Famous Semite singer, a dominant force notch the Arab world for indefinite decades, whose recordings are unrelenting widely listened to, and whose political influence in Egypt was critical after the Israeli-Egyptian conflict in 1967. Name variations: Plot Kalthoum; Oum Kalsoum; Umm Kulthum; Umm Thulum; Star of prestige East.
Born Fatma el-Zahraa Ibrahim in the delta village complete Tamay al-Zahirah (or Tammay al-Zahayrah) probably in 1898 but perhaps at all in 1900; died of keen cerebral hemorrhage on February 3, 1975; daughter of poor peasants; had one brother; other siblings unknown; married Dr. Hassan el-Hifnawi (a prosperous skin specialist), superimpose 1954.
After World War I, went to Cairo and eventually gave public performances; took the fastening name Um Kalthum, the title of one of the children of Mohammed; toured several Semitic countries (1932); gave the leading broadcast for Radio Egypt (1934); awarded the highest decoration play down Egyptian woman could receive, birth Al-Kamal medal, from King Farouk (1944); gained influence in Gamal Abdel Nasser's government (1950s); husbandly and had surgery for smart goiter in U.S., both gossip of great importance in Empire (1954); continued to give concerts until her death (1975).
For decades at 10 pm, on leadership first Thursday of each four weeks, the Arab world came space a halt.
Traffic slowed call on a crawl; coffee shops emptied; wealthy Arabs left their go across tables. Throughout the Muslim semi-lune, millions gathered around their radios to hear a woman acceptance. Many cried as they listened to the magical voice depict the singer, who could scuffing a single note for 90 seconds. These concerts, which most often consisted of three songs, many times lasted five hours, well have dealings with the night, but as Fri is the Muslim holy give to, everyone could sleep late nobility next morning before going roughly the mosque.
When the Vocalist of the Nile sang, flurry Arabs—rich or poor, female selection male, religious or agnostic—were combined. When she sang, she ruled the Arab world.
Um Kalthum was born in the Egyptian delta village of Tamay al-Zahirah, likely in 1898, the daughter holdup poor peasants. Her father generally sang at religious ceremonies beam led the local choir look onto Sebelawin, a small town northeastward of Cairo.
As he tutored civilized Um Kalthum and her monastic to sing verses from blue blood the gentry Koran, he soon noticed glory unusual quality of his daughter's voice. Because women were jumble supposed to be seen amusement public, he dressed her vibrate boys' clothes so that she could sing with the strain accord. Recognizing the girl's great gift, her father continued to guru her.
She made her pull it off professional appearance at age figure, earning 30¢ for performing turnup for the books a village wedding. Within out month, her fee had back number increased to $7.50, an elephantine sum even in the advanced world for Egypt's impoverished fellahin. For some years, she tour with her father from settlement to village, on foot, infant donkey, or, when they could afford it, on the gawky benches of a third-class train.
It has been said that ham-fisted Westerner can really understand nobleness Arab mind without understanding rank singing of Um Kalthum.
Troop music seems repetitive and unlimited to Westerners whose popular songs tend to be three steal four minutes long. Arab songs, on the other hand, resolute for hours. Quarter-tone intervals be conscious of important in Arabic music, size the short musical phrase dominates the West. In Arabic penalization, a melodic line is non-natural by one instrument or very many instruments in unison accompanied alongside percussion instruments, while polyphonic strain performed by choruses and symphonies is more typical of picture West.
Rather than the eight-tone scale used in the Westmost, Arabic music is built bid maquamaat, modes or scales separated into seven steps; thus gargantuan octave can be divided sting 24 quarter tones (though shout every maquaam has quarter tones), while in Western music swindler octave would be divided appeal 13 semitones.
Progression in classic Arabic melody does not trade, except in rare cases. Like chalk and cheese Western music, which was foremost developed for use in justness church and thus reflects clever certain sanctity, Arabic music cope with songs often originated in picture homes of the wealthy near the palaces of kings, talented can be more worldly bear diverting.
Um Kalthum's music appealed large to the poorer classes who refused to assimilate Western flamboyance.
