Shams el Assil (2nd paragraph) June 7, 1956

I don't know why I am in "Shams el Assil" mood these days!!! It might have to something to do with the beginning of the beautiful weather here in Canada (lots of sunshine these days, don't want to jinx it though).

True it is a great song (this qualifier seems to apply to all Oum Kasloum's songs prior to the 1960s), but Kalsoumoholics usually won't indicate this song among their top favourites. Yet, there is something whimsical about it, and I think that it transports you into the setting that Bayram describes in the lyrics. Whatever it is, I have been listening to almost every performance of this song in my possession lately.

Here I present the second paragraph, i.e the one following the opening that I posted last week, but from an earlier concert (less than 2 weeks actually). The whole performance is great, and I will be uploading more of it in the future.
In this paragraph, Oum Kalsoum compares the purity of her relationship with her lover to that of the Nile. Again, Oum Kalsoum did not improvise melodic lines in this paragraph, yet she made some astonishing colourful variations on the word "safaq" (purity) @ 1:34, 2:36, 5:33, 6:06 (wonderful)
hawak (1:50, 2:08, 3:05, 3:24, 6:36 and 6:51 (last two miraculously beautiful)
Also notice how she inflames the audience when she says "you (Nile) and we (my lover and I) are unmatched in beauty at 4:32.

Stunning rendition!

Opening of Shams el Assil 18-6-1956

Here is a an excerpt of a song that I have been continuously listening to over the last week. I have listened to 4 different performances and all of them are wonderful and unique, and hence it was difficult to choose what to upload.
Knowing that I will end up uploading all parts that transport me into an ecstatic state, I chose for this week the opening of the song from a concert held to celebrate departure of the last English troops from Egypt. President Gamal Abd el Nasser had invited representatives of Arab and Western nations to attend this concert.


Shams el Assil translates into "Sunset" and the song is a portrayal of the sunset over the Nile written by the famous colloquial poet Bayram El Tounsi. The music is composed by Riad el Sombati.
The lyrics translate into (forgive my poor translation skills):
The sunset turned into gold the leaves of the palm trees, O Nile
a masterpiece portrayed in your album O beautiful

And the flute sang on the banks
And the bodies swang
when the fresh breeze passed swiftly O Nile

(the last 3 lines are the chorus and start after the ad lib singing)

Although there are no improvisations in this excerpt, I am mesmerized by the sound quality: it almost feels like you're sitting in the front row of the Army Club where the concert was held. To be able to experience this is a dream that every Kalsoumholic has, particularly since the overwhelming majority of Oum Kalsoum's recordings during her golden years are of mediocre quality. So, this is how Oum Kalsoum sounded in her 50s, a voice of full blown maturity and control.

Notice her miraculous vibrattos at 1:59 and 3:04; how she whispers the word "touhfa" (masterpiece) at 2:01, making the difficult and rather rough letter "h" coming out of her mouth softly and effortlessly. Notice how she breaks her voice at the word "gamil" (beaiutiful) at 3:30 to picture the breathtaking beauty of the Nile.

Also notice the predominance of the flute in the chorus as of 4:35. The composer wants to match the music to the lyrics and he gave the flute a wonderful role that is simultaneously obvious and subtle. The whole chorus music makes you wanna swing, exactly like the lyrics picture the people swinging to the sound of the flute playing on the banks of the Nile at sunset...and Oum extends and breaks the vowel "i" in "betmil" (swing) to illustrate the movement @ 4:51 and 5:15.
I also like how she plays with the Arabic letter "h" "ح" in both words "houboub" and "hawa" where she switches between the correct pronunciation as she delivers it the first time and one that sounds more like "gh" "غ" as in "hawa" at 5:34 and 5:38. I don't know why she plays with this letter as such, and she does it often in her songs. I have been told that the correct delivery of the Arabic letter "h" "ح" in a song expels a lot of air from the lung, which could compromise the breath control of the singer and that involving the epiglottis and tongue to produce the sound "gh" "غ" spares some air. But I find it also very amusing and interesting that she employs this technique mostly with one word "hawa" in all her songs, which beside meaning breeze or wind, also means "love". On the other hand, "ghawa" with the "غ" means flirting and seduction in Arabic. In a predominantly sexually repressed Arab society, subtle sexual allusions were often employed in vocal art, particularly since in the context of this song, Oum is comparing the beauty of the Nile to the beauty of the love she's experiencing with her lover. Subtle sexual references are also used in the addition of the word "ah" before "ya nile" at 5:51 and 5:58 and the raising of the pitch at the letter "i" in "alil" (fresh) at 6:06 and "Nile" at 6:08. Finally listen the cadence of the closure from 6:11 til the end. This cadence, which is termed "qafla" or "closure" in Arabic music, is one of the most difficult parts of a singing rendition and its execution requires great vocal control in order to avoid faultering. Oum Kalsoum was renown for her complete mastering of this skill.

