Abd al-Wahhāb, Muḥammadʿ

▪ Egyptian musician

born 1901?, Cairo, Egypt

died May 4, 1991, Cairo

      Egyptian composer and musician, who changed the direction of modern Arabic music by incorporating European and Latin American instruments, melodies, and dance rhythms into his work.

      ʿAbd al-Wahhāb was born into a poor family, and, while still a child, he began singing at religious festivals and in nightclubs. His musical education was paid for by the famous poet Aḥmad Shawqī (Shawqī, Aḥmad), who was impressed by his singing and many of whose poems ʿAbd al-Wahhāb set to music. Much admired for his fine baritone voice, ʿAbd al-Wahhāb also became noted for his skillful playing of the ʿud (ūdʿ) (a short-necked instrument similar to a lute).

      ʿAbd al-Wahhāb, who recorded many of his own songs, was a successful composer and accompanist for other popular Egyptian singers, notably the legendary diva Umm Kulthūm and Najāt al-Ṣaghīrah (Nagat al-Saghira). He set to music both classical and contemporary Arabic poems and composed nationalist ballads that became modern classics and earned him awards in Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon. A prolific composer, he wrote some 1,800 popular songs. ʿAbd al-Wahhāb also appeared in several musical films.

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