Oulida el houda oum kalsoum biography

During her early career years, she faced staunch competition from two prominent singers: Mounira El Mahdeya and Fathiyya Ahmad, who had similar voices. The presence of all these enabling vocal characteristics attracted many composers, musicians, and lyricists to work with Umm Kulthum. In the mids, Mohammad el Qasabgi, who was an oud player and a composer, formed her small orchestra takhtcomposed of the most virtuosic instrumentalists.

InKing Farouk I of Egypt decorated Oum Kalsoum with the highest level of orders nishan el kamala decoration reserved exclusively to members of the royal family and politicians. Among the army men trapped were the figures who were going to lead the bloodless revolution of July 23,prominently Gamal Abdel Nasser, who arguably was a fan of Umm Kulthum and who would later become the president of Egypt.

Early after the revolution, the Egyptian musicians guild of which Oum Kalsoum became a member and eventually president rejected her because she had sung for the then-deposed King Farouk of Egypt. Do you want Egypt to turn against us? Oum Kalsoum was also known for her continuous contributions to charity works for the Egyptian military efforts.

Her songs deal mostly with the universal themes of love, longing and loss.

Oulida el houda oum kalsoum biography

Find out more about page archiving. Listen Live. Woman's Hour home. Contact Us. What is RSS? Listen to this item. Oum Kalsoum was the Egyptian diva who started her singing career disguised as a Bedouin boy. Her astonishing voice brought her out of the countryside and to Cairo where she became schooled in exquisite musicianship and poetry.

Born the daughter of a village imam, Kalsoum learned to sing by eavesdropping on her father's singing lessons with her brother. When her father heard her powerful voice, he invited her to join in. Kalsoum used to dress as a boy to sing without harassment from authorities. She quickly achieved local fame, and moved to Cairo in to begin a career that would mark the entire Arab-speaking world.