| Revision as of 10:01, 26 August 2009 editSupreme Deliciousness (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers22,596 editsm →Immigration to Egypt← Previous edit | Revision as of 11:42, 27 August 2009 edit undoSupreme Deliciousness (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers22,596 edits →Asmahan and her debutNext edit → | ||
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== Career and life == | ||
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| Amal's vocal talent was discovered at an early age. She used to sing at home and in the school's special celebrations.{{fact|date=July 2009}} She loved particularly to sing songs by ] and ].{{fact|date=July 2009}} | Amal's vocal talent was discovered at an early age. She used to sing at home and in the school's special celebrations.{{fact|date=July 2009}} She loved particularly to sing songs by ] and ].{{fact|date=July 2009}} | ||
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| At the age of sixteen, Asmahan was solicited by a record company in Egypt to register her first album which featured her first song Ya Nar Fouadi by Farid Ghosn. Asmahan was forced to drop out of school, but she had already joined one of the most prestigious music academies in Egypt. Among her mentors were Farid Ghosn, Daoud Hosni, Mohammad El Qasabji and Zakaria Ahmad who gave her vocal training and music lessons. With their help she was offered a contract with Colombia Recordings.{{fact|date=July 2009}} | At the age of sixteen, Asmahan was solicited by a record company in Egypt to register her first album which featured her first song Ya Nar Fouadi by Farid Ghosn. Asmahan was forced to drop out of school, but she had already joined one of the most prestigious music academies in Egypt. Among her mentors were Farid Ghosn, Daoud Hosni, Mohammad El Qasabji and Zakaria Ahmad who gave her vocal training and music lessons. With their help she was offered a contract with Colombia Recordings.{{fact|date=July 2009}} | ||
| Asmahan's rise to fame was very quick,{{fact|date=July 2009}} and she performed songs composed by her mentors. Her first public performance was in the prestigious Cairo Opera. She was also asked to sing in the aristocratic family celebrations. She also started singing at Mary Mansour's night club alongside her brother Farid.{{fact|date=July 2009}} Asmahan worked with many famous composers such as Riyadh el-Sonbati and Mohamed El Qasabgi.{{fact|date=August 2009}} | Asmahan's rise to fame was very quick,{{fact|date=July 2009}} and she performed songs composed by her mentors. Her first public performance was in the prestigious Cairo Opera. She was also asked to sing in the aristocratic family celebrations. She also started singing at Mary Mansour's night club alongside her brother Farid.{{fact|date=July 2009}} To get the support from Egypts highest class, Asmahan was obligated to sing tribute songs about Egypt and the rulers of Egypt.<ref>{{Harvnb|Zuhur|2000|p=13}}</ref> | ||
| Asmahan worked with many famous composers such as Riyadh el-Sonbati and Mohamed El Qasabgi.{{fact|date=August 2009}} | |||
| Soon after, her cousin, Prince ], came to Cairo and asked for her hand in marriage, so she returned to Syria with her cousin where the marriage was celebrated in 1933, and gave birth to a daughter, Camellia. She lived in Sweida, where people dubbed her "The Princess of the Mountain" (of ] mountain).{{fact|date=July 2009}} Her marriage was short-lived, however, and they divorced four years later. After that she returned to ] and resumed her singing career, where she married Egyptian director ], but they were also soon divorced. In 1941 she went back to Syria and re-married her cousin Hassan for a short time. Finally, she married Egyptian director ]. | Soon after, her cousin, Prince ], came to Cairo and asked for her hand in marriage, so she returned to Syria with her cousin where the marriage was celebrated in 1933, and gave birth to a daughter, Camellia. She lived in Sweida, where people dubbed her "The Princess of the Mountain" (of ] mountain).{{fact|date=July 2009}} Her marriage was short-lived, however, and they divorced four years later. After that she returned to ] and resumed her singing career, where she married Egyptian director ], but they were also soon divorced. In 1941 she went back to Syria and re-married her cousin Hassan for a short time. Finally, she married Egyptian director ]. | ||
Revision as of 11:42, 27 August 2009
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Asmahan (Template:Lang-ar Asmahān; Amal al-Atrash; 18 November 1918 at Mediterranean Sea – 14 July 1944 in Nile River, Egypt) was a Syrian-Egyptian singer and actor. Having immigrated to Egypt in childhood, she became the apprentice of Egyptian classical music pioneers, Dawood Hosni, Mohamed El Qasabgi and Zakariyya Ahmad. She also sang the compositions of Mohammed Abdel Wahab and her brother Farid al-Atrash, a then rising star musician in his own right. Hers was the only voice in Arab music to ever pose a serious competition to that of Umm Kulthum, considered to be the Arab world's most distinguished singer of the 20th century. Her mysterious, untimely death by drowning at the age of twenty-six drew speculations about tribulations in her personal life and an espionage role in World War II.
Early life
Asmahan was born to Fahd al-Atrash, a Syrian Druze from Suwayda, and 'Alia al-Mundhir, a Lebanese Druze from Hasbaya. Her father came from the Druze al-Atrash clan, well-known in Syria for its role in fighting against the French occupation.
