| Abdel Halim Hafez | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Abdel Halim Ali Shabana |
| Born | June 21, 1929 Ash Sharqiyah Governorate Egypt |
| Origin | Egypt |
| Died | March 30, 1977 King's College Hospital, London United Kingdom (aged 47) |
| Genres | Egyptian Opera Arabic |
| Years active | 1952–1977 |
| Website | [1] |
Abdel Halim Ali Shabana (Arabic: عبدالحليم علي شبانة) commonly known as Abdel Halim Hafez (Arabic: عبد الحليم حافظ) (June 21, 1929 – March 30, 1977), is one of the most popular, and celebrated Egyptian and Arab singers, and actors not only in Egypt but the world. He is considered to be one of the four greats of Egyptian and Arabic music,along with Umm Kulthum, Mohammed Abdel Wahab, and Farid Al Attrach. Abdel Halim's music is still played heavily on radio daily in Egypt,the Arab World and beyond. His name is sometimes written as 'Abd el-Halim Hafez, and he was also sometimes known as el-Andaleeb el-Asmar (the Dark Nightingale, Arabic: العندليب الأسمر).Abdel Halim Hafez is widely considered to be the greatest male singer in Arab music history.
Contents |
He was born in El-Halawat, in Ash Sharqiyah Governorate, 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of Cairo, Egypt. Abdel Halim was the fourth child of Sheikh Ali Ismail Shabana. He had two brothers, Ismail and Mohammed, and one sister, Aliah. Abdel Halim's mother died from complications after giving birth to him, and his father died five months later leaving Abdel Halim and his siblings orphaned at a young age. Abdel Halim was raised by his aunt and uncle in Cairo. Halim lived in the most poorest areas in the world. Every day Halim had to really struggle to just survive.
His musical abilities first became apparent while he was in primary school, and his older brother Ismail Shabana was his first music teacher. At the age of 11 he joined the Arabic Music Institute in Cairo and became known for singing the songs of Mohammed Abdel Wahab. He graduated from the Higher Theatrical Music Institute as an oboe player.
While singing in clubs in Cairo, Abdel Halim was drafted as a last-minute substitute when singer Karem Mahmoud was unable to sing a scheduled live radio performance in celebration of the abolition of the Egyptian and Sudanese monarchy and the declaration of the Republic of Egypt on 18 June, 1953. Abdel Halim's performance was enormously popular with the live audience, and was heard by Hafez Abd El Wahab[1], supervisor of musical programming for Egyptian national radio, who decided to support the then unknown singer. Abdel Halim took 'Hafez', Abdel Wahab's first name, as his stage-surname in recognition of his patronage. Halim beat all odds from being a very poor orphan to becoming one of the most popular and loved singers in the world.[2] His songs became so popular that arenas and stadiums could not handle the masses.[3] Halim later began to perform in deserts, Roman coliseums, and outdoor arenas, some of which gathered as many as one million people.[4]
Many of his remarkable concerts everywhere he went would easily gathered hundred thousand people in the audenice.[5] Many stadiums were sold out and completely packed with people when Halim performed there. Halim earned a very huge tremendous amount of love and admiration by millions upon millions of people in the Arab world and beyond. Halim reached international fame. [6] Halim consistently really helped many new young artists and actors to become very successful,Which they are very successful because of him.[7][8] Most of Halim's hard work was all for the people.[9] More than 150 million people watched all the same time when Halim made live concerts. Halim always moved around the stage like no other entertainer ever and communicated to the audience at the same time communicating to the musicians in a very remarkable and one of a kind way.[10] Halim had a enormous amount of pure natural chrisma.[11]
Halim is considered heavily as the Greatest male singer in Arab music history.[12] Abdel Halim certainly earned such names as the undisputed King of romance, King of Arabic music, The king of emotions and feelings, The ambassador of love, The son of the revolution and more that he will be remembered as for millions of people forever.[13]
Halim constantly gave his money to the poor. One of the many ways that he would do so was at the start of the month, every month of the year, Halim would fill many envelopes with money. Then he would send these envelopes to many places around the Middle East.[14]
Abdel Halim heavily improved millions of people's lives in a very short period of time. He often gave money and food to charity and to the poor directly all through his life. Also, his masterful songs truly uplifted millions people of all ages and from all countries. Halim usually went to orphanages and hospitals all over the Middle East to give money too, teach music too and help the people there.[15] Many times Halim would directly go where the poor are living and give them food and money.[16] In 1969 Halim built a hospital in Egypt to help people.[17] Halim is among the very few singers ever in the world who gave so much to people.[18]
Abdel Halim never married, although rumors persist that he was secretly married to actress Soad Hosny for six years. Both Abdel Halim and Soad Hosny's friends continue to deny the marriage even to this day. Interestingly, Soad Hosny died on Abdel Halim's birthday (June 21) in 2001, in a death which British courts deemed to be suicide[2] (although this finding is disputed).
