Om-Kolthoom (1898 – 1975)          

       Om-Kolthoom was a singer مطربة  , songwriter مؤلفة أغانى and actress ممثلة . She is probably the most famous Egyptian and Arab singer. She was nicknamed as the Star of the East كوكب الشرق  and the Lady of the Arabic Singing سيدة الغناء العربى . She is widely regarded as the greatest female singer in the history of Arab music.

        Om-kolthoom was born in a village قرية in Dakahlia Governorate in Egypt. At a young age, she showed an exceptional singing talent موهبة . Her father, a mosque Imam إمام مسجد  , realized her talent when  he taught her to recite يرتل the Qur’an. She was said to have memorized the entire book. She moved, from her village to live in Cairo in 1923 .

       Her vocal characteristics attracted جذبت the most famous composers  ملحنين , musicians موسيقيين  and lyric poets الشعراء الغنائيين. She worked with  Mohammad El-Qasabgi; the best Oud player عازف عود  and the famous poet of Youth شاعر الشباب ; Ahmed Rami who wrote 137 songs for her.

         Two events حدثانdetermined the fate مصير  of Om Kolthoom as the most popularArab singer.  The First was her appearances ظهور in musical movies. The second was the live broadcasting  إذاعة مباشرةof her concerts. Her influence تأثير  kept growing and expanding beyond the artistic scene.

         In 1944, King Farouk of Egypt decorated her with the Perfection Order (Nishan El-kamal) نيشان الكمال, a decoration reserved exclusively to members of the royal family العائلة الملكية  and politicians. Her songs deal mostly with the universal themes of:  love الحب, longing الحنين  and loss الحرمان. Most of her songs have durations measured in hours rather than minutes.

After the Revolution of 1952, she was  interested in  patriotic songs الأغاني الوطنية . One of these songs was called  On the Door of Egypt على باب مصر which came back to life after the second rise of the Egyptian people in the Revolution of 2011. The song was written by Kamel El-Shinnawy. Here are some words of this great song.

وصاح من الشعب صوت طليق 

From the People yelled a fluent voice,

       قوي .. أبي … عميق …. عريق

Strong, proud, deep and ancient

يقول : أنا الشعب و المعجزة    

That said: I am the people and miracle

     أنا الشعب … لا شئ أعجزه

I am the People , Stopped me nothing,

وكل الذي قاله  

And all that I said

  قاله …. أنجزه

Said ….. I fulfilled

أنا الشعب …أنا الشعب

I am the People …. I am the People

لا أعرف المستحيل  

What is impossible I don’t know

     ولا أرتضي بالخلود بديلا

Nothing but eternity satisfies me

بلادي ….. بلادي   

My country … my country

 مفتوحة كالسماء

Is open like the sky

أنا الشعب ……..أنا الشعب

I am the People .. I am the People

أحب السلام….أخوض القتال

Peace I love …. Fight I get through

مني الحقيقة….. مني الخيال

Truth is mine … Imagination is mine

مني الحقيقة …..  مني الخيال

Truth is mine … Imagination is mine

وعندي الجمال….. وعندي الجمال

Beauty is mine …. beauty is mine

و عندي جمال 

And I have Jamaal

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Peace سلام   /Salam/