The Great
Duo
The Essential Composers:
Mohammad Abdel Wahab
and
Riad Al-Sonbati
Riyad Al-Sunbati (1906 - 1981)
Acknowledged by most Middle Eastern Music scholars as the greatest Egyptian composer of all time, Riyad Al-Sunbati is a towering
figure of genius.
Presenting himself to the Egyptian Music Conservatory as a 22 years old prospective student
in 1928, the selection committe would instead offer him a position as an Oud professor. He
proceeded over the next five decades to amass a repertoire unequaled by any other, a body of
work that would have a colossal imapct on Middle Eastern as well as international art.
Why Al-Sunbati's music is so transformational is a topic for true music scholars and I will
abstain from discussing it. Instead, I'm moved to try and explain why it affects me, and so
many others in the western world, so deeply.
The music is profoundly romantic; woven with such exquisite brilliance. Its movements soar
to heights of elation while constantly imbuing the listener in a sea of contemplation. His only
counterparts in western traditions are the giants of the romantic classical period. One would
have to study the likes of Frédéric Chopin or Sergei Rachmaninoff, except that Al-Sunbati is
responsible for a mind bending output of over six hundred works!
To my ear, Al-Sunbati’s style maybe divided as pre- or post- 1948. In the nineteen thirties and
forties, His work, while incredibly beautiful, pays homage to Sayid Darwish, Al-Qasabgi and
Abdel Wahab. Starting in the late nineteen forties and for the rest of his career Al-Sunbati
would embark on a musical journey unparalleled in the annals of Middle Eastern music,
preserving its roots for eternity and catapulting it forward at the same time. During the period between 1949 and 1960, He would nearly
monopolize Umm Kulthum’s musical offerings, propelling her from a great artist to the single greatest cultural figure in the
works, a mere 109 were composed for her. Of the numerous great singers of the era, from Layla Mourad to Wardah, many would credit
their greatest successes to his compositions.
But let us not ignore Al Sunbati’s virtuosity as an Oud player. In spite of the acknowledged mastery of Farid Al-Atrash, many consider
Al-Sunbati nevertheless as the undisputed master of the ancient instrument.
When once asked to characterize his contribution to music, Al-Sunbati said: “Sayid Darwish created a musical revolution unlike any
composer before him. But his style, still affected by the constraints of his time, was characterized by deliberation and repetition. Then
came I and Mohammad Abdel Wahab to continue this line of modernization which Sayid Darwish started. In essence, we all graduated
from his
It’s fitting that the great master should acknowledge the contribution of his contemporary, Mohammad Abdel Wahab. Theirs was a
synergistic relationship which defined a music culture.
Mohammad Abdel Wahab (1902 - 1991)
When I poll my peers in the western world as to what music first attracted them to Raqs Sharqy, invariably all respond that it was one or
a few of Abdel Wahab’s offerings. Having composed more works in western scale than any of the great Egyptian composers, that is not
surprising.
When one asks the populace on the streets of
always his name that they first speak. Sometimes, his is the only name they speak. Lovingly
termed “Maestro of the Ages” by Middle Eastern musicians, Mohammad Abdel Wahab is a
conglomeration of artistic brilliance. If his contribution to Near East culture had been
limited to his compositions such contribution would have earned him a position as one of
the three great Middle Eastern composers of all time. But Mohammad Abdel Wahab helped
launch Egyptian cinema, led a band of musical luminaries, influenced his contemporary and
following generations of Arabic composers like no other and when he sang, it was like the
rumble of an earthquake.
More than any other Middle Eastern composer, the works of Abdel Wahab are studied and
scrutinized by musical conservatories all over the world. As I mentioned above, his work
always seems more accessible to us in the western world when we’re first introduced to that
ancient culture. He so successfully combined elements of both Eastern and Western culture
that some lesser minds within the Middle East art circles have accused him of succumbing
to western culture or worse, stealing from it. I have even found some parties in the west
repeat such drivel. To us, those who have embraced and dedicated ourselves to Raqs Sharqi, his are the works we find ourselves aspiring
to interpret.
And just as Riyad Al-Sunbati was keenly aware of the accomplishments of his contemporary, so was Abdel Wahab. When Abdel Wahab
listened to Al Sunbati's monumental "Al Atlal", he was so moved by the sheer genius of that seminal work that he said he could never
match its stature. Indeed, He would never again compose another Qasidah to Umm Kulthum or any other.
Repeatedly, it seems, we suffer the injustice of our beloved musical figures having their careers ended too early. We’re so fortunate that
the career of this giant lasted for seven glorious decades.
Music is indeed the food of the soul. Riad Al Sunbati elevates my spirit and feeds my intellect. His music moves my body as non other.
To me, his genius is an affirmation of humanity’s worth and potential greatness. And, Mohammad Abdel Wahab fills my heart with joy and,
when life disappoints, as it’s often known to do, he restores my sense of well being. His music buttresses my spine and carries me to a more
perfect world.