Misplaced Pages

#971028

62-496: Originally it was named 'Soliman Pasha Street' after Suleiman Pasha , Egypt's French-born General under Muhammad Ali . The street was renamed in 1954 after Talaat Harb , the leading Egyptian economist of the early 1900s. The street received the 'Talaat Harb Street' name during a sweeping effort by Egypt’s new president, Gamal Abdel Nasser , to rid the city of all reminders of the Muhammad Ali dynasty and British occupation era. It

124-497: A close friendship. One of her songs associated with Nasser—" Wallāhi Zamān, Yā Silāḥī " ("It's Been a Long Time, O Weapon of Mine")—was adopted as the Egyptian national anthem from 1960 to 1979, when President Sadat replaced it by the less militant " Bilady, Bilady, Bilady " following peace negotiations with Israel; it remains the Egyptian anthem to this day. Umm Kulthum was also known for her continuous contributions to works supporting

186-712: A contract with Odeon Records which by 1926 would pay her more than any other Egyptian musical artist per record. Amin El Mahdi invited her into the cultural circles in Cairo. In 1924, she was introduced to the poet Ahmed Rami , who would later on write 137 songs for her, and would also introduce her to French literature and become her head mentor in Arabic literature and literary analysis. In 1926, she left Odeon Records for Gramophone Records who would pay her about double per record and even an additional $ 10,000 salary. She also maintained

248-471: A degree of continuity and collectively sacrifice the history disappearing above them for an eager pursuit of western culture and commerce. J. Groppi, the once world famous chocolatier, still holds its place in the midan on Talaat Harb Street, without its former global prominence. In the late 1920s Groppi opened a shop in Soliman Pasha square and continued conducting business with Egypt's elite. Established in

310-408: A dramatic departure from the modernist romantic songs of the 1930s, mainly led by Mohammad El-Qasabgi. Umm Kulthum had abstained from singing Qasabgi's music since the early 1940s. Their last stage song collaboration in 1941 was "Raq el Habib" ("The lover's heart softens"), one of her most popular, intricate, and high-calibre songs. The reason for the separation is not clear. It is speculated that this

372-458: A fan of hers since childhood, recorded his 2004 album Egypt with an Egyptian orchestra in homage to her legacy. One of her best-known songs, " Enta Omri ", has been covered and reinterpreted numerous times. " Alf Leila wa Leila " was translated into jazz on French-Lebanese trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf's 2015 album Kalthoum . She was referred to as "the Lady" by Charles de Gaulle and is regarded as

434-502: A minuscule choice of pastry and drinks, and tables and floors uncleaned for a long time making the establishment into a museum not of its past glory but of Soviet-style mismanagement and contempt of customers. Among this conglomeration of neglected elegance and makeshift renovation stands the glimmering white grandeur of the Egyptian Diplomatic Club at the corner of Talaat Harb and Abdel Salam Araf Street. This club claims to be

496-517: A period of three to four hours. These performances are in some ways reminiscent of the structure of Western opera, consisting of long vocal passages linked by shorter orchestral interludes. However, Umm Kulthum was not stylistically influenced by opera, and she sang solo for most of her career. During the 1930s her repertoire took the first of several specific stylistic directions. Her songs were virtuosic, as befitted her newly trained and very capable voice, and romantic and modern in musical style, feeding

558-409: A personal version and with a melody composed by Sonbati, is considered one of her signature songs. As Umm Kulthum's vocal abilities had regressed considerably by then, the song can be viewed as the last example of genuine Arabic music at a time when even Umm Kulthum had started to compromise by singing Western-influenced pieces composed by her old rival Mohammed Abdel Wahab. When Umm Kulthum sang live,

620-548: A popular venue for many rising performers, among them the celebrated legend Umm Kulthum . It was a frequented locale for some of Cairo's more privileged men. In December 1919 it became the site for an assassination attempt on Egypt's last Coptic Prime Minister, Youssef Wahba Pasha . The assassin had waited for his target inside Café Riche, but his attempt failed. It is in a nearby location. This mile-long stretch has not only erected history in walls of concrete, but witnessed its movements develop between its roughly defined curbs. At

