I love Abdel Halim Hafez. Why? Well, because his melodies make me get up and dance before I even can identify what song it is...it's like, it pushes me up and I can't sit down! I use the Hafez "cocktail" song on Amir Sofi's new album, Millenium, and I love it!!!
Anyone else?
Anyone else?
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Indianapolis
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Re: Who's your favorite composer and why?
Tue, April 26, 2005 - 11:20 PMMy favourite composer is Baligh Hamdi, Said Darwish and ofcourse Abdel Wahab.
I hate to be a stickler for details but Abdel Halim is a singer not a composer. The story as know is that Abdel Wahab discovered him and tried some of his new experimental compositions with Abdel Halim and it turned out that Abdel halim became one of the top singers. I believe Fatet Ganbena was one of the first pieces Abdel Halim sang for Abdel Wahab. -
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Re: Who's your favorite composer and why?
Wed, April 27, 2005 - 8:27 AMYes, dear, I know, you told me this story. However, most people consider him one of the three "big" composers for bellydancers, whether Wahab wrote the stuff for him or not. As you said, it was experimental and new, and so different for Wahab, and he didn't want to risk his reputation if it bombed. Well, it didn't, and Hafez is attributed for that new style. Now, as a dancer, the three biggies are: Wahab, Al Atrash, and Hafez, in that order. I'm sure this is not news to anybody, but some newbies out there may not know this.
I also LOVE Faruk Salama. I have a great story about him :) My main Egyptian teacher, Faten, had a father who was a composer in Cairo. He knew Salama, and before Faten left to go live in the US in '77, she visited him at his studio. He was recording a new coposition, "Dreams", and he gave it to her immediately following the session. That was the first choreography that she taught me in the Egyptian Classical style, and now my dance "baby", Ashley, is doing that as her first solo :) -
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Re: Who's your favorite composer and why?
Fri, April 29, 2005 - 10:36 PMI find I love Farid Al Atrache's stuff, because before I know it's him, I'm digging it(mostly). Also Om Kalthoum. But I am completely unsure if they are just singers or if they did indeed compose their music as well. -
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Re: Who's your favorite composer and why?
Sat, April 30, 2005 - 5:11 AMOH, yeah, I love Om Kalthoum's stuff. Makes me swoon :) She sang the songs of a writer who was in love with her all his life, and she never gave in. So sad!
Same goes for Al Atrache. Do you know the story behind that? He was so in love with Samia Gamal, but he couldn't marry her, because back in his native Lebanon he was a Druze Prince. It is a sect of Islam. He was forbidden to marry a dancer, because it is considered a low class and immoral job. But they were in love their whole life, and I guess he died heart broken and penniless. Just breaks your heart, doesn't it?
But I guess this is the stuff that creates great art. Ah, the suffering...the longing...burning in the flame...brings out the juices of the soul :)))
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Re: Who's your favorite composer and why?
Sat, April 30, 2005 - 1:18 PMGod! Probably why their music is SO beautiful, it must be full of longing, and passion, and desire. I have never read their lyrics, or had someone translate.
How awful:(
Why did Om never return the writer's love? I am clueless to the history of musicians. Was she married already? -
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Re: Who's your favorite composer and why?
Sat, April 30, 2005 - 8:28 PMHi there; here's a great website dedicated to Umm Kulthum:
almashriq.hiof.no/egypt/700...Koulthoum/
There's so much info there!!! I forget the poets name who wrote her songs (!), but I don't believe she ever married at all. She was devoted to her career. Imagine, an Egyptian woman at that time being a feminist, and mesmerizing everyone around her! There's a great book I read in one of my Ethnomusicology classes about her: "The Voice of Egypt", by Virginia Danielson.
Also, Shira has some great lyric translations:
www.shira.net/lyrics.htm
My favorites by her are Ana Fi Intizirak ("I am Waiting for You"), and Lesah Faker ("Do you remember?"). Once you learn the lyrics then it all makes sense as to how to translate it into movement. When you read the above lyrics, and watch some of the well known Egyptian dancers dance to them, you will see they are expressing what she is saying. Dina is great at this. It's what she's known for, really, expressing the lyrics, and singing along, too!!! Nobody can emote like she can!
These are all Sufi themes found in literature from Iran, Turkey, and "The Arab World". The themes are usually of The Lover & the Beloved, and Union & Separation. In poetry you can read it as between two humans, or between a human and God. In secular music, it's usually the former, and in sacred music, the latter.
Lyrics are just poetry being sung, and dance is poetry in motion :)))
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Re: Who's your favorite composer and why?
Sun, May 1, 2005 - 2:35 PMYou may want to look up the translations of "Bitwannes Beek" and "Enta Omri". They are incredibly soulful and beautiful.(IMHO)
There are several sites that have translations. If you can't find them I'll do a little digging for you, if you want.
Mahin -
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Re: Who's your favorite composer and why?
Sun, May 1, 2005 - 10:45 PMThanks, I remember Shira's sight has lyrics now. Guess that's something I need to get on to studying. There's just..so..much..overwhelming...short-circuiting....aaahhh....! and drum technique...argh.... -
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Re: Who's your favorite composer and why?
Mon, May 2, 2005 - 9:49 AMWell, don't think of it as studying per say...especially if you're overwhelmed already! I have learned so much from befriending musicians, and people from "over there", and you just learn as you go. Especially with lyrics, I always ask Faten and Mahmoud what it means!
Since you're in LA I would look up Sahra Kent to study with. I think she is such a classy Egyptian dancer; really knows her stuff, since she worked as a dancer in Cairo for years. I wish I could've studied with her when I lived in LA, but oh, well, guess I will have to do that next time :)
I love Enta Omri, too; Faten danced to that at my wedding :) It means, "You are my Life".
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Re: Who's your favorite composer and why?
Mon, May 2, 2005 - 8:27 PMI would looooove to study w/Sahra, she's pretty far from me and I don't have a car.
Yes, you read that right. I live in LA without a car.
I know I'm insane.
Anyway, all things in time.
I am going to sign up for Zahra Zuhair's new session in June, she's really easy for me to get to.
Beautiful dancer. Must absorb.
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Re: Who's your favorite composer and why?
Tue, May 3, 2005 - 9:20 AMOH, wow, I didn't have a car in LA, either! I know how you feel.
Yeah, Zahra Zuhair is great, too; she's going to be in South Bend, IN with Ruby when I'm in Miami with Dina! Too much to do, so little time...
Anyway, back to the composer thing, I also like Mohammed Sultan. He is a modern Egyptian composer, but trained classically. He wrote all the stuff on Leila Haddad's CD, "Ahla Leila". That CD has really grown on me, and I like it more every time I listen to it! -
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Re: Who's your favorite composer and why?
Wed, May 4, 2005 - 3:44 PMFarid el Atrache, because it was the music used in the first classes I attended; I think that music will always be special. -
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Re: Who's your favorite composer and why?
Wed, May 4, 2005 - 9:03 PMYeah, I love him, too :) My first "big" choreography with Salaam waaaay back in the day was "Gamil Gamal". That song will always be special to me!!! -
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Re: Who's your favorite composer and why?
Thu, May 5, 2005 - 9:45 PMMy favorite is Setrak Sarkissian. I love the way he accents the music with all kinds of good stuff to grab onto and dance with.. I love thw variety of moods and rhythms he puts into his longer set pieces and the fact that he often borrows from those beautiful classics.
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