Umm Kulthum - أم كلثوم
Umm Kulthum
أم كلثوم
Umm Kulthum
Umm Kulthum (December 30, 1908 – February 3, 1975) was an Egyptian singer. She was famous in Egypt and throughout the Arab world and internationally in the 20th century, and was nicknamed “The Star of the East” and “The Lady of Arabic Song.”
Birth and Upbringing
According to reliable historians, her date of birth is December 30, 1898. [1][2] However, the date of birth recorded in official records is May 4, 1908, because there was no official documentation or birth certificates at that time, so the date of teething – medically determined – was adopted as her date of birth. [3] She was born in the Dakahlia Governorate to Ibrahim El-Beltagy, the muezzin of the village of Tamay El-Zahira, in the Sinbillawin district. She and her brother, Khalid Ibrahim El-Beltagy, memorized and sang poems and religious chants. By the age of ten, she was singing in front of audiences at the village headman’s house.
Her Artistic Life
The Beginnings
Her fame began to spread when she was young. Initially, she was merely a source of additional income for the family, but she surpassed her father’s wildest dreams when she became the main source of the family’s income. Her father realized this when his son, Sheikh Khalid, became a singer, and when the father himself became part of his young daughter’s entourage.
After 1916, her father met Sheikhs Zakaria Ahmed and Abu El-Ela Mohamed, who had come to Sinbillawin to perform during the nights of Ramadan. After much persuasion, her father was convinced to move to Cairo with Umm Kulthum. This was the first step. At that time, she performed on the night of Isra and Mi’raj at the palace of Ezz El-Din Yakan Pasha, and the lady of the palace gave her a gold ring, and Umm Kulthum received 3 Egyptian pounds as payment. In 1921, she returned to Cairo to settle permanently. In 1923, she sang at parties for prominent figures, and she performed at a concert attended by the leading female singers of her time, most notably Munira Al-Mahdiya herself, who was known as the “Sultana of Tarab” (Queen of Music).
In 1924, she met Ahmed Rami through Abu Al-Ela. At one of the parties, Umm Kulthum sang “The Morning Reveals His Eyes.” At this particular party, Ahmed Rami, who had returned from Europe, was present, and he realized that he had found his muse. We can say that the real beginning was when she was heard by Mohamed El-Qasabgi, the innovative composer at the time. In the same year, 1924, Umm Kulthum also met a dentist who was passionate about music, Ahmed Sabri El-Nagridi, the first composer to compose original melodies for Umm Kulthum. However, his compositions relied heavily on musical embellishments, which led Umm Kulthum to end their collaboration early.
The First Musical Ensemble
In that year, Mohamed El-Qasabgi began to prepare Umm Kulthum artistically and morally, forming her own musical ensemble. This first musical group replaced the group of religious men who had always accompanied her, after Rose Al-Youssef and the theater launched a scathing attack on her entourage. Perhaps this is what made her father abandon his role as a religious singer, and he and Sheikh Khaled faded into obscurity. About a year later, Umm Kulthum removed her headscarf and abaya and appeared in the attire of Egyptian ladies, after the death of Sheikh Mohamed Abu Al-Ela, who had a great spiritual influence on her and was her guide in the world of music. It was common in the early 20th century for singers to perform specific poems, regardless of whether another singer had already performed them. The competition between singers lay in how they performed the same poem. The poem “I See Tears Resisting” was sung by Umm Kulthum once with music composed by Al-Sunbati, and another time with music composed by Abdo El-Hamouli in 1926.
Her Rise to Stardom
In 1928, she sang the monologue “If I Forgive and Forget the Pain,” and the record achieved the highest sales at the time, making Umm Kulthum’s name resonate strongly in the music scene. This was the same year that Umm Kulthum composed the song “On My Eyes, the Abandonment” herself!
Collaboration with Al-Sunbati
Umm Kulthum Singing
In 1935, she sang “Take Me to the Beloved’s Country,” composed by the young composer Riyad Al-Sunbati. Al-Sunbati continued to compose for Umm Kulthum for nearly 40 years, and he was almost her sole composer during the 1950s. A year later, she composed the song “I Wish I Were the Breeze,” in her second and last attempt at composing, her first being “On My Eyes, the Abandonment” in 1928.
