This morning, Tuesday, the Syrian Artists Syndicate mourned the Syrian artist Sabah Fakhri at the age of 88, leaving behind a great legacy of "original art".
Sabah Fakhri was born on May 2, 1933, and his name is Sabah al-Din Abu Qus. Fakhri is not his real lineage. Rather, it came as a nickname and appreciation for the artist Fakhri al-Baroudi, who sponsored his talent.
Fakhri was born in the village of al-Qasila in one of the old neighborhoods of Aleppo, where he was surrounded by a number of "reputable" sheikhs of the tarab, a group that had enough experience in listening and evaluating the quality of sounds and their raw materials, and this category is considered one of the makers of Aleppo Qudoud.
He also found around him a number of vocalists and reciters of the Noble Qur’an, so he learned the origins of tarab and singing at their hands and under their supervision. The “Al-Khawanim” councils - a title given to the wealthy women of Aleppo - played an important role in refining his talent and spreading his fame, as the social customs of women in Aleppo were At that time, vigil and singing artistic receptions were held that included gatherings of acquaintances and dignitaries. Al-Khawanem asked Sabah al-Din to revive these concerts, according to what was mentioned in the book “Sabah Fakhri… A Biography and Legacy” by the Syrian writer Shatha Nassar.
Shatha Nassar added, "Sabah al-Din was famous for his voice since his early childhood, and there are many accounts of the sweetness of his voice even as a baby. His voice had a special tone in crying, and at an early age he was able to seal the Qur'an and recite its surahs in the mosques of Aleppo and the Naqshbandi circles, opening his first exercises with the Sheikh Bakri Al-Kurdi, one of the most prominent music sheikhs, studied under Sheikh Ali Darwish, Sheikh Omar Al-Batsh, Majdi Al-Aqili, Nadim Ibrahim Al-Darwish, Muhammad Rajab, and Aziz Ghannam.
During his childhood, specifically at the age of 12 in 1946, Sabah al-Din sang in front of the then President of the Syrian Republic Shukri al-Quwatli, during the latter’s visit to the city of Aleppo, although Sabah al-Din had a religious upbringing of a Muslim family committed to the limit of Sufism, so he faced the opposition of his family after choosing to proceed with He trained in singing, and despite the social challenges and in addition to his general studies, he managed to graduate from the Oriental Conservatory in 1949.
A special imprint in the sound and melodies
Throughout his career, Fakhri was able to achieve many artistic productions. He released 5 large CDs and 20 audio cassettes, in addition to many unofficially recorded CDs and cassettes. Among his most popular works are "Malik Ya Helwa Malik", "Khamrat Al Hob Iqqiha" and “Qadak Al-Mayas”, “Oh Tira, O Pigeon”, and “Oh, sweet”, from Syrian heritage and folklore.
Fakhri was famous for composing and singing many poems, as he composed and sang for many contemporary poets, the most important of whom were Abd al-Basit al-Sufi, Abd al-Rahim Mahmoud, Fouad al-Yazji, Antoine Shaarawy and many others. Firas al-Hamdani, Miskin al-Darami, Ibn al-Farid, as well as Ibn Zaydun, Ibn Zahr al-Andalusi, and Lisan al-Din al-Khatib.
He has several artistic, cinematic, television and radio works, most notably “Al-Wadi Al-Kabir” with the singer Warda Al-Jazaery, “Najm of Yesterday” with Rafiq Subai’i and Sabah Al-Jazaery, Asma’ Allah Al-Husna with Abdel Rahman Al Rashi, Mona Wassef and Zenati Qudsia, and the radio series “Zaryab”.
Arab and international achievements and honors
Fakhri set a world record in 1968 by singing on stage for more than 10 continuous hours in the Venezuelan city of Caracas.
Fakhri received many honors and certificates of appreciation, the most important of which were: keys to the cities of Las Vegas, Detroit and Miami, with certificates of appreciation.
In Egypt, an artistic association was established that included many of his fans and followers under No. 1329, and it is the first official association of its kind to be established for a non-Egyptian artist.
As for Tunisia, she presented him with the only "Professor's Message" in the world of musical sciences, which revolves around what Fakhri presented of consolidating the Arab lyrical heritage and analyzing a model of his works.
He also received the Tunisian Cultural Medal in 1975, the Arab Singing Award presented by the United Arab Emirates and the Cairo International Song Festival Award. And his efforts in preserving the continuity of the authentic Arab heritage, and many other certificates of appreciation in most of the Arab festivals sponsoring music.
Fakhri held several positions, the most important of which was his appointment more than once as the head of the Syndicate of Artists in Syria. He assumed the position of Vice President of the Union of Arab Artists. In 1998, he was elected as a member of the Syrian People’s Assembly in its seventh legislative session of 1998. He was also appointed Director General of the first and eighth Syrian Song Festivals.
Many criticized the appearance of the late artist Sabah Fakhri on television programs, despite the deterioration of his health (communication sites)
In his last years, his health deteriorated, which saddened the Arab public, especially after the spread of video clips of him from a party and his participation in television programs while he was in a deplorable condition not worthy of his position, which led many to accuse some of exploiting his popularity.
Nevertheless, Sabah Fakhri will remain one of the figures of music in Syria and the Arab world, after he imposed himself on the international records of singers as one of the most important singers of the East. Through his artistic career, he was able to draw the basics of tarab singing, especially what is known as the Aleppo Qudoud, which has become an approach followed by dozens of singers. decades ago.