Oum Kalthoum
| Oum Kulthum أم كلثوم |
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| Background information | |
| Native name | أم كلثوم |
| Birth name | Fatima Ibrahim |
| Also known as | Oum Kalthoum, Om Kalsoum, Om Koulsum, Om Kalthoum, Oumme Kalsoum, Umm Kolthoum, Om Koultoum, Ummi Kultsum, Ummi Kaltsum, Umi Kulsum, Umi Kalsum, El Set, Esset, Alset, Asset |
| Born |
December 31, 1898 Tamay Ez-Zahayra, El Senbellawein, Dakahlia Governorate, Khedivate of Egypt |
| Died | February 3, 1975 (aged 76) Cairo, Egypt |
| Genres | Arabic classical music |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, actress |
| Years active | c. 1924–1973 |
| Labels | EMI Arabia |
| Associated acts |
Fairuz Abdel Halim Hafez Riad Al Sunbati Mohammed Abdel Wahab Maria Callas |
Umm Kulthum (Arabic: أم كلثوم ʾUmm Kulṯūm; Arabic pronunciation: [um kulˈθuːm]; born Fātimah ʾIbrāhīm as-Sayyid al-Biltāǧī (فاطمة إبراهيم السيد البلتاجي [ˈfɑtˤmɑ (ʔe)bɾɑˈhiːm esˈsæjjed elbelˈtæːɡi]; see Kunya) on an uncertain date (December 31, 1898, or May 4, 1904), died February 3, 1975) was an internationally famous Egyptian singer, songwriter, and film actress active from the 1920s to the 1970s. She was given the honorific title Kawkab al-Sharq كوكب الشرق ("Planet of the East") in Arabic. Known for her extraordinary vocal ability and style, Umm Kulthum was one of the greatest and most influential Arab singers of the 20th century. She has sold over 80 million records worldwide.
Umm Kulthum was born in the village of Tamay e-Zahayra, belonging to the city of El Senbellawein, Dakahlia Governorate, in the Nile Delta. Her birth date is unconfirmed, as birth registration was not enforced throughout the Arab world in that era. Some sources claim that she was born Dec. 31st 1897, Dec 31, 1904 or May 4, 1904. She learned how to sing by listening to her father teach her older brother, Khalid. At a young age she showed exceptional singing talent. Her father, an imam at the local mosque, taught her to recite the Qur'an, and she is said to have memorized the entire book. When she was 12 years old, her father noticed her strength in singing so he asked her to join the family ensemble. She dressed as a boy in order for her father to not face disapprobation due to having a girl on stage. At the age of 16, she was noticed by Mohamed Aboul Ela, a modestly famous singer, who taught her the old classical Arab repertoire. A few years later, she met the famous composer and oudist Zakariyya Ahmad, who invited her to come to Cairo. Although she made several visits to Cairo in the early 1920s, she waited until 1923 before permanently moving there. She was invited on several occasions to the house of Amin Beh Al Mahdy, who taught her to play the oud, a type of lute. She developed a close relationship with Rawheya Al-Mahdi, Amin's daughter, and became her closest friend. Kulthum even attended Rawheya's daughter's wedding, although she normally preferred to avoid appearing in public (off stage).
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