 29. (خواجه ئیان، میترا. 1391). نی مه؛ کارآوای ساحل نشینان بوشهر. [Link]
Sharifiân, M. (2015). Neymeh: The Melodies of Persian Sailor Men [Album Booklet]. KMCD-92. ISBN 6260608005188.