Sayed Darwish
| Sayed Darwish | |
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | The Father of Modern Arab Music,Father of Egyptian Popular Music |
| Born | 17 March 1892 |
| Origin | Alexandria, Egypt |
| Died | 15 September 1923 (aged 31) Alexandria, Egypt |
| Genres | Egyptian music |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, record producer, musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, Oud |
| English: My country, my country, my country | |
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| Bilady, Bilady, Bilady | |
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National anthem of  Egypt
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| Lyrics | Mohammad Younis-al Qadi, 1892 |
| Music | Sayed Darwish, 1923 |
| Adopted | 1923 1952 (unofficially) 1979 (officially) |
Sayed Darwish (Arabic: سيد درويش, IPA: [ˈsæjjed dæɾˈwiːʃ]; 17 March 1892 – 15 September 1923) was an Egyptian singer and composer who was considered the father of Egyptian popular music and one of Egypt's greatest musicians and its single greatest composer. Darwish died of a heart attack in Alexandria on 15 September 1923 (aged 31). He is still regarded as a noble and adored figure in Egyptian history.
Sayed Darwish was born in Kôm el-Dikka Alexandria on 17 March 1892. During his childhood his family could not afford to pay for his education, so he was sent to a religious school where he mastered the cantillating of the Quran. After graduating from the religious school and gaining the title Sheikh Sayyed Darwish, he studied for two years at al-Azhar, one of the most renowned religious universities in the world. He left his studies to devote his life to music composition and singing, then entered a music school where his music teacher, Sami Efendi, admired his talents and encouraged Darwish to press onward in the music field.
Darwish at that time was also trained to be a munshid (cantor). He worked as a bricklayer in order to support his family, and it so happened that the manager of a theatrical troupe, the Syrian Attalah Brothers, overheard him singing for his fellows and hired him on the spot. While touring in Syria, he had the opportunity to gain a musical education, short of finding success. He returned to Egypt before the start of the Great War, and won limited recognition by singing in the cafés and on various stages while he learned repertoire of the great composers of the 19th century, to which he added ʾadwār (musical modes) and muwashshaḥāt (Arabic poetic-form compositions) of his own. In spite of the cleverness of his compositions, he wasn't to find public acclaim, disadvantaged by his mediocre stage presence in comparison with such stars of his time as Sâlih 'Abd al-Hayy or Zakî Murâd.
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