Despite this, Abdel Halim only truly fell in love once, in his youth. He fell in love with a young woman whose parents refused to allow them to marry. After four years, her parents finally approved and as long as Abdel Halim was with her he was able to defeat his disease but the girl died of a chronic disease before the wedding and the disease came back to him and even worse. Abdel Halim never recovered from her loss, and dedicated many of his saddest songs to her memory, including Fi Youm, Fi Shahr, Fi Sana (In a Day, a Month, a Year) and the poignant Qariat el-Fingan (The Fortune-teller).
At the age of 11 Abdel Halim contracted Bilharzia — a parasitic water-born disease — and was periodically and painfully afflicted by it. During his lifetime the sickness was very severe and life threatening. The sickness was so very severe that he lapsed into many comas and experienced many near death situations. However, Halim really bravely fought it to the very end. Many people who were close to him say " If it was anyone else with that sickness, they would have lived just to early 30s ,But Halim fought it so extremely bravely and positively he lived until 47 years old with that horrible sickness".[19] Throughout his painful life, he was a truly an extremely positive, highly persistent and very remarkable person.[20] Many artists and commentators accused Abdel Halim of using this to gain sympathy from female fans. His death from the disease put to rest such accusations.
Halim was really close friends to the great composer, Abdul Wahab and Mohammed Al-Mougy.[21] Halim always had remarkable connections with his audiences in his concerts with his hauntingly beautiful songs.[22] Halim truly had many close friends in his life. Halim had very close relationships with many presidents and kings. Gamel Abdul Nasser had a extremely close friendship to Halim.[23] The king of Morocco had also a highly close friendship to Abdel Halim.[24] Halim had very great friendships with most singers at his time in the Eastern world. Halim had very close relationships to over 70 different families in Lebanon. Halim had very close relationships to the poor who he always heavily gave money too and really helped a lot.[25][26] Most people that met Halim have a unbreakable relationship to him because Halim was such a incredible person with a really friendly,amazing and rare personality.[27]
Abdel Halim died on March 30, 1977, a few months short of his 48th birthday, while undergoing treatment for Bilharzia in King's College Hospital, London. His funeral (in Cairo) was attended by millions of people – more than any funeral in Egyptian history other than that of President Gamal Abdel Nasser (1970) (see list of largest gatherings in history) [ref>[3]
At the least Fourteen women committed suicide on hearing of his death. He is buried in Al Rifa'i Mosque in Cairo.