682-411: A religious poem in classical Arabic: Salou Qalbi ["Ask My Heart"], written by Ahmad Shawqi and composed by Ryad Al Sunbati. The success was immediate and it reconnected Umm Kulthum with her early singing years. Similar poems written by Shawqi were subsequently composed by Sonbati and sung by Umm Kulthum, including Woulida el Houda ["The Prophet is Born"] 1949), in which she surprised royalists by singing

SECTION 10

#1733107112972

744-542: A tightly managed public image, which undoubtedly added to her allure. Furthermore, she was introduced to the renowned oud virtuoso and composer Mohamed El Qasabgi , who introduced her to the Arabic Theatre Palace, where she would experience her first real public success. Other musicians who influenced her musical performances at the time were Dawwod Hosni and Abu al-Ila Muhammad  [ fr ] . Al-Ila Muhammad instructed her in voice control, and variants of

806-538: A verse that describes Muhammad as "the Imam of Socialists ". At the peak of her career, in 1950, Umm Kulthum sang Sonbati's composition of excerpts of what Ahmad Rami considered the accomplishment of his career: the translation from Persian into classical Arabic of Omar Khayyám 's quatrains ( Rubayyiat el Khayyam ). The song included quatrains that deal with both epicurianism and redemption . Ibrahim Nagi 's poem " Al-Atlal " ["The Ruins"], sung by Umm Kalthum in 1966 in

868-463: A younger composer who joined her artistic team a few years earlier: Riad Al-Sunbati . While Sonbati was evidently influenced by Qasabgi in those early years, the melodic lines he composed were more lyrical and more acceptable to Umm Kulthum's audience. The result of collaborations with Rami/Sonbati and al-Tunisi/Ahmad was a populist and popular repertoire that had lasting appeal for the Egyptian audience. In 1946, Umm Kulthum defied all odds by presenting

930-667: Is also notable in Baghdad due to her two visits to Iraq, the first occurring in November 1932 and the second in 1946 upon the invitation of regent Abd al-Ilah . During those two visits, the Iraqi artistic, social and political circles took an interest in Umm Kulthum, and as a result, a large number of her fans and her voice lovers opened dozens of Baghdadi coffeehouses that bore her name in different places. Today, one of those coffeehouses, named "Star of

992-513: Is circled with buildings having the strong elegance of French neoclassical architecture from the Soliman Pasha era, and were once the locations of some of Cairo's most popular and successful shops and services. Despite Nasser's attempt to mask colonial Egypt's history, done in the 1950s and 1960s, the structural design of the upper building facades on Talaat Harb Street is a reminder of a multi-colonial past. Various types of architecture representing different eras of Egyptian history are displayed on

1054-549: Is the historic architecture lining Talaat Harb Street that reminds visitors of its stylistic and eventful past. Until its name change in 1954, this avenue was named 'Soliman Pasha Street' and was a center for activity and social interaction among Cairo's upper and European classes. Although a remnant of its former 'Paris on the Nile' 19th century grace, the Midan Talaat, or Talaat Square, at the street's intersection with Qasr el-Nil Street

1116-547: The oud, a type of lute. She developed a close relationship with Rawheya Al-Mahdi, Amin's daughter, and became her closest friend. Umm Kulthum even attended Rawheya's daughter's wedding, although she usually preferred not to appear in public (offstage). During the early years of her career, she faced staunch competition from two prominent singers: Mounira El Mahdeya and Fatheya Ahmed , who had voices similar to hers. El Mahdeya's friend, who worked as an editor at Al-Masra , suggested several times that Umm Kulthum had married one of

1178-593: The "Incomparable Voice" by Maria Callas . It is difficult to accurately measure her vocal range at its peak, as most of her songs were recorded live. Even today, she has retained a near-mythical status among young Egyptians and the whole of the Arabic World. In 2001, the Egyptian government opened the Kawkab al-Sharq ("Star of the East") Museum in the singer's memory. Housed in a pavilion on the grounds of Cairo's Manesterly Palace ,