Asmahan's father was Governor of the district of Demirci in Turkey, during the last days of the Ottoman Empire. When Syria fell to the allies in 1918 Asmahan's father feared revenge, and on October 24, 1918 he fled the country with his two sons and pregnant wife. They took the boat from İzmir to Beirut, and Asmahan was born on that boat. She was named "Amal" (Template:Lang-ar Āmāl), meaning "hopes". She was also called "Emily", but always preferred the name "Amal". Fahd later worked as a judge in Suwayda.
Following the Adham Khanjar incident in 1922, the al-Atrash home in al-Qrayya was bombed by French forces. 'Alia fled with her children to Damascus. Despite orders from Fahd, 'Alia refused to return. Asmahan later recalled her childhood years in Jabal al-Druze as "untouched by anything truly bad"
Immigration to Egypt
'Alia and the three children moved to Beirut, then to Haifa, Palestine and eventually immigrated to Egypt. According to family accounts, 'Alia was permitted to enter Egypt under the sponsorship of former prime minister Saad Zaghloul because of Zaghloul's relationship with her husband's relative, the Sultan al-Atrash.
Asmahan and her family first lived in an apartment in a poor section of Cairo. Her mother did laundry and sewing to support the family, while Asmahan and her brothers attended a French Catholic school. In order to receive waivers for the high cost of tuition, 'Alia registered them under the alias Kusah (meaning "zucchini") rather than try to convince school officials that members of the wealthy Al-Atrash family were destitute. After the family name was later revealed, 'Alia began receiving a monthly stipend from a benefactor, allowing her children to afford the school as well as a nicer apartment on Habib Shalabi Steert.
Career and life
Amal's vocal talent was discovered at an early age. She used to sing at home and in the school's special celebrations. She loved particularly to sing songs by Oum Koulthoum and Mohammad Abdel Wahab.
Their family friend, the Lebanese musician Farid Ghosn, introduced the young talent Amal to Zakaria Ahmad, Mohammad el Qasabji and Daoud Hosni. Hosni suggested her name be changed to Asmahan in memory of an old Persian singer.
There is another version of her discovery: Once her brother Farid was receiving at home one of the biggest musicians in Egypt, the famous composer Daoud Hosni. He happened to hear her singing while she was in her room, so he demanded to see her immediately and asked her to sing again, so Amal sang one more time and Daoud Hosni was very impressed and pleased, after she finished he told her that he once had a pupil who had a beautiful voice, but died at a very young age before knowing the fame she would have deserved, so therefore she was named after that pupil and called Asmahan and so henceforth Amal became Asmahan.
At the age of sixteen, Asmahan was solicited by a record company in Egypt to register her first album which featured her first song Ya Nar Fouadi by Farid Ghosn. Asmahan was forced to drop out of school, but she had already joined one of the most prestigious music academies in Egypt. Among her mentors were Farid Ghosn, Daoud Hosni, Mohammad El Qasabji and Zakaria Ahmad who gave her vocal training and music lessons. With their help she was offered a contract with Colombia Recordings.
Asmahan's rise to fame was very quick, and she performed songs composed by her mentors. Her first public performance was in the prestigious Cairo Opera. She was also asked to sing in the aristocratic family celebrations. She also started singing at Mary Mansour's night club alongside her brother Farid. To get the support from Egypts highest class, Asmahan was obligated to sing tribute songs about Egypt and the rulers of Egypt.
Asmahan worked with many famous composers such as Riyadh el-Sonbati and Mohamed El Qasabgi.
Soon after, her cousin, Prince Hassan al-Atrash, came to Cairo and asked for her hand in marriage, so she returned to Syria with her cousin where the marriage was celebrated in 1933, and gave birth to a daughter, Camellia. She lived in Sweida, where people dubbed her "The Princess of the Mountain" (of Jabal el Druze mountain). Her marriage was short-lived, however, and they divorced four years later. After that she returned to Cairo and resumed her singing career, where she married Egyptian director Ahmed Baderkhan, but they were also soon divorced. In 1941 she went back to Syria and re-married her cousin Hassan for a short time. Finally, she married Egyptian director Ahmed Salem.
Voice characteristics
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Known for her wide vocal range, Asmahan's voice could cover the low notes and Oriental Modes and sub-modes to reach the upper Soprano measures; this is shown in her song ya toyoor where she reaches a high A with ease and brio. Asmahan's voice could be seen as the mixture of two oriental divas' voices opposed in style and interpretation Fairouz, famous of her angelic tone of voice who was among the first to adopt the western (old Italian school of singing) singing method using a head resonance technique that is nearer to falsetto at a time where the nasal and chest resonance technique was reigning in the Arabic singing scene, and who despite the fact that her voice is hard to be classified between the mezzo-contralto (alto) and mezzo-soprano could reach high notes yet with less power than Asmahan but have a wide range of dynamics ranging from pianissimo to fortissimo from bottom to top, and Sabah (singer) who is famous for her powerful voice whose technique is similar to the American Broadway belting technique (belt (music)), alongside her phenomenal long breath where she can hold a high note for more than one minute.