Many people from all ages got extremely sick upon hearing Halim's death , one of the many people were Abdul Wahab who clasped upon hearing Halim's death,Then when he woke up he kept on saying for well over 20 times "Halim cannot die!,this is unreasonable!".[28] Many people wore all black to honor Abdel Halim after his death for 1 whole year.[29] They also painted there doors all black to honor Halim,to this day many are still black.[30] [31] Millons of people got extremely highly sad when Halim died.[32]
Halim was planning to consistently heavily improve many more people's lifes but it was his early death that stopped him from doing this. One of the many ways he was going do this is, Halim was planning to build underground water and electric pipes to go to many poor villages. Halim was truly a extraordinatory person which will be missed deeply.[33]
Halim was known for his passion when singing, and his highly unique powerful wonderful voice, (earning the name, "the nightingale"). His performances on stages were one of a kind, Halim did performances in almost every country in the eastern world and he had numerous concerts outside of Egypt, and the Arab World (Paris, London), at a time where only few could become that big. He was at a point overshadowed by the great Umm Kulthum, but managed by his way of singing, and with his more modern and ahead of his time songs to surpass her, and become more popular than her. He is best known for putting his heart and soul in all of his songs, and was never shy of showing his emotions in singing. [34]
Abdel Halim is remembered heavily as a irreplaceable, one of a kind, remarkable and original entertainer and a extremely strong, persistent highly amazing and wonderful person.[35]
Abdel Halim is the most revolutionary entertainer the eastern world has ever seen. [36] [37]
In 2000 23 years after Halim's death, Halim was voted and won to get the award of the greatest Arab artist of the millennium.[38] [39]
Abdel Halim's music is still very popular across the Arab World and beyond. His albums and Cd's have sold more copies since his death than any other Arab artist ever. [40]
He is widely considered to be the greatest male singer in Arab music history. His way of singing, his popularity of his songs and his behavior, has made him a huge role model for almost every modern Arab singer.
The two great composers Mohammed Abdel Wahab and Mohammed Al-Mougy both said "Halim is the smartest person I ever knew".[41] [42] Many people that knew Halim say he is the smartest person I ever knew.[43]
The great composer Mohammed Al-Mougy said "Halim is highly original in everything he did and extremely original in his work. Halim had a very original strong intelligance.[44]
Without Halim a very large number of artists and actors would never have gotten successful.[45] Halim really helped a really large amount of artists and actors become successful. Halim made a very huge inspiring impact on so many artists and actors. Halim is the most influential singer in the Arab World and beyond.[46] [47]
The great poet Nizar Qabbani said " If Halim would have lived longer he would have entirely change all of Arabic music and improve world music and be a total wipe out" Abdel Halim Hafez#Legacy[48] In Halim's short career he still revolutionized and improved Arabic music a huge amount.[49]
A very enormous amount of people from all ages consider Halim's very last song Qariat el-fingan to be the greatest Arab song ever.[50]
Abdel Halim Hafez's song Khosara enjoyed international fame in 1999 when producer Timbaland used elements (called "sampling") from it for Jay-Z's song "Big Pimpin'". Two complete bars from "Khosara" were rerecorded, not sampled, and used without permission from the song's producer and copyright holder, Magdi el-Amroussi. Jay-Z's use of a rerecording, rather than a sample, may allow Jay-Z to avoid paying royalties for the use of the song.[4]
His most famous songs include Ahwak ("I love you"), Khosara ("What a loss"), Gana El Hawa ("Love came to us"), Sawah ("Wanderer"), Zay el Hawa ("It feels like love"), Mawood ("Promised") and El Massih ("The Christ"), among the 260 songs that he recorded. His last, and perhaps most famous song, Qariat el-Fingan ("The fortune-teller"), featured lyrics by Nizar Qabbani and music by Mohammed Al-Mougy. He starred in sixteen films, including "Dalilah", which was middle east first color motion picture.
Along with Mohammed Abdel Wahab and Magdi el-Amroussi, Abdel Halim was a founder of the Egyptian recording company Soutelphan, which continues to operate to this day as a subsidiary of EMI Arabia. The company was founded in 1961.
In 2006 a feature film about his life, "Haleem", was released starring the late actor Ahmad Zaki in the title role, produced by the Good News Group[5]. He has also been portrayed in a soap opera, which was a huge success in the Arab world.
Abdel Halim left behind more than 300 (and hundreds of songs most people do not know of) very hauntingly beautiful and remarkable songs in his short career which will be consistently remembered in the hearts and minds of millions of people all over the world forever.[51] Still today, Halim is a very highly loved person by people of all ages.[52]
Abdel Halim also produced this movie.[53] This movie is the longest running movie in arab movie history.[54][55]
|
||||||||||||||