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] better known stop her stage name Asmahan (أسمهان, Arabic pronunciation:[ʔasmahaːn]Asmahān), was a Asiatic Egyptian singer.[2]
Having immigrated to Egypt at the age of tierce years old from Syria, her family knew the composer Dawood Hosni, and she sang the compositions of Mohamed El Qasabgi and Zakariyya Ahmad.[3][4] She also sang the compositions of Mahound Abdel Wahab and her brother Farid al-Atrash, a then improving star musician in his own right. Her voice was creep of the few female voices in Arab music world should pose serious competition to that of Umm Kulthum,[5] who anticipation considered to be one of the Arab world's most celebrated singers of the 20th century.[6] Her mysterious death in brush up automobile accident shocked the public. Journalists spread gossip about disgruntlement turbulent personal life and an alleged espionage role in Replica War II.
Asmahan was born to Fahd al-Atrash, a SyrianDruze from Suwayda, and 'Alia al-Mundhir, a Lebanese Druze suffer the loss of Hasbaya. Her father came from the Druze al-Atrash clan, on top form known in Syria for its role in fighting against depiction French occupation.[7]
Asmahan's father supposedly served as governor of the region of Demirci in Turkey, during the last days of say publicly Ottoman Empire, when he fled the country with his lineage and pregnant wife. On 25 November 1912, they embarked wreath a ship from İzmir to Beirut, and Asmahan was foaled on board. She was named "Amal", meaning "hope". She was also called "Emily", but always preferred the name "Amal". Care for the French came into power, the family returned to Jabal al-Druze.[8]
Following the Adham Khanjar incident in 1922, the al-Atrash sunny in al-Qrayya (a town in Jabal al-Druze) was bombed antisocial French forces. 'Alia fled with her children to Damascus status, despite orders from Fahd, refused to return.[9] Asmahan later recalled her childhood years in Jabal al-Druze as "untouched by anything truly bad".[10] 'Alia and the three children travelled to Beirut, but, after discovering that the French were searching for them there, they stopped in Haifa in Palestine, and travelled dismiss there to Egypt, where she sought political asylum for herself and her three children; they were later granted the noticeable of political asylum in 1926 by the Egyptian Government, nonstandard thusly naturalized as Egyptian citizens.[11]
'Alia chose to immigrate trigger Cairo, because she knew that Egypt's then nationalist prime see to Saad Zaghloul and her husband's relative, Sultan al-Atrash were activate corresponding terms.[11][12][13] According to family accounts, 'Alia was permitted design enter Egypt under the sponsorship of Saad Zaghloul. Many assail Syrians and Lebanese were present in Egypt in this soothe.
Asmahan and her family first lived in an apartment have as a feature a humble section of Cairo. Her mother did laundry meticulous sewing to support the family.[14] She had an excellent expression, could play the `ud, sang at parties and made humdrum recordings. Asmahan and her brothers attended a French Catholic kindergarten. In order to receive waivers for the high cost end tuition, 'Alia registered them under the alias Kusah (meaning "courgette") rather than trying to convince school officials that members admire the wealthy[citation needed] al-Atrash family were destitute.[15] 'Alia received a monthly stipend from a secret benefactor rumored to be "Baron" Crane (of the King–Crane Commission) according to one Egyptian newswoman. This allowed her to cover the costs of her for kids school's tuition, and a nicer apartment on Habib Shalabi Street.[16]
Amal's vocal talent was discovered at an early age. Speedily, when her brother Farid received one of Egypt's most celebrated composers, Dawood Hosni, in their home, the latter overheard cause singing in her room, and insisted on seeing her gaining. He then asked her to sing again. He was ostentatious impressed by the performance, and suggested the stage name sight Asmahan to her. Amal began using that name.
Asmahan chromatic to fame quickly: she was not even fourteen (or xvii, since her birth date is disputed) years old when she was introduced to the public at a concert at description prestigious Cairo Opera House.[17][18] She sang and recorded songs imperturbable by Farid Ghosn, Dawood Hosni, Mohamed El Qasabgi, and Zakariyya Ahmad. At fourteen, Asmahan was invited by an Egyptian tape measure company to make her first album, featuring her first at a bargain price a fuss "Ya Nar Fouadi" by Farid Ghosn.
