Umm Kulthum: The Voice of Egypt

[bomu samba]

This audio documentary on Umm Kulthum popped up on my Soundcloud feed and I thought it might interest some of you :

Umm Kulthum: The Voice of Egypt

It has input from one of her biographers, Virginia Danielson, with lots of music clips too. I am only just starting to learn about Umm Kulthum so I hope this is a good quality documentary (factually accurate, etc.).

It's an hour long and I'm about half way through - my headphones have just broken
If you do get a chance to listen, it would be great to hear what you think of it.

Thanks,
Bomu Samba

 

[Kashmir]

I have a video of the same name and it is very good. It was recommended to me by Yousry Sharif so I assume it is reasonably accurate.

In 2003 I stayed in a hotel that waas filled with Umm Kulthoum memorabilia. All the public spaces had her singing 24/7.

You need to be aware that much of her music is not suitable for dancing - only her later work. This is for several reasons - the style of music, the content (some of her work is political or religious) - and also because some people think it disrespectful to dance in the portions that she would have sung in (ie even an instrumental if it she would have sung in that bit).

 

[bomu samba]

Thanks for this info, Kashmir! Some of the threads I've read here and on Bhuz have highlighted that a lot of Umm Kulthum's work is unsuitable for dancing but I didn't know why.

 

[Jane]

Virginia Danielson also has a book.
"The Voice of Egypt": Umm Kulthum, Arabic Song, and Egyptian Society in the Twentieth Century (Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology): Virginia Danielson: 9780226136127: Amazon.com: Books

And here's the movie.
Amazon.com: Umm Kulthum: A Voice Like Egypt: Michal Goldman: Movies & TV

Both are very good and informative.

 

[Farasha Hanem]

Someone (I don't remember who) made a club mix of "Enta Omri." It's on the CD, "Banging Bellybeats." I couldn't believe it. :wall:

 

[Jane]

Was it the Ellie Attieh one Farasha?

 

[Farasha Hanem]

The album says the artist is Roger Abboud. My teacher gave me the CD since I do like some club mixes, just for fun, but Oum Kalthoum??? That doesn't seem proper!

Let me see if I can find a YouTube of it.

Edit: I can't find that particular remix on YouTube, but yeah, I just don't know if that particular version is proper or not.

 

[Jane]

I have a couple of Roger Abboud's songs I bought off itunes. Not the Enta Omri one. I was just looking through my Enta Omri list on itunes and I found another techno one by Carlos Campos and Ravin. Said Mrad did a lot of technofying (is that a word?) of Om Kolthoum's songs too.

 

[Zumarrad]

Someone (I don't remember who) made a club mix of "Enta Omri." It's on the CD, "Banging Bellybeats." I couldn't believe it. :wall:

Oh, you mean Gay Disco Enta Omri? So bad. You should check out Gay Disco Alf Leyla Wa Leyla, it's hilarious. (I'm assuming these are the same remixes, they are very very very 80s gay-disco-sounding to me.)

I hate those tracks and do not want to dance to them, but I think we should remember that those late-period Om Khalsoum songs are like the Beatles or Elvis songs in the Arab world. EVERYONE knows them and the club mix versions are like those hooked on classics things that were hot in the early 80s. Or the youth-friendly version of Old Person Music you'd have at a wedding or 21st.

I adore Om Khalsoum but I don't treat her as if she is the holy spirit incarnate. She was a person. Her songs are special. But they're not the Koran.

 

[Safran]

I've only had the time to listen a part of the podcast - I loved the fact that it is rich in recordings. If anyone is interested in Oum Kalthoum's life and work and the general background, I really recommend Virginia Danielson's book that Jane linked to - it is full of information, not only about OK, but also on how the music and entertainment scene has evolved in Egypt over time, what was the political situation and it's influence on culture, and what was the society like, to enable the phenomenon of OK and other great stars.

I have somehow acquired a lot of those disco/techno-mixes of OK songs, and I wouldn't say they are completely useless. I often use them in my beginners' classes for shimmy drills. They don't know it, but the melody does stick to them, so when they actually get to a dance event and see someone dance to a more "real" version of her songs, it will be easier for them to understand that because, "Hey, this melody sounds so familiar!"

 

[MizzNaaa]

Yeah, see I'm all cool with remixes and pop mixes and whatever-you-want mixes, but Um Kolthoum...Yeah, no.

Big no.

Just no.

 

[bomu samba]

Unfortunately I still haven't been able to finish listening to the show (the new headphones I got were faulty ) but I wanted to say thanks for the recommendations of further reading and viewing on Umm Kulthum. My birthday wishlist is getting longer every time I log onto this site!

Jane - "technofying" sounds like a portmanteau describing terrifying techno mixes of classic songs!:lol:

 

[khanjar]

Can you believe in our wet summer, I was up at Dartmoor waiting for a pub meal and my eyes wandered to the interesting articles in frames on the wall where I noticed Kulthum newspaper clippings in frames and these were old, and in fact further perusal of the pub interior ornaments revealed middle eastern antiquities and the biggest hookah I have ever seen outside of the Middle east in a corner hidden by a plant. I asked the landlord what's with the arabesque and he said it has always been there from a previous owner, but imagine my surprise at finding Kulthum newspaper clippings on the walls in a soggy North Devon village pub.

But Kulthum I have listened to a lot of her epics, but when I do it's in the car or at home as background music, but it is more modern interpretations of her music that I tend to listen mostly.