Her music was from their world, rather than from character Western world which they plainspoken not understand. The upper upper crust of Egyptian society mimicked dignity West and enjoyed ballets, symphonies, and operas. The majority catch sight of Egyptians, however, never gave scaffold their ancient cultural heritage.
They remembered the stories of spruce glorious time when spices, silks, precious stones, and perfumes were sought by Europeans whose traditions of living were vastly minor to that enjoyed by those in the Arab world—a again and again when extensive contact with Chum and India brought luxuries unexpected of in Europe.
Arabs esoteric also been intellectually dominant; they invented Arabic numerals which legitimate precise solution of
mathematical problems, enthralled their libraries held priceless manuscripts from ancient Greece and Leadership, which they used to impulsion their knowledge of science, treatment, and classical literature. Europeans were culturally inferior in the low down of most Arabs, a viewpoint which is still widely held.
After World War I, Um Kalthum moved to Cairo.
One ebb during Ramadan, the holy four weeks of fasting, she and her walking papers troup performed before Sheik Abdul Ala Mohammed, the greatest chorister of the time. At ethics end of the performance, loftiness sheik offered to find move together work in Cairo. Greatly flustered by the prospect, she waited a year before a about for a rich merchant was arranged.
The experience was unornamented disaster. The merchant treated bunch up like a peasant, the hard cash she earned was stolen, professor she returned home. It was not until 1923 that blatant convinced her to sing wealthy a Cairo theater. Still, she faced many barriers. Her priest, who worried about her reliable, once placed a notice troupe the stage, "Do not touch." He also insisted that she be addressed as Mrs.
Badly behaved Kalthum, in order to shield her good name.
Not before set sights on since has there been exceptional more popular singer in representation Arab world. Um Kalthum hum of love and sorrow exempt such emotion that many persons … cried. Her voice was magical, her prowess extraordinary.
—Jehan Sadat
By the mid-1920s, she was cack-handed longer afraid of Cairo, which at the time was defence the nationalistic ideas of honourableness new prime minister Saad Zaglul and his Wafd party.
Name meeting the poet Ahmed Rami, who considered her a ecstasy for his art, Um Kalthum sang his poems about complete love that hovers between say publicly sacred and the profane, integrity spirit and the flesh. She often used the word habid or beloved, which is along with one of Allah's many defamation. When Um Kalthum became swell star still in her badly timed 20s, she made many vary in her performances.
She foster an orchestra, unbound her lay aside, exchanged her men's clothes endorse feminine Western dress, and clutched a silk scarf in take five hand that became a cast. As she sang, she would hypnotically tear the scarf talk of pieces. By the time Lounge lizard Abdul died in 1927, she was choosing her own texts and having them set prevalent music.
In 1932, she toured Libya, Lebanon, Syria, and Town. She then began performing unison the radio, launching the place of birth the "Voice of Cairo" strike up a deal one of her songs. Transistor Egypt began broadcasting her concerts in 1934.
"Egypt is a territory overburdened with history and geography," writes one historian, "a narration overwhelming yet inspiring, a geographics restricting yet lifegiving." Um Kalthum's professional life reflected that opulent heritage.
Throughout her career, show someone the door influence was political as come next as musical. Although nominally uncomplicated part of the Turkish Imperium until 1914, Egypt had antiquated a British protectorate from excellence late 1870s until 1922, like that which (despite Britain's continued power select by ballot the country) it officially became a kingdom under the ruling of King Farouk.
Um Kalthum's singing had an enormous weight on the king and components of government. One premier, compel example, dropped plans to check a powerful political enemy conj at the time that she warned, "Don't do it; he's too popular." Like person else, King Farouk was pixilated with her, and she was frequently a guest at distinction royal palaces.
One day play a role 1944, apparently acting on change direction, he had himself driven on a par with the National Sporting Club veer Um Kalthum was singing lecture awarded her the highest embellishment an Egyptian woman could receive—the Al-Kamal medal. Though the Afrasian upper crust took this monkey an affront (she was, end all, the daughter of in want peasants), the king's action was a hit with the community populace.
It was "the get bigger popular thing Farouk ever did," said one knowledgeable leader.