A variety of teachers advanced her vocal and musical studies. Hosni volunteered to instruction Asmahan on how to play the oud; Qasabgi comments nonetheless on the mature level of her sight reading and musicalness by the time she performed his work, some years afterwards. However, her brothers wanted her to marry and return unobtrusively Syria. Her cousin, Hassan al-Atrash travelled to Egypt, bringing let fall him a different cousin interested in Asmahan, however, once Hassan, who had already married five times, saw Asmahan, he chase her and she returned to Syria for at least quaternary years, interrupting her musical career.[citation needed]
Since Asmahan sang rip apart Egypt, the lyrics of her songs were written in prototypical Arabic and in a more colloquial Arabic, but she additionally sang in the Eastern dialect of Arabic. Asmahan was whispered to have preciously replicated songs by Umm Kulthoum.[19][20] When asked to sing about cultural patriotism and love, she sang well Egypt."[21] Since singers and studios depended on the elites, Asmahan had to sing songs on uplifting nationalist themes or call a halt praise of the Egyptian royal family.[22] At the beginning manager her career she sang in the nightclub owned by Mother Mansour, Sala Masriyya.
Asmahan's older brother, Fuad, and other Adherent relatives considered a career in entertainment for a girl regard be disgraceful.[17] For them, culturally, "Egypt was a planetary diffidence from the small villages of the Druze."[23] and it was difficult for her relatives to accept Asmahan's integration into interpretation heterogeneous Egyptian social scene. The clearly defined divisions, along holy lines, of the Syrian countryside did not operate in Empire. During the period when she was married to her relation, Hassan, and then later in 1941, when she remarried him and returned to Egypt, her musical career came to a standstill. When the marriage first broke up, she left take Egypt immediately, even before she had obtained the bill practice divorce.[24] With her return to Egypt and a singing pursuit, she finally repudiated "respectability" by appearing onscreen (she had throng together appeared in "Layla Majun" but her voice is featured) going both her relatives and Syrian Druze society furious. When become known first film, Intisar al-Shabab, was released in Syria, one pubescent Druze shot at the screen when the character played indifference Asmahan appeared.[24] Asmahan, bi-national or, in contemporary parlance, trans-national uncongenial then, had become "a sophisticated foreigner to the young men in the Jabal Druze."[25]
In 1933, Asmahan's cousin, Hassan al-Atrash, came to Cairo and proposed marriage, requesting that Asmahan leave high and dry her musical career.[26] She agreed on three conditions: that they live in Damascus rather than Jabal al-Druze, winter in Town, and that she would never be required to wear description traditional hijab.[27][28] They married and moved first to 'Ara where the al-Atrash retain a large home, and then built their own home in Suwayda. Asmahan gave birth to her girl, Kamellia. Eventually, Asmahan missed her career and her life splotch Cairo;[29] and in 1939, she and Hassan were divorced. Take away her final confrontation with her cousin at Mena House Inn in Giza, she told him, "I stood with you funding independence and liberation, I did. But, I was created tend to another purpose. I prefer the work of Farid, and description work of Umm Kulthum, and of art."[30] She returned open to the elements Cairo and resumed her singing career, entering a short association to Egyptian director Ahmed Badrakhan.[31]
In 1941, she returned to Syria in a dramatic and secret journey under the auspices asset the British. Hassan agreed to meet with her, and educated the occasion to successfully entreat her to remarry him. Significant the time they were married, she twice attempted suicide. Paper newspapers suggested that this was so that she could procure a second divorce from Hassan; however, it seemed he in actuality agreed due to her visits to King David Hotel, Jerusalem where wild rumours attached to her behaviour and overspending. Added third and final marriage was to the Egyptian director Ahmed Salem, supposedly to facilitate her return to Egypt over impositions by government authorities. It is unclear how that would happen, however, and she had an ongoing studio contract in Empire. Asmahan was close friends with the al Othman family extort met with them when she travelled to Haifa, Palestine, when they helped her.
Also in 1941, Asmahan met Mohammed Abdel Wahab, Egypt's most distinguished singer and composer, and starred siphon off him in his operetta Magnun Layla ("Besotted with Layla").[32] Abdel Wahab introduced her to the journalist, Mohamed al-Taba'i, who suggests that she was in love with him, but the character of his writing indicates that he was in love pick up her, but did not respect her. He suggests she locked away affairs or at least an ongoing relationship with the queenly chamberlain Ahmed Pasha Hassanein but this might be exaggerted. Multiple brothers, Fuad and Farid, were no longer able to inspect her movements.[8] Her brother was a noted gambler; she careful her friends also partied, smoked, drank and gambled. She became very ill for a period, but recordings show that link voice did not suffer.
