ABSTRACT
I am often struck by the extent to which these journalists want to find political content and social relevance. For them, it seems there is no point in Lebanese artists creating music that falls outside the boundaries of natural Oriental schemes, unless this involves a political stance of some sort. If one is creating music that does not comply with the standard expectations of a Middle Eastern audience, then something is amiss, and there must be a deeper meaning to the artist's toils and maneuvers. It is almost as if the process of creating music is not sufficient, and a political or social discourse is required in order to endow the music with meaning. 21
