Ahmed Fouad Hassan was a great Egyptian musician and composer born in Cairo on 12 June 1926 in the 'Abdin neighborhood (some sources report 1928 as the year of birth).
Throughout his childhood he was subject to serious health problems, which significantly slowed down his studies. Suffering from diphtheria as a child, he underwent various surgeries that forced him to lead a rather difficult life. When, at the height of his career, they ask him what the secret of his artistic creativity is, he will mention the radio that was given to him as a child and the Egyptian musician Mohammed Abdel Wahab.
In 1946 he graduated from the Fouad I Institute of Arabic Music and continued his studies at the Higher Institute of Arabic Theatrical Music where he obtained a degree in 1949 specializing in the art of Qanun. His apprenticeship as a musician will take place with the Abd el Rahman el Khatib orchestra but he will soon give life to the "Al-Firqa Al-Masiya" which will become one of the most appreciated and renowned orchestras in the Arab world offering its services to artists such as Abdel Halim Hafez, Warda Al-Jazairia and Fayza Ahmed and will nurture future prodigies such as Hany Mehanna and Omar Khorshid.
During his career he will hold various prestigious positions, he will be a professor of music at Helwan University, Vice President of the Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers and a member of the Supreme Council of Culture and of the Music Committee of the Supreme Council of Arts and Letters. He will be awarded various awards and generations of musicians will graduate under his guidance, through their work with "Al-Firqa Al-Masiya" .
For a certain period he was married to the belly dancer Najwa Fouad, a marriage that greatly benefited the latter's career. They later divorced due to the dancer's staunch refusal to have children, which would have compromised her career.
Upon his death on October 3, 1993, Ahmed Fouad Hassan will leave a legacy of hundreds of compositions, some of which have become great classics of Arab music. On that date the great orchestra he created will also cease to exist.
Ahmed Fouad Hassan è stato un grande musicista e compositore egiziano nato al Cairo il 12 giugno 1926 nel quartiere di 'Abdin ( alcune fonti riportano il 1928 come anno di nascita).
Nel corso della sua infanzia è stato soggetto a gravi problemi di salute, fatto che ha notevolmente rallentato i suoi studi. Affetto da difterite da bambino, fu sottoposto a vari interventi chirurgici che lo costringeranno ad una vita piuttosto difficile.
Quando, all’apice della carriera, gli verrà chiesto quale sia il segreto della sua creatività artistica egli citerà La radio che gli fu regalata da bambino e il musicista egiziano Mohammed Abdel Wahab .
Nel 1946 si diplomerà presso l'Istituto Fouad I di Musica Araba e proseguirà i suoi studi all'Istituto Superiore di Musica Teatrale Araba presso il quale conseguirà una laurea nel 1949 specializzandosi nell’arte del Qanun.
Il suo apprendistato come musicista si svolgerà con l’orchestra di Abd el Rahman el Khatib ma ben presto darà vita alla "Al-Firqa Al-Masiya" che diverrà una delle più apprezzate e rinomate orchestre del mondo arabo che offrirà i propri servigi ad artisti quali Abdel Halim Hafez, Warda Al-Jazairia e Fayza Ahmed allevando futuri prodigi quali Hany Mehanna e Omar Khorshid.
Nel corso della sua carriera ricoprirà vari incarichi prestigiosi, sarà docente di musica presso l’ Università di Helwan, Vicepresidente della Società degli Autori, Compositori ed Editori e membro del Consiglio Supremo della Cultura e del Comitato Musicale del Consiglio Supremo delle Arti e delle Lettere. Gli verranno conferiti vari riconoscimenti e generazioni di musicisti si diplomeranno sotto la sua guida, attraverso il loro lavoro con la "Al-Firqa Al-Masiya" .
Per una certo periodo è stato sposato con la danzatrice del ventre Najwa Fouad, matrimonio che ha giovato non poco alla carriera di quest’ultima. Divorzieranno in seguito a causa dello strenuo rifiuto della danzatrice di avere figli, cosa che avrebbe compromesso la sua carriera artistica.
Alla sua morte, avvenuta il 03 ottobre 1993, Ahmed Fouad Hassan lascerà in eredità centinaia di composizioni alcune delle quali sono divenute grandi classici della musica araba . In tale data cesserà di esistere anche la grande orchestra da lui creata.
