Sayed Mekawy ( ;May 8, 1927 – April 21, 1997) was an Egyptian singer and composer, popular in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

and throughout the Arabic speaking world. Throughout his life, he remained undaunted by modern innovations and the attempts of rivals to produce another type of music. He was best known for his radio collaboration with

Fuad Haddad Fouad Haddad (; 1927–1985) was an Egyptian poet, who wrote in the Egyptian vernacular. Life Fouad Haddad was born in Cairo. His mother came from a Syrian family and his father was a Lebanese academic who later became an Egyptian citizen.Amira ...

on the character of the Egyptian tradition of El-Misaharati.

Life

Mekawy was born in

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

Sayeda Zeinab district of Al-Nasriya on May 8, 1927. When his father died, Mekawy cried for days. Later, the pain eased, but the tears kept flowing. Doctors were powerless either to diagnose his condition or to stop the tears. One day, however, he could no longer see. This condition did not prevent him from learning the

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

or becoming an Azharite scholar. Having been trained in the art of reciting the Qur'an, Mekawy's voice could soar, gruff but powerful, to thrill his listeners. He sang solo using his lute at numerous concerts, though this is not what brought him fame, or confirmed his status as one of the most gifted and popular composers of oriental music. What brought him fame, however, was the unforgettable character of al-Missaharati, the man who announces the pre-dawn meal during the month of

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

, that he and

created in 1951. A popular figure during the holy month, the Missaharati was given new life by Haddad's words and Mekawy's music. Composed to the beat of the traditional "

Tabla A ''tabla'' is a pair of hand drums from the Indian subcontinent. Since the 18th century, it has been the principal percussion instrument in Hindustani classical music, where it may be played solo, as an accompaniment with other instruments a ...

" (Drum), it stirs up feelings of patriotism, nationalism and pride in Arab Muslim culture. The Missaharati represented an entire generation, expressing its suffering, frustrations and dreams. When Al-Missaharati was aired for the first time on the radio, it instantly became a symbol of national aspirations. It continues forty years later to help the faithful keep vigil, exhorting

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

to rise for their pre-dawn meal. Touching his audience to the quick, Mekawy in fact, touched on all the important economic, social, intellectual and political issues directly concerning the less privileged classes. Critical of any national shortcoming, he was prompt to deride bureaucracy in his song Al-lstemara Rakba Al-Humara ("The Questionnaire on a Donkey"). But Ha'n hareb ("We Shall Fight"), which came out in 1956, and Al-Ard Bitetkalem Arabi ("The land Speaks Arabic"), composed after 1973, were also true expressions of pride in his country. More than anything, however, Mekawi will be remembered for his contribution to Egyptian folklor music and especially the

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...

El Leila El Kebira ("The Big Night"), for which he wrote the music to the words of poet Salah Jahin. First conceived for the radio, describing the last and most important night of the "Moulid", a saint's festival, it was later adapted for the

puppet theatre Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance that involves the manipulation of puppets – inanimate objects, often resembling some type of human or animal figure, that are animated or manipulated by a human called a puppeteer. Such a performan ...

and aired on television, becoming an instant and lasting success with children and grown-ups alike. Mekawy died on the 11th anniversary of Salah Jahin's death. Of Salah Jahin, he used to say, "We get along like "Assal" with " Tehina", (

molasses Molasses () is a viscous byproduct, principally obtained from the refining of sugarcane or sugar beet juice into sugar. Molasses varies in the amount of sugar, the method of extraction, and the age of the plant. Sugarcane molasses is usuall ...

and

sesame paste Tahini () (, or in Iraq: (rashi-راشي)) is a Middle Eastern condiment (a seed butter) made from ground sesame seeds. The most common variety comes from hulled seeds, but unhulled ones can also be used; the latter variety is slightly bitter, ...

which always go together).

Selected works

*100 musical compositions for religious songs, the most famous being one set for the '' ʾAsmāʾul-Ḥusnā''. *30 compositions celebrating the Prophet's birthday or Moulid El-Nabi. *Al-Missaharati. *

Umm Kulthum Umm Kulthum (; 31 December 1898 – 3 February 1975) was an Egyptians, Egyptian singer and film actress active from the 1920s to the 1970s. She was given the honorific title (). Immensely popular throughout the Middle East and beyond, Umm Kul ...

's Ya Messaharni. *The

El Leila El Kebira. *Music for several TV series. *He wrote music for almost all popular singers, except

Abdel Halim Hafez Abdel Halim Ali Shabana (), commonly known as Abdel Halim Hafez (, ) (21 June 1929 – 30 March 1977), was an Egyptian singer, actor, conductor, businessman, music teacher and film producer. Abdel Halim is considered to be one of the greatest ...

. *He also acted in one film directed by Ali Badrakhan, "El-Arous El-Saghira" (The Little Bride). *Composed the music to "

Harun Al-Rashid Abū Jaʿfar Hārūn ibn Muḥammad ar-Rāshīd (), or simply Hārūn ibn al-Mahdī (; or 766 – 24 March 809), famously known as Hārūn al-Rāshīd (), was the fifth Abbasid caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate, reigning from September 786 unti ...

", a TV series with Mahmoud Al-Saadani and Salah Jahin. *Among his most popular songs are "Nashid Al-Muqawma Al-Sha'biya" (The Popular Resistance Anthem), "Gana El-Fagr" (Dawn is upon us), and "Ommal Hafr El-Qanal" (The workers who dug the Canal).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mekawy, Sayed 1927 births 1997 deaths 20th-century Egyptian male singers Egyptian oud players Blind musicians 20th-century Egyptian composers Musicians from Cairo Egyptian people with disabilities

Life

Selected works

See also

References