The accordion that outwits violence

It was while walking the streets of my neighborhood that I stumbled upon one of the most unusual sights: an accordionist playing for no one and for everyone. To offer a moment of happiness in a country seemingly enamored with violence. He seeks neither money nor attention. He plays to share the magic of music with those who can still feel it.

Thomas Kassis. That's his name. The one his adoptive parents gave him after he was moved from one foster home to another, those who finally chose to keep him. His biological parents? He doesn't know them. Thomas also works in construction, a sector hard hit by the current situation. But it is with his accordion that he lives a true love story. A passionate love story that began to blossom in 2017.

As a child, the harmonica he played at home bothered the family. He resigned himself... until the day when, self-taught, he decided to take it to the streets, hoping to reach children. Out of 1,000 of them, he hopes that 2 or 3 will be captivated by the instrument.

The Accordion, an Ancient Instrument

Born in Europe at the beginning of the 19th century, the accordion was officially patented in 1829 in Vienna by Cyrill Demian. Its operation, however, is based on a much older principle: the free reed, inherited from the sheng, an ancient instrument from China. Conceived from its origin as a practical instrument, capable of simultaneously producing melody and accompaniment, it underwent rapid development throughout the 19th century thanks to technical innovations that enriched its keyboard and expanded its sonic possibilities.

Rapidly adopted by popular circles, the accordion traveled with European migrations and became permanently established in many musical cultures: from French musette to Eastern European traditions, passing through Latin American repertoires. It comes in several forms - diatonic, chromatic, or with a piano keyboard - and gradually gains in complexity. Long associated with a folk image, it is now prominent in traditional music, jazz, contemporary creation, and the classical scene.

A Passion to Transmit

Long associated with popular music, the accordion takes on its full meaning when Thomas Kassis, a great lover of this instrument, offers it to those who know how to listen. As he says, this instrument feeds his soul and opens celestial doors. People endowed with humanism and sensitivity know how to appreciate the spiritual dimension of the accordion, today threatened by a "totally dehumanized" world, laments Thomas.

For him, the most important thing is that the accordion endures. Hence the importance of introducing it to children naturally, and not through simplified instruments where one just needs to press a button to generate a melody. For Thomas, this is a heresy that stifles all creativity.

The Power of Music in a Country in Crisis

Thomas Kassis's story may not be exceptional, but it becomes unique in the current context of absolute violence, where dreams and poetry struggle to find their place. Ironically, it is in the midst of the Spring of Poets, whose theme this year is "Freedom. A living force, deployed," that Thomas walks the streets, scattering a few notes capable of instilling strength and energy in the Lebanese people, battered by wars and crises, but still carrying a fragile zest for life.

Further proof that this instrument, whose unique sound evokes cheerfulness, can unite, encourage rethinking happiness, that fleeting moment that keeps escaping us.