Enjoy:)

Excerpt of "ana fi intidharak" March 3, 1955

This is an excerpt of "ana fi intidharak" (I'm waiting for you) as performed on the night of March 3, 1955. This song is very special to me because it was the first Oum Kalsoum song I had ever heard (back in the Spring of 1993). However, this performance is different from the commercial (which is amazing as well). The difference is in the section where Oum Kalsoum displays her creative improvisations. In this approx. 18 min excerpt, Oum Kalsoum focuses on the verse "at'alleb 'ala gamr ennar w' atsharrad waya el afkar" (I roll over burning charcoals and I wander with my thoughts), which is a metaphor for her passionate and painful awaiting for her lover and his haunting image. The haunting theme is very well illustrated by her repetitions of the stance "w atsharrad wayya el efkar (I wander with my thoughts).

What is remarkable in this impro is the creation of a whole new melodic line on the aforementioned stance that becomes the focal point of the whole impros. Now. I will guide you through the highlights of the impro:

the first 40 sec are the original melody of the verse as set by the composer Zakariyya Ahmad

@ 1:53 Oum returns to the original melody, but is interrupted by the audience who shows appreciation, a positive feedback to extend the impros.

@ 2:25 The melodic line "wayya el afkar" (with the thoughts) will become the focal point of the whole impros: Oum will repeat it over and over, move away and return to it.

@ 2:40 this melodic line inflames the audience, another sign that it needs to be exploited

@ 2:50 the orchestra seals the deal by translating the melodic line performed by Oum on their instruments, thereby giving the impression that this is the original melody of the verse (I should point out here that Oum Kalsoum's instrumentalists play without musical notes because it is useless when a performance is based on impros; she had behind her the most accomplished instrumentalists of Egypt, and this contributed tremendously to her success and the quality of her performances )

@ 4:34 the orchestra helps Oum establish the mood of the impros by reiterating the melodic line; thereafter Oum will always have a point of return to this melody.

@ 5:00 note the percussions and the variations on the word "at'alleb" (I roll)

@ 6:16 She adds the pronoun "ana" (I) to the verb "at'alleb" (roll) (In Arabic one doesn't need to place the subject before the verb because the verb is conjugated in such a way to show who the subject is), so her addition emphasizes her personal experience and suffering. The accompaniment by the percussionist is amazing as metric impros are among the most difficult (note how she breaks the sentence, and the percussionist assists her in this).

@ 7:07 returns to the focal melody of the impros in a way that is effortless

@ 7:42 her emphasis on "ana at'alleb" (I roll) takes the audience by force

@ 8:08 Oum returns to the original melody of the verse (but the impros are far from being over)

@ 9:04 a new verse "ennesma a'hsibha khoutak w el hamsa a'hsibha loghak" (I hear your steps with the breeze and your voice in any whisper) "'ala kida asba'ht w amset w shafouni w 'alou tganneit" (as such I spent my days and whoever saw me said she lost her mind)

she repeats the second stance "ala kida...." 5 times with a small extension and pause at the word word "tganneit" (lost her mind) at 10:02 that changes the rhythm without disturbing it and that inflames the audience, causing her to stop and reiterates impros from I roll over burning charcoal

@ 11:18 she raises her pitch at the impros of "at'allab" to emphasize the suffering. Note the beautiful strings of the zither (cithare) and how the luth is setting the rhythm in these non-metric impros

@ 12:32 the way she utters "al hamsa" (whisper) is exactly like a whisper, which inflames the audience

@ 12:59 note the beautiful percussions

@ 13:13 note the stong strings of the luth

@ 13:30 the percussionist predicts what she is about to do and set her return to the focal improvised melody (which isn't anymore improvised by the way)

@ 14:00 somebody utters "Allah" (oh God), most likely a totally ecstatic member of her orchestra

@ 14:11 re-emphasis on "ana at'alleb" (I roll)

@ 15:52 effortless return to the original melody and end of improvisation.

N.B: comments/additions are most welcome.