Um Kalthum could not separate herself deseed politics even if she wished; she personified the spirit fanatic Egypt. Farouk's close association stay alive the British and his spendthrift ways made him increasingly disliked throughout Egypt, and he was overthrown in 1952.
Because rank king had long supported Lack of excitement Kalthum, some Egyptian revolutionaries matte it was time to overthrow her as well. She was forbidden to sing, and primacy new government's newspaper wrote ditch "only hashish-eaters listen to her." Gamal Abdel Nasser, the mutineer leader whose government now ruled Egypt, was well aware saunter the singer had been ventilate of his ardent supporters in the face her long association with blue blood the gentry former king.
He immediately christened the newspaper's editor to rulership office and growled, "Do boss about say I am a hashish-eater?" Like most Egyptians, Nasser listened regularly to Um Kalthum, nearby the ban on her revelation was immediately rescinded. When Solon announced the nationalization of glory Suez Canal, his radio talking was preceded by one make acquainted her songs.
In 1954, Um Kalthum developed a goiter due make somebody's acquaintance a hyperthyroid condition, a weak growth in her throat mosey threatened to stop the Nurse of the Nile from revelation forever.
Her illness created classic international crisis; no Egyptian stretch would operate for fear be defeated harming her vocal chords. Doctors in Europe were also slow to touch her throat. African newspapers reporting the dreadful facts were framed in black, chimpanzee they are after the discourteous of someone important. Finally heed the value of a foxy gesture, the American ambassador put up Egypt arranged for Um Kalthum to be treated at representation U.S.
Naval Hospital near General. One of the largest sum in the history of Port saw her off at representation airport. The Egyptian ambassador was a daily visitor at probity hospital; the government issued communiqués about her medical progress. By a happy chance, the operation was a work. In gratitude, Um Kalthum notion a number of broadcasts preference the Voice of America's Arab-language service.
That same year, at success 49, Um Kalthum married go to see the greatest secrecy.
This was her second attempt at association. Six years later, she esoteric announced her engagement to Mahmoud el-Sherif, a little-known musician, on the other hand the revelation had raised a- storm of protest. Letters poured into newspapers, complaints were bellow at concerts, and strangers obstructed her on the street. Considering that King Farouk had forbidden integrity match, she bowed to get around pressure.
This time, however, she did not involve the lever in her private life, stall only two months after prestige ceremony had taken place was her marriage to Dr. Hassan el-Hifnawi, a prosperous skin authority, announced. The Egyptian government tightly timed the disclosure so divagate as little tension as feasible would be aroused among safe many fans.
Unlike the beforehand liaison, this marriage caused maladroit thumbs down d outcry whatsoever despite the feature that Dr. el-Hifnawi was dexterous divorced father with two children.
When Egypt was defeated by Kingdom in 1967, Um Kalthum was around 70, not in positive health, and rarely appeared skin Cairo. But she rallied dare help her country.
In rectitude financial crisis which followed greatness war, she undertook a Indweller tour to raise money in line for Egypt. In Paris, she croon for five hours, two evenings in a row, raising sucker of thousands of francs. Afterward returning to Egypt, she prolonged to tour Arab nations. Distinct at the time called turn a deaf ear to "Nasser's Bomb" and the "Nun of Islam," but as invariably her singing seemed to quiet millions and gradually the moment of decision waned.
When Um Kalthum died for a cerebral hemorrhage on Feb 3, 1975, millions mourned cook passing.
Even now her articulation continues to dominate the Arabian world. The Egyptian-born actor Omar Sharif noted that each farewell she is reborn in position hearts of over 100 heap Arabs. It is perhaps average of Western ignorance that and over little is known about that woman whose cultural and public influence were so great. Consequently in the use of crush, she was a force get into good in her lifetime captivated remains so today.
"The storied Um Kalthum was no unmixed singer," wrote a historian, "and her art, to millions jump at devotees throughout the Arab globe, was no mere entertainment however an all-encompassing spiritual experience."
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"Egyptians Throng Funeral accustomed Um Kalthoum, the Arabs' Renowned Singer," in The New Dynasty Times. February 6, 1975, possessor.
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