Ahmed Fouad Hassan أحمد فؤاد حسن - Music of the Bedouin Bandit
A1 Whirling Sands
A2 Bolero Ala Drums
A3 a) Dubki
A3 b) Egyptian Caravan
A4 Caravina
A5 Eb Si Olanda
B1 Dance of the Djiens
B2 Cocktails
B3 a) Hali Men
B3 b) Chifti No.2
B4 Jazz Araby
B5 Kashlama
Ahmad Fuad Hasan & Al Firqa Al Masiyya أحمد فؤاد حسن و الفرقة الماسية - Hareem Dance
A1 Najwa نجوى
A2 'Awatif عواطف
A3 Mabruk مبروك
A4 Dimashq دمشق
B1 Layali ليالي
B2 Tuha توحة
B3 Raq Al Ghawazi رقص الغوازي
B4 Samba سامبا
Ahmed Fouad Hassan أحمد فؤاد حسن - Belly Dance مهرجان الرقص
A2 Mahrajan Al Raks مهرجان الرقص
B1 Rakset El Ghazal رقصة الغزال
B2 Al Mushrabiya المشربيه
B3 Samia ساميه
Ahmed Fouad Hassan أحمد فؤاد حسن - Philips – HE 434.022
A1 El Mouled المولد
A2 Hekayet Hob حكاية حب
B1 Baheya باهية
B2 Casablanca كازابلانكا
Ahmed Fouad Hassan أحمد فؤاد حسن - Khan Al Khalili خان الخليلي
01 Abeer عبير
02 Khan Al Khalili خان الخليلي
03 Layalina ليالينا
04 Salma سلمى
05 Ayob ايوب
06 Al Hob Zaman الحب زمان
07 Al Qahera القاهرة
08 Domo’a Al Layel دموع البلبل
09 Darawesh الدروايش
Ahmed Fouad Hassan أحمد فؤاد حسن - Jamilah Records
01 Nadia ناديا
02 Ah ya zeyn اه يازين
03 Bi'ad بعاد
04 Hayaty حياتي
05 Al Asil الاصيل
06 Laila al 'omr ليلة العمر
07 Sahretna سهرتنا
08 Rabia رابية
09 Habiby حبيبي
10 Na'asa ناعسة
11 Hassan حسن
12 Harb Uktubr حرب اوكتوبر
13 Misr مصر 73
Ahmed Fouad Hassan أحمد فؤاد حسن - First Radiophonic Concert الحفل الموسيقي الإذاعي الأول
01 Hona al Qahira هنا القاهرة
02 Sama'i 'Ajam 'Ashiran سماعى عجم عشيران
03 Dhikriaty ذكرياتى
04 Khatwa Habibi خطوة حبيبى
05 Sama'i Hezam سماعى هزام
06 Dumu' al Bulbul دموع البلبل
07 Fatafit al Sukkar فتافيت السكر
08 Sahr al-Sharq سحر الشرق
09 Ya Nasiny ياناسينى
10 Daffat qalb دقات قلب
11 Mudnak Gafah مضناك جفاه
12 Al-Karnak الكرنك
Thank you very much! I have been enjoying your blog for years!
RispondiEliminaHello again ...I was wondering if you know what album I can find this song on? This song has been a mystery for over 2 decades. I thought for sure, this song would be on 1 of the 2 previously unheard albums you shared. Suhaila Salimpour danced to the song on vimeo dot com/145942977. It is labeled "Hayati". I also found the song in Arabic on Youtube a couple of years ago but I still do not know what album it is included on. Do you know? Or if any listeners know - please do share. Many thanks! :) Thanks for all you do on both your Youtube channel and your blog!
RispondiEliminaI forgot to mention that the song has also been called "Nagwa Fouad" so I suppose it was written for her as a dance number and it is not of his earliest of works.
RispondiEliminaHi, the song you mentioned is actually called Nagwa Fouad. I don't know which album it is in also because the Ahmad Fouad Hassan albums available are really few. For information, if you read Arabic, you can try asking the users of the Sama3y forum (www.sama3y.net). They are all kind people and big fans of Arabic music.
EliminaI uploaded the song in question to soundcloud and included it in this post. For now I can't do more.
Yes! That is the very song in question! Thank you for your reply! :) Wishng you a great weekend!
RispondiEliminaMany thanks for yous shares!! and especially for this diamond Ahmed Fouad Hassan أحمد فؤاد حسن - Music of the Bedouin Bandit ... Great orchestra!!! Do you know the names of the artists ? the name of the amazing violin player? thanks for any help!!
RispondiEliminaHi, thank you very much for your appreciation. Unfortunately I can only partially answer your question. The orchestra has had various formations. I can tell you that they fought there:
EliminaMahmoud Effat - flute
Hassan Anwar - Raq player
Ahmed Al-Hafnawi - Violin
Hassan Kamal and Magdy Polis - cello
Mahmoud Al-Qasabji, Abdel Moneim Al-Hariri, Michel Al-Masry, Nasr Abdel Monsef and Mohamed Khairy - All violinists.
Thank you so much for sharing! Do you know what year the songs like Na'asa and Sahretna were released?
RispondiEliminaI'm sorry but i dont know. Thanx to you
RispondiElimina