Excerpt of Houwa Sahih el Hawa Ghallab, Rabat, March 12, 1968

Despite her advanced age (around 70), Oum Kalsoum was in a great mood that evening of March 12 1968 in Rabat, Morocco.
This song is Houwa Sahih el hawa Ghallab (It's true that love conquers), first performed at the end of 1960, and it was the last collaboration between Oum Kalsoum and the composer Zakariyya Ahmad. The song is typical Zakariyya's style in composing, such as it gives the singer plenty of opportunuties to improvise. In this performance, Oum Kalsoum made over 45 variations on a single verse: "Just a glance, which I considered a greeting, but it was so furtive, was it carrying promises, vows, separation and pain?" but she focused mostly on the first part (until furtive). The impro extends over 30 minm but unfortunately this is the longest excerpt available on youtube. What I would like to draw your attention to was her emphasis on the letter "n" in "nazra" (glance), which could evoke confusion over the intention behind the glance, desire to extend the glance, and flirting with the eyes....notice also her treatments of the word "salam" (greeting) and "awam" (furtive) which evoke her disappointment through the extension and breaking of the syllable "aaaaaaaaaa". Also, enjoy the dynamics of her relationship with the audience; how she excited them and how in turn, their excitment ovation fed her imagination. Just for the record, this part is edited on the video as there are at least 5 min missing between the audience long ovation and the part that follows. beautiful impros are missing

Welcome

Hello fellow readers and welcome to my blog "Oum Kalsoum: The Star of the East":

As its name indicates, this blog is dedicated to Oum Kalsoum (circa 1900 - 1975) (also pronounced and spelled Umm Kulthum), known as the Star of the East (Kawkab E'Sharq), the Diva of Arabic singing (Sayyiedat el Ghina' el 'Arabi), the Nightingale of the Nile (Karawan E' Nil).

The idea of creating this blog has been flirting with my thoughts for a long time, but I must admit I lack time and resources (computer literacy) to put my vision into action. I owe it to my cousin Gaby, an internet geek, and ironically, not an Oum Kalsoum fan at all, to talk me into creating this blog.

So, let's start with a little bit of a background:

Why Oum Kalsoum?

Most people who are reading this blog already know who Oum Kalsoum is and why I would choose to blog about her. But, for those who don't or those who would like to know more, Oum Kalsoum was unequivocally the most popular Arab singer in the 20th century. Virginia Danielson, curator of the Archive of World Music and keeper of Isham Memorial Library at Harvard University, and author of the book "The Voice of Egypt" describes Oum Kalsoum in these words: "Imagine a singer with the virtuosity of Joan Sutherland or Ella Fitzgerald, the public persona of Eleanor Roosevelt, and the audience of Elvis Presley, and you have Umm Kulthum, the most accomplished singer of her century in the Arab world".

It is really this combination of of vocal prowess, creativity and charisma that made Umm Kulthum the leading Arab singer of the 20th century. Undeniably, there are other beautiful, perhaps more beautiful voices that were contemporary to Umm Kulthum, most notably Asmahan and Fairuz. Asmahan's tragic death at an early age in 1944 left speculations of what the artistic scene would have been had she lived. Fairuz, a Lebanese singer with a resounding angelic voice, had her artistic career shaped by her husband and brother-in-law, the Rahbani Brothers, crafting a totally different musical style from the prevalent Egyptian one. Fairuz and the Rahbani Brothers reaped tremendous success and popularity as a result of this alternative style. However, both Asmahan and Fairuz lacked (or failed to nurture and display) one of the most essential assets to genuine Arabic singing: the ability to be melodically and vocally creative with any given composition.

Until the 2nd third of the 20th century, Arabic singing relied very little on written compositions; barely was musical annotation even used. The "job" of the composer was to define the skeleton (mode or maqam) of the melody to be sung, but it was up to the singer to elaborate and add, feeding on his/her mood and the reaction and encouragement of the audience. The craftsmanship of the singer, more than the beauty of his/her voice, was a determinant of his/her success and popularity.