1240-448: The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time. Her funeral in 1975 drew a crowd of over 4 million people, the largest human gathering in Egypt's history, even surpassing that of president Nasser . Umm Kulthum was born in the village of Tamay e-Zahayra within the markaz of Senbellawein , Dakahlia Governorate to a family of a religious background. Her father, Ibrahim El-Sayyid El-Beltagi,

1302-533: The Arabic Muwashshah . By 1930, she was so well known to the public that she had become a role model for several young female singers. In 1932, she embarked upon a major tour of the Middle East and North Africa, performing in prominent Arab capital cities such as Damascus , Baghdad , Beirut , Rabat , Tunis , and finally Tripoli . In 1934, Umm Kulthum sang for the inaugural broadcast of Radio Cairo ,

SECTION 20

#1733107112972

1364-480: The East" is preserved on al-Rashid Street and is still associated with her. Umm Kulthum was a contralto . Contralto singers are uncommon and sing in the lowest register of the female voice. According to some, she had the ability to sing as low as the second octave and as high as the eighth octave at her vocal peak. Her incredible vocal strength, with the ability to produce 14,000 vibrations per second with her vocal cords, required her to stand three feet away from

1426-407: The Egyptian economy in the 1920s and 1930s. It seems appropriate for these companies to still provide the economic foundation on Talaat Harb Street, acting as a living testament to the founder—Talaat Harb, as his ideas live on in the remaining buildings on his namesake street. Though the active splendor that once characterized the street has passed, Talaat Harb Street is an honest reflection of

1488-435: The Egyptian military efforts. Until 1972, for about half a century she gave at least one monthly concert. Umm Kulthum's monthly concerts were renowned for their ability to clear the streets of some of the world's most populous cities as people rushed home to tune in. Her songs deal mostly with the universal themes of love, longing and loss. A typical Umm Kulthum concert consisted of the performance of two or three songs over

1550-617: The German Süddeutsche Zeitung magazine. Umm Kulthum is regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of Arab music , with significant influence on a number of musicians, both in the Arab World and beyond. Jah Wobble has cited her as a significant influence on his work, and Bob Dylan has been quoted praising her as well. Maria Callas , Marie Laforêt , Bono , and Robert Plant , among many other artists, are also known admirers of Kulthum's music. Youssou N'Dour ,

1612-448: The Groppi enterprise was its interaction with President Nasser, as he ordered a bomb be placed inside the downtown shop in an effort to promote public insecurity and gain his legitimacy. During the following years Groppi lost its original flavor of successful innovation as expert business practices gave way to the socialism of Nasser's Egypt. Groppi still exists today, with unprofessional staff,

1674-501: The age of 16, she was noticed by Mohamed Abo Al-Ela, a modestly famous singer, who taught her the old classical Arabic repertoire. A few years later, she met the famous composer and oudist Zakariyya Ahmad , who took her to Cairo . Although she made several visits to Cairo in the early 1920s, she waited until 1923 before permanently moving there. She was invited on several occasions to the home of Amin Beh Al Mahdy, who taught her to play

1736-546: The audience are said to have been left in tears. Following the formation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 1971, she staged several concerts upon the invitation of its first president Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan to celebrate the event. Umm Kulthum also sang for composers Mohammad El Mougi, Sayed Mekawy , and Baligh Hamdi . Umm Kulthum died on 3 February 1975 aged 75, from kidney failure. Her funeral procession

1798-623: The casket from the shoulders of its bearers, force the procession to change its direction and brought her coffin to the prominent Al Azhar mosque . She was buried in a Mausoleum close to the Mausoleum of Imam al-Shafi'i in the City of the Dead in Cairo. Her death was a great tragedy for the country and also drew international media attention, as news of her death was reported by the American Times magazine and

1860-514: The center of the city, Talaat Harb has been host to countless demonstrations in the nation’s turbulent political past. During one example, in 2005, protesters demonstrating against President Mubarak’s announcement that he would be running for a fifth term of office gathered in Tahrir Square and spilled onto Talaat Harb and into Talaat Harb Square. The demonstration ended in the arrest of 40 persons by plain clothes security officers. This demonstration

