Today, October 19, Google Doodle celebrates the 110th anniversary of the birth of the Egyptian composer, singer, actor and film producer of Syrian origin Farid Al-Atrash, who is considered one of the greatest artists in the Arab world.

Critics dubbed Al-Atrash “The King of the Oud” due to his excellence in playing this instrument, and he left his eternal mark on music and cinema in Egypt and abroad, as he released more than 220 songs and participated in 31 musical films during his prolific career.

He is considered one of the pioneers of Arab music and singing, and won the award for "the greatest oud player in the Arab world and Turkey."

According to the Google Doodle page, Farid al-Atrash was born on this day in 1910 to a prominent family in Jabal al-Druze in the Syrian province of Sweida.

And when he was a child, Al-Atrash immigrated with his mother and siblings to Egypt, to escape the French occupation, and at a later time they were granted Egyptian nationality.

There he continued his musical education, inheriting the talent from his mother, who was a professional singer and musician.

He possessed a rare musical talent, and in the early thirties he sang regularly on the Egyptian radio.

Al-Atrash soon began releasing his own music, and rose to a new level of fame with his first appearance on the big screen - along with his sister Asmahan - in the 1941 movie "Victory of Youth".

He continued his highly successful film career during the golden age of Egyptian cinema over the following decades.

At the same time, he composed several songs that are classics of modern Arab music.

Jobs and responsibilities

In 1965, Farid Al-Atrash was chosen as president of the Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music in Egypt, and the Syndicate of Lebanese Artists appointed him its honorary president for life.

Technical experience

After the success of his first song, "Ya Ritni Bird to Fly Around You", Al-Atrash set out in the world of singing with strength, and throughout his artistic career he presented about 300 songs, pieces of music, and soundtracks for the films he starred.

His songs varied between emotional, national and social.

His first songs were written by Palestinian poet Yahya Al-Lababidi, and composed by musician Medhat Asem, and it was a popular success for decades.

His songs achieved wide artistic fame, and he sang for many of the poets of his time, the most famous of them Yahya Al-Lababidi, Ahmed Rami, Ahmed Shafiq Kamel, Mamoun El-Shenawi, Kamel El-Shenawy, Beshara El-Khoury, Bayram Al-Tunisi, Morsi Jamil Aziz, Hussein Al-Sayed, and Fathi Koura.

He composed a large number of songs by major singers and singers, including Asmahan, Shadia, Sabah, Fayza Ahmed, Warda Al Jazairia, Wadih Al Safi, Muharram Fouad, Nour Al Hoda, and Soraya Helmy.

Farid presented to the cinema until his death 31 films in which he all starred, acting and singing at the same time, and some of them were very successful.

He wrote the story, screenplay and dialogue of the movie “My Love Story” in 1955, and took over its production. He also produced 3 other films, “Habib Al-Omar,” “Exodus from Paradise,” and “I Love You.” He introduced the art of “operetta” to Egyptian cinema by introducing his operetta. "flying carpet".

Artistical works

Among his songs, which won a large audience, include "Awal Hamsa", "Live You", "Zeina Zina", "Noura Nora", "One Year and Two Years", "Basat Al-Reeh", and "Ya Bou Laheth Janan". And "Jamil Jamal," and "Spring."

As for his films, the most prominent and most famous of which are "Habib Al-Omar", "The Story of a Whole Life", "Wadaa Your Love", "A Message from an Unknown Woman", "Melody of Eternity" and "Bulbul Effendi", and his latest films were "Nagham In my life "which was introduced after his death.

Awards and honors

Al-Atrash won several medals and artistic prizes, including the "Greatest Oud Player in the Arab World and Turkey" in 1962, the First Class Egyptian Arts and Literature Prize, the Egyptian Nile Necklace, the Egyptian Order of Merit, the Jordanian Knight Medal, and 4 Arab nationalities from Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Sudan.

Death

Farid al-Atrash died of a heart attack on the 26th of December 1974, at the Hayek Hospital in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.