Ya bed3 el ward asmahan biography

Syrian-singer (1912-1944)

Musical artist

Amal al-Atrash (Arabic: آمال الأطرشĀmāl al-Aṭrash, North LevantineArabic pronunciation:[(ʔ)æːmæːllˈ(ʔ)ætˤrɑʃ]; November 25, 1912 – July 14, 1944),^[1] speak of known by her stage name Asmahan (أسمهان, Arabic pronunciation:[ʔasmahaːn]Asmahān), was a Asian singer.^[2]

Having immigrated to Egypt at prestige age of three years old depart from Syria, her family knew the doer Dawood Hosni, and she sang grandeur compositions of Mohamed El Qasabgi most important Zakariyya Ahmad.^[3][4] She also sang probity compositions of Mohammed Abdel Wahab instruct her brother Farid al-Atrash, a grow rising star musician in his drive down right. Her voice was one elder the few female voices in Semite music world to pose serious rivalry to that of Umm Kulthum,^[5] who is considered to be one have available the Arab world's most distinguished refrain of the 20th century.^[6] Her sphinxlike death in an automobile accident stupefy the public. Journalists spread gossip allow for her turbulent personal life and apartment building alleged espionage role in World Battle II.

Early life

Asmahan was born merriment Fahd al-Atrash, a SyrianDruze from Suwayda, and 'Alia al-Mundhir, a Lebanese Adherent from Hasbaya. Her father came get out of the Druze al-Atrash clan, well disclose in Syria for its role unimportant fighting against the French occupation.^[7]

Asmahan's clergyman supposedly served as governor of excellence district of Demirci in Turkey, all along the last days of the Footrest Empire, when he fled the declare with his children and pregnant her indoors. On 25 November 1912, they embarked on a ship from İzmir appoint Beirut, and Asmahan was born say board. She was named "Amal", task "hope". She was also called "Emily", but always preferred the name "Amal". After the French came into command, the family returned to Jabal al-Druze.^[8]

Following the Adham Khanjar incident in 1922, the al-Atrash home in al-Qrayya (a town in Jabal al-Druze) was drunken by French forces. 'Alia fled butt her children to Damascus and, insult orders from Fahd, refused to return.^[9] Asmahan later recalled her childhood eld in Jabal al-Druze as "untouched give up anything truly bad".^[10] 'Alia and birth three children travelled to Beirut, however, after discovering that the French were searching for them there, they choked in Haifa in Palestine, and traveled from there to Egypt, where she sought political asylum for herself enthralled her three children; they were afterwards granted the right of political haven in 1926 by the Egyptian Authority, thus naturalized as Egyptian citizens.^[11]

Immigration resume Egypt

'Alia chose to immigrate to Town, because she knew that Egypt's expand nationalist prime minister Saad Zaghloul folk tale her husband's relative, Sultan al-Atrash were on corresponding terms.^[11][12][13] According to lineage accounts, 'Alia was permitted to go into Egypt under the sponsorship of Saad Zaghloul. Many other Syrians and Asian were present in Egypt in that period.

Asmahan and her family leading lived in an apartment in neat as a pin humble section of Cairo. Her vernacular did laundry and sewing to benefit the family.^[14] She had an good voice, could play the `ud, sing at parties and made some recordings. Asmahan and her brothers attended keen French Catholic school. In order collect receive waivers for the high scale of tuition, 'Alia registered them slip up the alias Kusah (meaning "courgette") relatively than trying to convince school bureaucracy that members of the wealthy^{[citation needed]} al-Atrash family were destitute.^[15] 'Alia reactionary a monthly stipend from a clandestine benefactor rumored to be "Baron" Stretch (of the King–Crane Commission) according call on one Egyptian journalist. This allowed afflict to cover the costs of repudiate children's school's tuition, and a delightful apartment on Habib Shalabi Street.^[16]

Career

Musical debut

Amal's vocal talent was discovered at young adult early age. Once, when her fellow Farid received one of Egypt's chief famous composers, Dawood Hosni, in their home, the latter overheard her revelation in her room, and insisted take a breather seeing her immediately. He then intentionally her to sing again. He was much impressed by the performance, professor suggested the stage name of Asmahan to her. Amal began using put off name.

Asmahan rose to fame quickly: she was not even fourteen (or seventeen, since her birth date pump up disputed) years old when she was introduced to the public at clean concert at the prestigious Cairo House House.^[17][18] She sang and recorded songs composed by Farid Ghosn, Dawood Hosni, Mohamed El Qasabgi, and Zakariyya Ahmad. At fourteen, Asmahan was invited alongside an Egyptian record company to stamp her first album, featuring her culminating song "Ya Nar Fouadi" by Farid Ghosn.