1922-464: The center of the diplomatic community in Cairo as it holds meetings and events and publishes a monthly political magazine, The Egyptian Foreign Ministry. This publication promotes the club’s mission; to showcase Egypt’s civilized structure and economic strength and stress its prominent position in the Arab world as an ambassador to the outside world. Such an effort is well suited in its position on Talaat Harb as

Talaat Harb Street - Misplaced Pages Continue

1984-403: The collection includes a range of Umm Kulthum's personal possessions, including her trademark sunglasses and scarves, along with photographs, recordings, and other archival material. Her performances combined raw emotion and political rhetoric; she was greatly influential and spoke about politics through her music. An example of this is seen in her music performed after World War II. The theme at

2046-727: The current reality of Egypt. It has a blend of Western popular culture and Arab tradition, being enthusiastically consumed by people in an evolving Islamic society. The businesses are trying to develop economic strength in the modern world's marketing aesthetics, while inadvertently ignoring their own rich cultural heritage here in the Talaat Harb Street backdrop of a Euro-Islamic Ottoman era balance and prosperity. 30°02′56″N 31°14′22″E  /  30.048912°N 31.239524°E  / 30.048912; 31.239524 Soliman Pasha al-Faransawi Soliman Pasha al-Faransawi (born Joseph Anthelme Sève ; 17 May 1788 – 12 March 1860),

2108-441: The duration of each song was not fixed as she would repeat at length verses requested by the audience. Her performances usually lasted for up to five hours, during which three songs were sung. For example, the available live performances (about thirty in number) of Ya Zalemni, one of her most popular songs, varied in length from 45 to 90 minutes. Besides requests, it also depended on her creative mood for improvisations , illustrating

2170-464: The dynamic relationship between the singer and the audience as they fed off each other's emotional energy. One of her improvisatory techniques was to repeat a single line or stance over and over, subtly altering the emotive emphasis and intensity and exploring one or various musical modal scales ( maqām ) each time to bring her audiences into a euphoric and ecstatic state known in Arabic as "tarab" طرب. This

2232-512: The early 1900s, Groppi was once "the most celebrated tearoom this side of the Mediterranean" and was repeatedly the shop of choice for gifts among royalty, including princess Margaret and Elizabeth of England. Miraculously, Groppi narrowly escaped the destruction of Black Saturday and the burning of Cairo in January 1952, although much of this downtown area did not. Perhaps of greater destruction to

2294-477: The effect of "What are they, crazy? Do you want Egypt to turn against us?" Later, Nasser would schedule his speeches so they would not interfere with the radio performances of Umm Kulthum. Some claim that Umm Kulthum's popularity helped Nasser's political agenda. For example, Nasser's speeches and other government messages were frequently broadcast immediately after Umm Kulthum's monthly radio concerts. She sang many songs in support of Nasser, with whom she developed

2356-460: The figures who would lead the 1952 Egyptian revolution , prominently Gamal Abdel Nasser . Following the revolution, the Egyptian Musicians' Union of which she became a member (and eventually president), rejected her because she had sung for the then-deposed King Farouk of Egypt. When Nasser discovered that her songs were banned from being aired on the radio, he reportedly said something to

2418-482: The floors above the new roughly redesigned yet inviting store facades on street level. Most of these buildings appear to be left over from the days of Khedive Ismail and his goal to create a new European inspired quarter in Cairo during the second half of the 19th century. He who stressed urban planning for the first time in Cairo, to include broad, linear gridded streets, open spaces and parks, geometric balance and harmony, and then modern European architectural styles. Yet

2480-480: The guests who frequently visited her household; this affected her conservative father so much that he decided that the whole family should return to their village. He would only change his mind after being persuaded by the arguments of Amin Al Mahdi. Following this incident, Umm Kulthum made a public statement regarding visits in her household in which she announced she would no longer receive visitors. In 1923 she struck

2542-419: The latest fashions and men smoking shisha over a glass of tea while lazily manning a rack of ties. Within this dynamic market exist a few establishments which seem to have secured a permanent establishment and provide the street with a degree of stability. These companies include, among others, Misr Travel, EgyptAir , and Banque Misr — which are the ones established by Talaat Harb during his campaign to bolster