In 1946, she sang three poems composed by Al-Sunbati and written by Ahmed Shawqi. She sang “Ask My Heart,” which took on a political dimension in its verses that say:
This was after the end of World War II and the British Empire’s reneging on its promise to grant Egypt complete independence. She also sang the poem “The Guide Was Born,” and a request came from the palace to change the word “socialists” in the verse that says:
This was during the era of the rise of the leftist movement, which did not align with the palace’s trends or the king’s desires. However, she insisted on not changing any word, and in that same year, she also sang her most magnificent work in praise of the Prophet, “Nahj al-Burda.” The Ban on Umm Kulthum
In 1951, she sang “Egypt Speaks for Itself,” and a year later, the July Revolution took place, and a military decree was issued banning Umm Kulthum from singing…
A Decision to Retire
The matter reached Gamal Abdel Nasser personally, who overturned the decision. It is said that Mustafa Amin brought the matter to his attention in September 1952. Following a dispute over the position of head of the Musicians’ Syndicate, the syndicate elections were canceled, and Mohamed Abdel Wahab was appointed head of the musicians. Following this situation and the rumors of some of the Free Officers supporting Abdel Wahab, Umm Kulthum announced her decision to retire to Major Ahmed Shafiq Abu Auf.
He conveyed this to the Revolutionary Command Council, and a delegation consisting of Gamal Abdel Nasser, Abdel Hakim Amer, and Salah Salem went to her to persuade her to change her mind. This moment deeply affected her, as became evident in her later songs and stances. She developed a profound admiration for Abdel Nasser and his positions, like the rest of the Egyptian people at the time. This is reflected in songs such as (“After long patience, the East rose and said, ‘We have achieved our hopes under your leadership, Gamal'”) or (“O Gamal, the epitome of patriotism… our most beautiful Egyptian holidays are under your presidency of the Republic”).
The July Revolution
A complete revolution swept through Egypt, and everything related to the previous monarchy was dealt with aggressively. Umm Kulthum’s songs were completely banned from the radio, and she was dismissed from her position as head of the Musicians’ Syndicate, considered a “singer of the old regime.” This was not a decision of the Revolutionary Command Council, but rather an individual decision made by the officer in charge of the radio.
Although Umm Kulthum had sung for the besieged army in Fallujah during the Palestine War, the song “Ghalabt As” (I have been defeated)…
أم كلثوم
أم كلثوم (30 ديسمبر 1908 – 3 فبراير 1975)، مغنية مصرية. اشتهرت في مصر وفي عموم العالم العربي والعالمي في القرن العشرين، ولقبت بكوكب الشرق وسيدة الغناء العربي.
ميلادها ونشأتها
ريخ ميلادها طبقا للمؤرخين الثقات 30 ديسمبر 1898 أما تاريخ ميلادها المثبت في السجلات هو 4 مايو 1908 لأنه لم يكن هناك توثيق رسمي وشهادات ميلاد في هذا الوقت لذا اعتمد تاريخ التسنين – طبيًا – وهو 4 مايو 1908 تاريخًا لميلادها. ولدت في محافظة الدقهلية لإبراهيم البلتاجي مؤذن قرية طماي الزهايرة، مركز السنبلاوين، كانت تحفظ وتغني القصائد والتواشيح هي وأخاها خالد إبراهيم البلتاجي. وفي حدود سن العاشرة كانت قد أصبحت تغني أمام الجمهور في بيت شيخ البلد في قريتها.
حياتها الفنية
البدايات
بدأ صيتها وهي صغيرة في الذيوع, كانت مجرد مصدر دخل إضافي للأسرة لكنها تجاوزت أقصى أحلام الأب حينما أصبحت هي المصدر الرئيسي لدخل الأسرة, أدرك الأب ذلك عندما أصبح الشيخ خالد ابنه المنشد وعندما أصبح الأب ذاته في بطانة ابنته الصغيرة.
