Umm Kulthum

Umm Kulthum (* 1898-1910, probably on May 4, 1904 in Tammai az- Zahaira; † February 3, 1975 in Cairo, Arab أم كلثوم, DMG ʾ Umm Kulṯūm, Egyptian Arabic ʾ Umm Kalsum, alternative spellings, among other Oum Kalsoum and Umm Kultum; actually ʾ ʾ Ibrāhīm Umm Kulṯūm Fatima al- Sayyid al - Baltaǧī ) was an Egyptian singer and musician. Her fame in the Arab world is comparable to that of Maria Callas and the Beatles in the western world.

Life

Childhood and youth

Umm Kulthum grew up with two siblings in a poor family in a small village in the province ad Daqahliyya on, her devout and pious father was the imam of the local mosque. At her insistence, her parents allowed her to attend the madrasa.

To supplement the family income, her father sang at religious ceremonies and as Koranrezitator, accompanied by a small orchestra and his son. With about five years, Umm Kulthum began to imitate her father secretly, when he noticed that he let them sing and noticed that they had many of his pieces already appropriated. That same day, she sang for the first time publicly at a party, as a result, her father taught her and her brother in the song and it reinforced his father's ensemble.

The ensemble earned, not least by Umm Kulthums singing increasing regional awareness and traveled widely in the Nile Delta. With her age, but her father fell into a moral dilemma: The appearance Umm Kulthums before male audience was no longer compatible with the rules of decency, but in order not to lose Umm Kulthum as a singer, he let her wear boy clothes over several years, with which they deceived the public. Because of its reputation but this was soon no longer a secret, and as her father, this was clear, he told her further appearances and asked them to look for a husband. Umm Kulthum, however, rejected all applicants, since no one was willing to let them continue to sing and perform. At the same time commitment went for the paternal ensemble Umm Kulthum without drastically and after some time her father gave in, she stepped on again.

Cairo

For many years this was limited " career " in their home region. 1920, however, she met Sheikh Zakariyya Ahmad, which they sang; he said he " has since never forget her voice " gave her commitment in Cairo, trying to pick up there. This suggestion, however, her family opposed. Ahmad and Umm Kulthum met again and he composed for them. Later, the two quarreled because of the royalties for the compositions and Ahmad Umm Kulthum sued therefore, their friendship broke up.

In 1923 she happened to meet the admired of her Sheikh Abu al - Ila, at the time of the " leading religious singer in Egypt and the main representative of the classical Islamic tradition of song ," Abu al - Ila taught them and taught them especially " how the meaning of words in tones expressed ". He suggested again that they would prefer to Cairo, because only there can appropriately grow their talent. After a serious argument with her father finally gave in to this, together with her father and her brother, she moved to Cairo.

Your rural and conservative style of singing was in Cairo as outdated and obsolete, her voice as well as her appearance lacked polish. With financial support from her father, she took singing lessons, learned to play the oud, renewed their repertoire and adopted no later than 1924/1925 for the first time on. In 1928 she was already considered one of the leading singers of the city.

In May 1934, Umm Kulthum consecrated the first Egyptian radio station Radio Cairo a ..

International career

In 1932 she led her first international tour, among others, to Damascus, Baghdad, Beirut and Tripoli, 1935, she began a temporary film career. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "Golden Age " of her singing at the same time, she succeeded at this time, to take complete artistic control over their careers and to play important roles in the music business.

Over the decades, led Umm Kulthum her career continued successfully, her fame grew steadily there, and they gradually became a national symbol. After an almost sixty-year career on stage and many hundreds of shots she died in 1975 on a Nephritis after already since the 1930s similar health problems, for example with liver and bile had. At her funeral, several million mourners gathered in the streets of Cairo, the coffin with her body was taken from the actual vehicles and handed over three hours in numerous windings through the crowded streets of Cairo.