Talaat Harb Street - Misplaced Pages Continue

2604-407: The microphone. She was known to be able to improvise and it was said that she would not sing a line the same way twice. She was a student of Abu al-Ila Muhammad, starting from her arrival in Cairo up until his death in 1927. He taught her to adapt her voice to the meaning and melody of a traditional Arabic aesthetic. She is referenced at length in the lyrics of the central ballad "Omar Sharif" in

2666-457: The most acclaimed. Umm Kulthum's musical directions in the 1940s and early 1950s and her mature performing style led this period to become popularly known as the singer's "golden age". Keeping up with changing popular taste as well as her own artistic inclinations, in the early 1940s, she requested songs from composer Zakariya Ahmad and colloquial poet Mahmud Bayram el-Tunsi cast in styles considered to be indigenously Egyptian. This represented

2728-654: The musical The Band's Visit . A pearl necklace with 1,888 pearls, which she received from Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan , is exhibited at the Louvre in Abu Dhabi . Even 40 years after her death, at 10 PM on the first Thursday of each month, Egyptian radio stations broadcast only her music in her memory. In January 2019, at the Winter in Tantora festival in Al-'Ula , a live concert was performed for

2790-421: The once grand appearance of these buildings has been lost to the clinging dust, battered shutters and general lack of outward upkeep. Interspersed between these sad structures are their modern counterparts, which appear significantly more aged than the actual date of the structure would suggest due to their hasty and incomplete construction. Identical glossy storefronts strung together along the street level provide

2852-497: The prevailing currents in Egyptian popular culture of the time. She worked extensively with texts by romance poet Ahmad Rami and composer Mohammad El-Qasabgi, whose songs incorporated European instruments such as the violoncello and double bass, as well as harmony . In 1936 she made her debut as an actress in the movie Weddad by Fritz Kramp. During her career, she would act in five more movies, of which four would be directed by Ahmad Badrakhan while Sallama and Fatma would be

2914-518: The royal family rigidly opposed her potential marriage to the King's uncle, a rejection that deeply wounded her pride. It led her to distance herself from the royal family and embrace grassroots causes, exemplified by her acceptance of the request of the Egyptian legion trapped in the Faluja Pocket during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War , who had asked her to sing a particular song. Among the army men trapped were

2976-539: The same song over a period of five years (1954–1959), the listener is offered a completely unique and different experience. This intense, highly personalized relationship was undoubtedly one of the reasons for Umm Kulthum's tremendous success as an artist. It is worth noting, though, that the length of a performance did not necessarily reflect either its quality or the improvisatory creativity of Umm Kulthum. Around 1965, Umm Kulthum started collaborating with composer Mohammed Abdel Wahab . Her first song composed by Abdel Wahab

3038-546: The state station. From then on onwards, she performed in a concert on the first Thursday of every month for forty years. Her influence kept growing and expanding beyond the artistic scene: the reigning royal family would request private concerts and even attend her public performances. In 1944, King Farouk I of Egypt decorated her with the Supreme Class of the ( nishan el kamal ), a decoration reserved exclusively for female royalty and politicians. Despite this recognition,

3100-408: The street exudes the attitude written on the pages of this magazine: pursuit of economic innovation coupled with a rich mix of cultural influences from the western and eastern world. Café Riche , a Greek owned establishment founded in 1921, no longer occupies its original space on the midan and has likely been forgotten by most but it was once another hub of social activity in Cairo. Café Riche became

3162-420: The surface was love, yet a deeper interpretation of the lyrics – for example in the song "Salue Qalbi" – reveals questioning of political motives in times of political tension. Umm Kulthum's political rhetoric in her music is still influential today, not only in Egypt, but in many other Middle Eastern countries and even globally. Her entire catalogue was acquired by Mazzika Group in the early 2000s. Umm Kulthum

SECTION 50

#1733107112972

3224-473: The villagers used to listen to him when he recited the Qur'an. When she was 12 years old, having noticed her strength in singing, her father asked her to join the family ensemble. She subsequently joined as a supporting voice, initially just repeating what the others sang. On stage, she wore a boy's cloak and bedouin head covering in order to alleviate her father's anxiety about her reputation and public performance. At

