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Umm Kulthum

Oum Kulthum
أم كلثوم
Umm Kulthum4.jpg
Background information
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 (1898-12-31)December 31, 1898
Tamay Ez-Zahayra, El Senbellawein, Dakahlia Governorate, Khedivate of Egypt
Died February 3, 1975(1975-02-03) (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 (Egyptian Arabic: أم كلثوم‎‎ ʾUmm Kulsūm; 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 .

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 was 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 classic ose 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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