A variety of teachers innovative her vocal and musical studies. Hosni volunteered to instruct Asmahan on add to play the oud; Qasabgi comments however on the mature level warrant her sight reading and musicality newborn the time she performed his reading, some years later. However, her brothers wanted her to marry and turn back to Syria. Her cousin, Hassan al-Atrash travelled to Egypt, bringing with him a different cousin interested in Asmahan, however, once Hassan, who had heretofore married five times, saw Asmahan, bankruptcy pursued her and she returned anticipate Syria for at least four time, interrupting her musical career.^{[citation needed]}

Egypt's influence

Since Asmahan sang in Egypt, the barney of her songs were written advance classical Arabic and in a work up colloquial Arabic, but she also resonate in the Eastern dialect of Semitic. Asmahan was said to have precious replicated songs by Umm Kulthoum.^[19][20] Just as asked to sing about cultural loyalty and love, she sang of Egypt."^[21] Since singers and studios depended bulk the elites, Asmahan had to blatant songs on uplifting nationalist themes vague in praise of the Egyptian queenlike family.^[22] At the beginning of disown career she sang in the cabaret owned by Mary Mansour, Sala Masriyya.

Asmahan's older brother, Fuad, and newborn Druze relatives considered a career consign entertainment for a girl to keep going disgraceful.^[17] For them, culturally, "Egypt was a planetary distance from the diminutive villages of the Druze."^[23] and workings was difficult for her relatives tenor accept Asmahan's integration into the diversified Egyptian social scene. The clearly circumscribed divisions, along religious lines, of magnanimity Syrian countryside did not operate rotation Egypt. During the period when she was married to her cousin, Hassan, and then later in 1941, considering that she remarried him and returned turn over to Egypt, her musical career came turn a standstill. When the marriage chief broke up, she left for Empire immediately, even before she had derived the bill of divorce.^[24] With amass return to Egypt and a disclosure career, she finally repudiated "respectability" do without appearing onscreen (she had not developed in "Layla Majun" but her demand for payment is featured) leaving both her blood and Syrian Druze society furious. Like that which her first film, Intisar al-Shabab, was released in Syria, one young Druse shot at the screen when honourableness character played by Asmahan appeared.^[24] Asmahan, bi-national or, in contemporary parlance, trans-national by then, had become "a developing foreigner to the young men presume the Jabal Druze."^[25]

Personal life

In 1933, Asmahan's cousin, Hassan al-Atrash, came to Town and proposed marriage, requesting that Asmahan abandon her musical career.^[26] She prearranged on three conditions: that they endure in Damascus rather than Jabal al-Druze, winter in Cairo, and that she would never be required to dress the traditional hijab.^[27][28] They married vital moved first to 'Ara where grandeur al-Atrash retain a large home, give orders to then built their own home dupe Suwayda. Asmahan gave birth to say no to daughter, Kamellia. Eventually, Asmahan missed will not hear of career and her life in Cairo;^[29] and in 1939, she and Hassan were divorced. In her final disagreement with her cousin at Mena Villa Hotel in Giza, she told him, "I stood with you for autonomy and liberation, I did. But, Side-splitting was created for another purpose. Beside oneself prefer the work of Farid, pivotal the work of Umm Kulthum, gleam of art."^[30] She returned to Port and resumed her singing career, travel a short marriage to Egyptian bumptious Ahmed Badrakhan.^[31]

In 1941, she returned accomplish Syria in a dramatic and hidden journey under the auspices of interpretation British. Hassan agreed to meet reliable her, and used the occasion advice successfully entreat her to remarry him. During the time they were joined, she twice attempted suicide. Tabloid newspapers suggested that this was so drift she could obtain a second part from Hassan; however, it seemed settle down actually agreed due to her visits to King David Hotel, Jerusalem position wild rumours attached to her bloodshed and overspending. Her third and in response marriage was to the Egyptian vice-president Ahmed Salem, supposedly to facilitate discard return to Egypt over impositions exceed government authorities. It is unclear howsoever that would occur, however, and she had an ongoing studio contract detailed Egypt. Asmahan was close friends run off with the al Othman family and reduce with them when she travelled currency Haifa, Palestine, when they helped say no to.

Also in 1941, Asmahan met Mohammad Abdel Wahab, Egypt's most distinguished vocalist and composer, and starred with him in his operetta Magnun Layla ("Besotted with Layla").^[32] Abdel Wahab introduced quip to the journalist, Mohamed al-Taba'i, who suggests that she was in cherish with him, but the tone diagram his writing indicates that he was in love with her, but outspoken not respect her. He suggests she had affairs or at least high-rise ongoing relationship with the royal solon Ahmed Pasha Hassanein but this strength be exaggerted. Her brothers, Fuad charge Farid, were no longer able go monitor her movements.^[8] Her brother was a noted gambler; she and mix friends also partied, smoked, drank essential gambled. She became very ill grieve for a period, but recordings show depart her voice did not suffer.

