The Early Masters
Mohammad Al Qasabgi and
Zakariyya Ahmad
1919
to
1961
Following the death of Sayed Darwish, the progress of modern Egyptian
music is inexorably linked to a handful of great composers whose work
can be traced through the voices of two main figures; Umm Kulthum and
Abdel Halim Hafez.
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Mohammad Al-Qasabgi (1892 - 1966)
Born in 1892, Mohammad Al Qasabgi was the earliest of the six great Egyptian composers. His contribution to modern Egyptian music
is enormous. In addition to modernizing the Egyptian Takht with the addition of such western instruments as the Cello, his eloquently
romantic compositions, while relying primarily on Eastern traditions and scales, did not shy
from occasionally incorporating western influences. His rise to the zenith of Egyptian music in
the nineteen thirties and forties would benefit from and contribute to the careers of Asmahan
and Layla Mourad. However, it was his intimate association with the meteoric rise and eventual
reign of Umm Kulthum that would define his music and his artistic influence.
Al-Qasabgi’s composition technique was, on several levels, truly unique. Never before had the
medium witnessed such sensual notes and lyrical movements. For the first time in Eastern
music, composition became independent of vocals. Instrumental dialogue rose to new and
innovative heights. Works, written for Umm Kulthum, such as Raq El Habib, Madam Tehib
B’Tenkir Leih and Ya Sabah El Kheir are wells of immense beauty toward which Egyptian
music eternally gravitates.
But Al-Qasabgi’s influence did not stop with his genius as a composer. He’s clearly the greatest
teacher in the annals of Egyptian music. He’s responsible for the introduction and initial
modern musical education of Umm Kulthum. He was Asmahan’s principle tutor at the
beginning of her career and guided Layla Mourad’s first steps into stardom. He was the first to
recognize Mohammad Abdel Wahab’s innovative genius. And, the mind struggles to grasp, he was the principle Oud teacher to
Mohammad Abdel Wahab, Riad Al Sunbati and Farid Al Atrash! It’s fitting that Al Qasabgi’s last years were spent not as a composer but
rather as Umm Kulthum’s Oud player. After his death in 1966, The star of the orient would never allow another oud player to take his
place. The remainder of her performances would feature his empty chair behind her on the stage to which he had so masterfully guided
her.
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It’s difficult to perceive the direction modern Egyptian music would have charted without the genius and guidance of Mohammad Al-
Qasabgi.
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Zakariyya Ahmad (1896 - 1961)
While Al Qasabgi’s influence is viewed as irrevocably modernizing Egyptian music, the works of Zakariyya Ahmad remain the epitome
of classic Eastern tradition beauty. No other musician has ever rendered the poetic serenity
of Rast, Hujaz and Bayati Maqams with such splendor. By the early 1930’s, he would
entrench himself as one of Umm Kulthum’s three musketeers, along with Al-Qasabgi and
Al-Sunbati. But, while Al-Qasabgi was writing "Talet Layali El Be’ad" and "Raq Al Habib",
Ahmad would emote such works of nearly incomprehensible beauty as "Ana F’Intezarak",
"Habibi Yes’ed Aw’atoh" and "Ghanilli Shewai Shewai". It’s likely that Sheikh Zakariyya’s
background, anchored in the Eastern customs of Al-Azhar and steeped in the traditions of
Al Syrah Al Nabaweyyah, helped formulate a mastermind that was at variance from the
music conservatory backgrounds of Al-Qasabgi and Al-Sunbati. Whichever influence he fell
under, we’re deeply grateful for the result. When Sheik Zakariyya and Umm Kulthum had a
falling out in the late 1940’s that lasted for over a decade, Riad Al Sunbati became Umm
Kulthum’s primary composer. Without such counterbalance, the result was an irreversible
shift in the direction of modern Egyptian music. It’s no surprise therefore that, when the pair
reconciled in 1960, Zakariyya Ahmad’s "Howwa Sahih El Hawa Ghallab" evoked such deeply felt nostalgia on the streets of
within its artistic circles.
Sadly, the Sheikh’s death at 64 in early 1961 marked the permanent loss of this luminous influence. His death came less than a month
after the death of his beloved friend, the great poet Bayram El-Tunsi. They had collaborated on so many works. The death of the two
giants in such a short span was a debilitating blow to Egyptian song.