It is not the objective of this blog to study traditional Arabic music, and honestly, my knowledge in this area is very limited. For those interested in learning more about classical Oriental music, I would strongly encourage you to visit http://zamanalwasl.net/forums/index.php. This forum deals exclusively with classical Oriental music with emphasis on Arabic music. It contains sections related to regional music (Middle Eastern, North African, Persian, Turkish etc...) and a whole section on Oum Kalsoum, but its main focus is the "nahda" musical era of Egypt (1904-1934). This period describes the heritage of classical Egyptian vocal art when the phonograph was introduced into Egypt at the turn of the century. (1904) Then, the leading vocalists, such as Abd el Hay Hilmi, Yusuf el Manyalawi, Sallama Higazi and others, recorded traditional musical genres (dawr, mouashah, qasida, mouwwal) composed by Abdo el Hamuli, Muhammad 'Othman, and other prominent artists of the 19th century. These recordings illustrate the craftsmanship I referred to above as one could witness how a single song can be treated differently by different performers, and even by the same performer in a different recording. Many mainstream musical critics, ironically Arabs, condescend this style of music and singing, characterizing it as "unrefined". In their opinion, Arabic music revolution was initiated at the end of the 2nd decade of the 20th century by Sayyid Darwish (1892-1923), and continued (even completed) predominantly by Mohammad Abd el Wahab (1902-1991). I, and many others, do not agree with this view because we do not see that westernization of Arabic music is the inevitable path to refinement and evolution. While I do believe in cultural cross-talks and influences, I also believe that the authenticity of cultural heritage should always shine through these influences and not be masked by them. Good counter-examples to Abd el Wahab are Muhammad el Qasabgi, Zakariyya Ahmad and Riad el Sombati, who were the main composers of Oum Kalsoum songs. Surrounded by these genuises of melodies, Oum Kalsoum played a major role in transitioning Arabic singing from classical to popular. As such, she is often referred to as the ultimate heiress of classical Arabic singing that relies on the craftsmanship of improvisation. However, Oum Kalsoum's singing style changed throughout her life; particularly, the last quarter of her career (1960-1973) witnessed a reduction in the occurrence and extent of improvised segments during her performances, mainly due to declining vocal abilities and changing trends in musical taste. Her collaboration with Muhammad Abd el Wahab starting 1964 with the song Inta Omri (You are my life) is considered by many as the beginning of the steep downhill of her artistic career. This song, along with similar others that followed it, achieved tremendous popular success. Thus, it appears that Oum Kalsoum, who was renown for her wit and perspicacity, sacrificed her loyalty to her musical heritage for the sake of her popularity, and she certainly succeeded: nowadays, her most popular (but certainly not her most valuable) repertoire is constituted of songs from that period. If appropriately exploited, this phenomenon could be turned into an opportunity, which is one of the objectives I would like to achieve with this blog: showcase Oum Kalsoum's true genius through excerpts of unique performances.

This is a tremendous task, and I acknowledge it might not have the impact I wish; therefore, I wanted the other objective of this blog to be purely personal; something I can derive satisfaction from simply by pouring my soul in it. Not a single day of my life passes without listening to Oum Kalsoum. Surprised, people ask me how I find time to listen to songs varying in length from a few minutes to over an hour. The answer is simple: I trained myself to listen to Oum Kalsoum. For a novice, especially someone who doesn't understand the language, it is next to impossible to play Oum Kalsoum while driving, working out, or simply as a background sound. She is too overwhelming!!! Appreciating Oum Kalsoum does not come naturally...it is a process and it requires investment: investment of time and investment of senses. But the reward is priceless: a musical experience that is completely ecstatic, simultaneously spiritual and sensual. Personally, I can't fathom a better musical experience than one where even a spontaneous, barely audible break in the voice or emphasis on a syllable can make you swing in enchantment and cause an uproar in the carefully listening audience. Thus, in this blog, I want to record and share with you, fellow readers, my thoughts and emotions as I experience Oum Kalsoum's singing.

Before I plunge into this rather ambitious journey, I want to note that most of the commercially available live recordings of Oum Kalsoum are devoid of what best characterized her performances: improvisation. I don't know why such is the case! We have many performances of the same song, but it is almost always the least interesting version that is commercialized!!! Fortunately, over this past decade, and thankfully to " idha'at el Aghani " (Station of Songs) in Cairo, many recordings, buried in the archives of the Voice of Cairo, were broadcasted. In addition, many collectors came forward with their valued rare recordings and started sharing them. With the advances in recording technology, most of these recordings have been digitalized (to various degrees of clarity and quality) and posted on websites such as http://zamanalwasl.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=50 and http://www.sama3y.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=54. Access to these websites requires registration (free).

While I strongly believe that a true Oum Kalsoum experience requires building the tension towards the climactic segment of the song, I recognize that this might not be realistic in the context of this blog. So, I will focus almost exclusively on the climactic segments of the songs, bearing in mind that in certain instances, they can be quite lengthy:)

I hope I will learn quickly and efficiently how to upload excerpts so I can achieve the objectives of this blog.