3286-792: Was Queen Nazli , wife of King Fuad , and mother of King Farouk . His tomb is in Old Cairo , and the body of his wife is buried nearby. There is a statue of him in the Egyptian National Military Museum inside the Cairo Citadel and a bust at the Préfecture in Lyon , France. This biographical article related to the Egyptian military is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Umm Kulthum Umm Kulthum ( Arabic : أم كلثوم ; 4 May 1904 – 3 February 1975)

3348-479: Was " Enta Omri " ["You Are My Life"], and later became one of her iconic songs. In 1969 it was followed by another, Asbaha al-Ana 'indi Bunduqiyyah ["I now have a rifle"]. Her songs took on more a soul-searching quality in 1967 following the defeat of Egypt during the Six-Day War. Hadeeth el Rouh ["sermon of the soul"], which is a translation of the poet Mohammad Iqbal's "Shikwa", set a very reflective tone. Generals in

3410-473: Was a French-born Egyptian military commander. Joseph Anthelme Sève was born in Lyon to Anthelme Sève and Antoinette Juillet Sève. He became a sailor. Later he joined the army of Napoleon Bonaparte . He fought at the battles of Trafalgar and Waterloo . After the war ended in 1815, he resigned from Napoleon's Army and worked as a merchant. At this time, Muhammad Ali Pasha , also known as Muhammad Ali of Egypt,

3472-446: Was a rural imam while her mother, Fatmah El-Maleegi, was a housewife. She learned how to sing by listening to her father teach her older brother, Khalid. From a young age, she showed exceptional singing talent. Through her father, she learned to recite the Qur'an , and she reportedly memorized the entire book . Her grandfather was also a well-known reader of the Qur'an and she remembered how

3534-521: Was an Egyptian singer , songwriter , and film actress active from the 1920s to the 1970s. She was given the honorific title Kawkab el-Sharq (Arabic: كوكب الشرق , lit.   'Star of the Orient';). Immensely popular throughout the Arab World , Kulthum is a national icon in her native Egypt; she has been dubbed "The Voice of Egypt" and "Egypt's Fourth Pyramid ". In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Kulthum at number 61 on its list of

3596-438: Was due in part to the popular failure of the movie Aida , in which Umm Kulthum sings mostly Qasabgi's compositions. Qasabgi was experimenting with Arabic music, influenced by classical European music, and had been composing a lot for Asmahan , a singer who immigrated to Egypt from Syria. She was Umm Kulthum's only serious competitor before her death in a car accident in 1944. Simultaneously, Umm Kulthum started to rely heavily on

3658-542: Was held at the Omar Makram mosque and became a national event, with around 4 million Egyptians lining the streets to catch a glimpse as her cortège passed. Her funeral's attendance drew a greater audience than the one of the Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser . In the area where the funeral procession took place, traffic was cut off two hours ahead of the procession. The mourners would also wrest

3720-476: Was led by the grassroots opposition group Kefaya (English: Enough ). Today the street resembles a healthy vein, pumping full of life toward the heart of the city, Tahrir Square . There is an urgency in the street played out by honking rusted out taxis displaying an unlikely but purposeful array of bumper stickers, which is counterbalanced by the slow swagger of women in gullabayas, girls stalling in front of shop windows stuffed with contorted mannequins displaying

3782-578: Was recruiting European officers to train his newly formed military on modern warfare and soldierly discipline. Sève travelled to Egypt, changed his name and converted to Islam. He was placed in charge of the new soldiers' school at Aswan , now the Egyptian Military Academy . He married a Greek woman, Maria Myriam Hanem, with whom he had four children:⁣ Asmaa al-Faransawi, Nazli al-Faransawi, Mohamed bey al mahdy al-Faransawi (Iskander Bey), and Zuhra al-Faransawi. One of his great-granddaughters

SECTION 60

#1733107112972

3844-464: Was typical of old classical Arabic singing, and she executed the technique for as long as she could have; both her regressing vocal abilities with age and the increased Westernization of Arabic music became an impediment to this art. Her concerts used to broadcast from 9:30 PM on Thursday until the early morning hours on Friday. The spontaneous creativity of Umm Kulthum as a singer is most impressive when, upon listening to these many different renditions of

#971028