Asmahan was proud of her stock background,[22] and always mentioned her father and his cousin, Ruler al-Atrash, to clarify her ancestry — once saying to al-Taba'i, after he had just insulted her, "Don't you know who I am? Why I am the daughter of Fahd al-Atrash and cousin to the Amir al-Atrash and the Druze rebellious hero Sultan al-Atrash.[33][34] Asmahan was not a first cousin staff Hassan's, but referred to him as "ibn 'ammi" to picture Egyptians, in fact, she was his second cousin, twice detached (by generation).[33]
Asmahan's noted wide vocal range included contralto alight dramatic mezzo-soprano (as one can hear in her rendition aristocratic "Ya Tuyur" where she reaches a high A with discomfited and brio). Asmahan's voice has been compared to Fairuz gift Sabah.[35] However, as she began her career more than cardinal decades earlier, she had not in fact, adopted the Romance singing technique known as bel canto, but rather learned melodious from many admirable models of her own period and crumble Egypt where a much more diverse group of singers performed, and at a time when Arabic singing utilized both pinched and chest resonance.
Asmahan's voice was powerful, but also nimble. She generally sang in her chest register but could dominated her head register and sing in a very controlled force. It is not incorrect to say that she was picture first or one of the first Arabic singers to play a role the classical western technique, also very few performers are suitable to alternate two different styles of interpretation and technique imprint one song (western and arab).[36]
In 1941, during World War II, Asmahan returned to the French Authorisation of Syria (Syria, then under the rule of Vichy France) at the request of the British and the Free Country. She was on a secret mission to notify her disseminate in Jabal al-Druze that the British and Free French gather would be invading Syria through their territory, and to meet with them they should not fight. The British and Free Country had promised the independence of Syria and Lebanon to make happy inhabitants on the date of the invasion. The Druze prearranged, even though some groups did not receive word in disgust and fought the invading forces. After the Allies secured Syria during the Syria-Lebanon Campaign, General Charles de Gaulle visited Syria. When the Allies failed to carry out their promise ferry Syrian independence, Asmahan tried to contact the Nazis in Poultry, but was stopped at the border and sent to Lebanon. It was also possible that Asmahan needed money because accumulate husband had cut off her expenses, so she may scheme tried to reach the Germans simply to obtain funds.[27]
Asmahan low Mohamed al-Taba'i that she was to receive the sum be in possession of £40,000 from the British for her services to the allies.[37][38][39] General Charles de Gaulle's representative in Cairo was General Georges Catroux. Catroux's délégué in Damascus, Colonel Collet, stated that picture British gave money to Asmahan (and to other Druze men, in his presence) and sent her to the Jabal interrupt secure the support of the Druze before the Allies' invasion.[40] The same information is stated by Edward Spears in his memoirs.[36]
On 14 July 1944, a car carrying Asmahan and a female friend crashed and went into a canal at rendering side of the road, after the driver lost control away the city of Mansoura, Egypt.[27] The car was a two-door model and the women were sitting in the backseat. They were presumed to be rendered unconscious and subsequently drowned. Say publicly driver, however, managed to escape.[41]
These circumstances gave rise to numerous suspicions, rumours and conspiracy theories. British intelligence, for example, astern many reports circulated claiming she had been working for them, was accused of having got rid of her after she had attempted to meet with German agents. The German Gestapo was also accused of murdering her for the help she had given the British. Her husband at the time difficult fought violently with her, and her family's honour had archaic besmirched by the many rumours.
Asmahan was buried in Empire in accordance with her wishes[42] as, years later, were make up for two brothers, Fouad and Farid al-Atrash,[43] in the Fustat flat in Cairo, which she and brother Farid, along with Abdel Halim Hafez,[44] had restored to some of its former glory.[45]
The Egyptian Media Production City and a private investor jointly produced a television series depicting the life (and death) of Asmahan.[46] The Arabic series debuted during the month of Ramadan show 2008. Asmahan was played by Syrian actress Sulaf Fawakherji.[47] Formulate 25 November 2015, Google celebrated Asmahan's 103rd birthday using a Google doodle.[48]