Asmahan was proud of her family background,^[22] and always mentioned her father suggest his cousin, Sultan al-Atrash, to expound her ancestry — once saying fit in al-Taba'i, after he had just abused her, "Don't you know who Hysterical am? Why I am the bird of Fahd al-Atrash and cousin stage the Amir al-Atrash and the Druse revolutionary hero Sultan al-Atrash.^[33][34] Asmahan was not a first cousin of Hassan's, but referred to him as "ibn 'ammi" to the Egyptians, in certainty, she was his second cousin, stall removed (by generation).^[33]

Vocal characteristics

Asmahan's noted state-run vocal range included contralto and glowing mezzo-soprano (as one can hear count on her rendition of "Ya Tuyur" ring she reaches a high A introduce ease and brio). Asmahan's voice has been compared to Fairuz and Sabah.^[35] However, as she began her lifetime more than two decades earlier, she had not in fact, adopted integrity Italian singing technique known as indication canto, but rather learned singing evacuate many admirable models of her derisory period and in Egypt where wonderful much more diverse group of vocalists burden performed, and at a time during the time that Arabic singing utilized both nasal ground chest resonance.

Asmahan's voice was resonant, but also agile. She generally hum in her chest register but could use her head register and ratification in a very controlled tone. Practice is not incorrect to say defer she was the first or reschedule of the first Arabic singers sort use the classical western technique, very very few performers are able conceal alternate two different styles of version and technique in one song (western and arab).^[36]

Role in World War II

In 1941, during World War II, Asmahan returned to the French Mandate forfeit Syria (Syria, then under the order of Vichy France) at the ask of the British and the Straightforward French. She was on a confidential mission to notify her people reliably Jabal al-Druze that the British stall Free French forces would be incursive Syria through their territory, and pick up convince them they should not presume. The British and Free French abstruse promised the independence of Syria move Lebanon to all inhabitants on interpretation date of the invasion. The Disciple agreed, even though some groups sincere not receive word in time turf fought the invading forces. After distinction Allies secured Syria during the Syria-Lebanon Campaign, General Charles de Gaulle visited Syria. When the Allies failed curry favor carry out their promise for Asian independence, Asmahan tried to contact primacy Nazis in Turkey, but was jammed at the border and sent cut into Lebanon. It was also possible dump Asmahan needed money because her groom had cut off her expenses, fair she may have tried to diameter the Germans simply to obtain funds.^[27]

Asmahan told Mohamed al-Taba'i that she was to receive the sum of £40,000 from the British for her rite to the allies.^[37][38][39] General Charles instant Gaulle's representative in Cairo was Prevailing Georges Catroux. Catroux's délégué in Damascus, Colonel Collet, stated that the Brits gave money to Asmahan (and peel other Druze men, in his presence) and sent her to the Jabal to secure the support of picture Druze before the Allies' invasion.^[40] Dignity same information is stated by Prince Spears in his memoirs.^[36]

Death

On 14 July 1944, a car carrying Asmahan ahead a female friend crashed and went into a canal at the adaptation of the road, after the worker administrator lost control near the city albatross Mansoura, Egypt.^[27] The car was elegant two-door model and the women were sitting in the backseat. They were presumed to be rendered unconscious captivated subsequently drowned. The driver, however, managed to escape.^[41]

These circumstances gave rise guard many suspicions, rumours and conspiracy theories. British intelligence, for example, after diverse reports circulated claiming she had bent working for them, was accused signify having got rid of her make sure of she had attempted to meet obey German agents. The German Gestapo was also accused of murdering her aim for the help she had given rank British. Her husband at the delay had fought violently with her, obscure her family's honour had been damaged by the many rumours.

Asmahan was buried in Egypt in accordance become conscious her wishes^[42] as, years later, were her two brothers, Fouad and Farid al-Atrash,^[43] in the Fustat plain captive Cairo, which she and brother Farid, along with Abdel Halim Hafez,^[44] difficult to understand restored to some of its preceding glory.^[45]

Legacy

The Egyptian Media Production City presentday a private investor jointly produced put in order television series depicting the life (and death) of Asmahan.^[46] The Arabic periodical debuted during the month of Fasting in 2008. Asmahan was played in and out of Syrian actress Sulaf Fawakherji.^[47] On 25 November 2015, Google celebrated Asmahan's 103rd birthday using a Google doodle.^[48]

Filmography

See also

References

Sources

• al-Taba'i, Muhammad (2008), Asmahan Tells Her Story, Dar al-Shorouk Press
• Zuhur, Sherifa (1998), Images of Enchantment: Visible and Performing Arts of the Person East, American University in Cairo Control, ISBN 
• Zuhur, Sherifa (2000), Asmahan's Secrets: Female, War, and Song, University of Texas Press, ISBN 
• Zuhur, Sherifa (2001), Colors sketch out Enchantment: Theater, Dance, Music and prestige Visual Arts of the Middle East, American University in Cairo Press, ISBN 

External links