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Umm Kulthum |
The pyramids, Alexandria, the temples of Luxor, and of course Umm Kulthum, whose voice once reverberated in every Egyptian home, are all mentioned while discussing Egypt. The image of a family getting together and listening to Umm Kulthum's voice on the radio in the morning while sipping Egyptian tea on the balcony and appreciating the beauty of her voice is one that Egyptians frequently imagine. It was a voice that had the power to break hearts, start revolutions, and calm troubled souls. A voice that reverberated through the world's busy cities and Egypt's deserts. She was a legend in addition to being a singer. Her voice still reverberates decades later. A voice that cuts across language, culture, and time. She was a representation of beauty and elegance and the queen of Arabic music. Umm Kulthum is a name that connotes passion, beauty, and unending love.
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| Umm Kulthum |
"Lady of Arabic Singing" and "Star of the East" are two titles that have been bestowed upon this Egyptian singer and actress. Out of the approximately 320 songs she played, "Al-Atlal" was listed as one of the top 100 songs written in the 20th century. Umm Kulthum, whose real name is Fatima Ibrahim Al-Sayed Al-Beltagy, was born on May 4, 1908, in the Egyptian town of Tamai Al-Zahaira (Dakahlia Governorate). In 1954, she wed Dr. Hassan Al-Hafnawi, her physician, and stayed with him until her passing.
She acquired a conventional religious education and memorized the Holy Quran because her father was a muezzin at the village mosque and sang muwashshahat during religious festivals and seasons. She also started joining her father's singing group at a young age. When Umm Kulthum was ten years old, her father recognized a song in her voice, which sparked her artistic career. She obtained the chance to sing in his singing band after he made the decision that she would join him in performing at the events and parties to which he was invited. Sheikh Ibrahim El-Beltagy met renowned composers Abu El-Ela Mohamed and Sheikh Zakaria Ahmed in 1916. They persuaded him to leave the town and relocate to Cairo, which was known for its wealth, renown, and art. This was a sea change in Umm Kulthum's life, particularly after she and her family moved to Cairo permanently in 1921.
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| Umm Kulthum |
Sheikh Abu El-Ela Mohamed wrote the song "El-Seb Tafdihu Oyouno" for Umm Kulthum, who started performing live. Ahmed Rami wrote the lyrics. Then, in 1924, she met Mohamed El-Qasabgi, a pianist, who started to develop her artistically. Instead of her group of turbaned guys, he picked the first musical "takht" for her. She then removed the "abaya and agal" and changed into her everyday attire. She became well-known in 1928 after the monologue "If I Forgive and Forget Grief" sold the most copies. However, a significant turning point in her artistic career occurred in 1935 when she met the then-young composer Riad Al-Sunbati, whose first piece for her was "On the Beloved's Country and My Religion." She and the artist Mohamed Abdel Wahab had a rivalry from the start that lasted until their reconciliation in the 1960s. He wrote her first song, "You Are My Life," in 1964, and the musician Riad Al-Sunbati gave her the song "Al-Atlal" in 1966, which critics regarded as one of the 100 greatest songs of the 20th century.
Mohammed Abdel Wahab
In the late 1950s, she met Baligh Hamdi, a young composer at the time, who showed her his early works, including "Inta Fein and Love Fein," "Ansak," and other catchy tunes. She sang for the majority of well-known modern poets, including Ahmed Shawqi, Hafez Ibrahim, Ahmed Rami, Ibrahim Naji, Saudi Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal, Sudanese Al-Hadi Adam, and poet Muhammad Iqbal. She carefully chose the lyrics of her songs and was eager to bring them closer to audiences who were hungry for art and music. Millions of Arabs eagerly anticipated Umm Kulthum's concerts, which were broadcast on Egyptian radio on the first Thursday of each month, and she had an enduring impression on the world of real singing.
Umm Kulthum performed 320 songs that were written and composed by
well-known authors and composers. She was particularly skilled at performing
lengthy and ancient poems, such as "Nahj Al-Burda," "Salwa
Qalbi," "Walad Al-Huda," "Arak Asi Al-Dam'," and
"Rubaiyat Al-Khayyam," and she was also praised for her religious
singing. Among the songs she was able to sing with emotion were "Ent Omri,"
"Al-Atlal," "Al-Hob Kollo," "Arouh Lemeen," and
"Aghdan Alqaak."
Between 1935 and 1948, she acted and sang in six different movies:
"Wedad," "Nasheed Al-Amal," "Dinars,"
"Aida," "Salama," and finally "Fatima."
The Order of Perfection from King Farouk, the State Appreciation Award
The Order of Perfection in Egypt from King Farouk, the State Appreciation Award in Egypt in the 1960s, the Lebanese Cedar Medal, the Jordanian Renaissance Medal, the Iraqi Order of the Two Rivers, the Syrian Order of Merit, and the Pakistani Star of Merit Medal are just a few of the numerous honors and medals that Umm Kulthum received during her artistic career from both Arab and foreign nations.
Following kidney inflammation, Umm Kulthum passed away on February 3, 1975, and was buried in Cairo amid a lavish burial attended by millions of people.