بعد عام 1916, يتعرف والدها على الشيخين زكريا أحمد وأبو العلا محمد اللذان أتيا إلى السنبلاوين لإحياء ليالي رمضان وبكثير من الإلحاح تم إقناع الأب بالانتقال إلى القاهرة ومعه أم كلثوم..هنا كانت الخطوة الأولى. وقتها أحيت ليلة الإسراء والمعراج بقصر عز الدين يكن باشا وقامت سيدة القصر بإعطائها خاتما ذهبيا وتلقت أم كلثوم 3 جنيهات أجرا لها.
في عام 1921 تعود إلى القاهرة لكى تستقر نهائيا.1923 تغني في حفلات كبار القوم, وتغني في حفل تحضره كبار مطربات عصرها وعلى رأسهم منيرة المهدية شخصيا.التي كانت تلقب بسلطانة الطرب.
1924 تتعرف على أحمد رامي عن طريق أبو العلا, في إحدى الحفلات تغني أم كلثوم (الصب تفضحه عيونه), في هذه الحفلة بالذات يحضر أحمد رامي العائد من أوروبا, ويعلم أنه قد وجد هدفه, بإمكاننا أن نقول أن البداية الحقيقية كانت عندما سمعها محمد القصبجي الملحن المجدد وقتها. في نفس العام 1924 أيضا، تعرفت أم كلثوم إلى طبيب أسنان يهوى الموسيقى هو أحمد صبري النجريدي أول ملحن يلحن لأم كلثوم ألحانا خاصة بها, إلا أن ألحانه تعتمد على الزخارف الموسيقية بشكل كبير مما دفع أم كلثوم إلى إنهاء التعاون مبكرا.
أول فرقة موسيقية
في ذلك العام يبدأ محمد القصبجي في إعداد أم كلثوم فنيا ومعنويا فيكون لها فرقتها الخاصة, وأول تخت موسيقي يكون بديلا لبطانة المعممين التي كانت معها دائما, عندما شنت روز اليوسف والمسرح هجوما صاعقا على بطانتها, ربما هذا ما جعل أبوها يتخلى عن كونه منشدا ويتوارى هو والشيخ خالد ويتراجعا إلى ظلمات التاريخ, بعدها بعام تقريبا تخلع أم كلثوم العقال والعباءة وتظهر في زي الآنسات المصريات, ذلك بعد أن توفى الشيخ (محمد أبو العلا), الذي ترك فيها تأثيرا روحيا عظيما وكان مرشدها في عالم الطرب.
كان شائعًا في أوائل القرن العشرين أن يقدم المطربون قصائد بعينها بصرف النظر عن تفرد أحدهم بها، وكانت المباراة ين المطربين تكمن في كيفية أداء نفس القصيدة، قصيدة (أراك عصى الدمع) غنّتها أم كلثوم مرة من ألحان السنباطي، ومرة من ألحان عبده الحامولي عام 1926.
بزوغ نجمها
في عام 1928 تغني مونولوج (إن كنت أسامح وأنسى الآسية), لتحقق الأسطوانة أعلى مبيعات وقتها على الإطلاق ويدوي اسم أم كلثوم بقوة في الساحة الغنائية، وهو نفس العام الذي لحنت فيه أم كلثوم أغنية (على عيني الهجر) بنفسها لنفسها!..
التعاون مع السنباطي
أم كلثوم تغني
في عام 1935 تغني (على بلد المحبوب وديني) من ألحان ملحن شاب رياض السنباطي، وقد ظل السنباطي يلحن لأم كلثوم ما يقرب من 40 عاما، ويكاد يكون هو ملحنها الوحيد في فترة الخمسينات، بعدها بعام تلحن أغنية (يارتني كنت النسيم) في ثاني وآخر تجربة لها وكانت تجربتها الأولى أغنية (على عيني الهجر) عام 1928.
في عام 1946 تغني 3 قصائد من ألحان السنباطي وكلمات أحمد شوقي، غنت (سلوا قلبي) التي أخذت بعدا سياسيا في أبياتها التي تقول
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كان ذلك بعد انتهاء الحرب العالمية الثانية ونكوص الإمبراطورية البريطانية عن وعدها بمنح مصر الاستقلال التام، وغنت قصيدة (ولد الهدى)، ويصل طلب من القصر بتغيير كلمة (الاشتراكيون) في البيت الذي يقول:
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