Too much pressure (chest resonance technique) will deprive the singer from using a lot of dynamics as he will lose all the pianissimo and the bridge between the head and chest voices will be very difficult, not to mention that the legato line singing will be impossible and that the vocal range will shorten where the head register becomes weak. On the other hand the head voice technique (typical of the Western classical and operatic singing) will eliminate any chest resonance so the voice will become too sweet or artificial and consequently lose all the power and dramatic capacities required for the oriental Tarab genre
Asmahan's voice was so powerful that despite her heavy singing she was still able to use her head register and sing in a very controlled tone of voice a very demanding high pitched musical line with a very impressing and elegant Legato (the vocalization) in Ya touyour by Mohamed El Qasabgi and in a light color of voice (reaching a high A=LA) then return to sing the medium notes and reach the low register with the typical Arabic (nasal+chest) technique. Besides the fact that she was the first Arabic singer to use the classical western technique, very few performers are able to alternate two opposed styles of interpretation and technique in one song.
Some say that Nahwand had similar vocal abilities as Asmahan. Another specialty about her talent was her strength of breath and its duration, accompanied by her ability to switch between various musical notes in one musical sentence, a talent only shared with Fairouz.
Role in World War II
In 1941, during World War II, Asmahan came back to the French Mandate of Syria (Syria was under the rule of Vichy France at that time). She was on a secret mission to convince her people in Jabal el-Druze to allow the British and Free French forces to enter Syria through their territory without a fight. The British and Free French promised the independence of Syria in return, and the Druze agreed. After the Allies secured Syria during the Syria-Lebanon Campaign, General Charles de Gaulle visited Suwayda (the capital of Jabal el-Druze) where he met Asmahan, his successful messenger.
Death
On 14 July 1944, a car carrying Asmahan and a female friend of hers crashed into the River Nile after the driver lost control. Without a door on their side both ladies got stuck and drowned. Nevertheless, the driver managed to escape.
These suspicious circumstances gave rise to many rumors and much controversy. Tabloids were rife with conspiracy theories. Among those accused were British intelligence – after many reports claiming she was working with them – of getting rid of her after she handed over some military information to the Germans. The German Gestapo was also accused of killing her for helping the British.
Legacy
Her house in Syria is located in the French Quarter of Suwayda. Years after her death, that house was seized by the Syrian government, and became – like much of the French Quarter – a property of the Syrian Army. It took the government sixty-two years to give in to the demands to turn the house into a museum for Asmahan and Farid.
The Ministry of Tourism acquired the house in September 2006, but work on it has yet to start.
A television series in Arabic debuted in 2008 depicting her life and was shown during the month of Ramadan. Asmahan was played by Syrian actress Sulaf Fawakherji.
Discography
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Filmography
- Intissar al-Shabab (Triumph of the Youth), 1941
- Gharam wa Intiqam (Love and Revenge), 1944
References
- Newspaper Article al-Mada, "وشاءت لها الاقدار أن ترحل في الماء أيضا في حادث غامض في ترعة طلخا على نهر النيل قرب مدينة المنصورة يوم 14– 7 – 1944"
- Newspaper Article by Abdel-Fadil Taha 2008-05-23 Al-Quds Al-Arabi, "وحصلت الأسرة علي الجنسية المصرية وظلت تنعم بها ومنهم اسمهان بالطبع"
- Lebanese Army Journal, Issue Number 241, July 2005
- Al-Atrash, Majid (2005), Asmahan: Amirat at-tarab was-saif wan-nada (Asmahan: The princess of music, war and grace) Al-'Adyat magazine, p.75–77, in Arabic
- Zuhur 2000, p. 85
- Prominent Egyptians - Egyptian Government State Information Service
- <Zuhur 1998, p. 81
- Provence, Michael (2005). The great Syrian revolt and the rise of Arab nationalism (illustrated ed.). University of Texas Press. p. 72. ISBN 9780292706804.
- <Zuhur 1998, p. 81
- Zuhur 2000, pp. 38
- Zuhur 2000, p. 36
- Zuhur 2000, p. 38-39
- Interview with Fuad al-Atrash. Time 4:34.
- Zuhur 2000, p. 39
- Zuhur 2000, p. 41
- Zuhur 2000, p. 41, 53
- Zuhur 2000, p. 42, 44
- Zuhur 2000, p. 13
- Daily News Egypt. October 6, 2008
Sources
- Zuhur, Sherifa (1998), Images of enchantment: visual and performing arts of the Middle East, American University in Cairo Press, ISBN 9774244672
- Zuhur, Sherifa (2000), Asmahan's Secrets: Woman, War, and Song, University of Texas Press, ISBN 9780292798076
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link) - Zuhur, Sherifa (2001). Colors of enchantment: theater, dance, music and the visual arts of the Middle East. American University in Cairo Press. ISBN 9774246071.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
External links
- Asmahan at IMDb
- Asmahan Fan site
- Introduction to Asmahan's Secrets, a biography (ISBN 978-0-292-79807-6)
Template:Persondata {{subst:#if:Asmahan|}} [[Category:{{subst:#switch:{{subst:uc:1918}}
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| #default = 1918 births
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|| LIVING = | MISSING = | UNKNOWN = | #default =
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