Ğamāl Abd al-Rahīm

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Ğamāl Abd al-Rahīm, 1985

Ğamāl Abd al-Rahīm (also:جمال عبد الرحيم, Gamal Abdel-Rahim; born November 25, 1924 in Cairo , Egypt ; † November 23, 1988 in Königstein im Taunus ) was an Egyptian composer and music teacher .

Life

Ğamāl Abd al-Rahīm's mother sang and played the piano. His father played several traditional musical instruments, including the nay , oud and violin. He played classical Arabic music with his own ensemble, gave private music lessons and was appointed head of the music department of the Egyptian Ministry of Education . The talented Abdel-Rahim learned to play the piano at an early age, but was not properly supported by his father. He wanted to spare him the disappointments of a musical career that he had experienced himself. From 1940 to 1944 he studied history at Cairo University . Here he had the opportunity to take music lessons from European teachers such as the German musicologist Hans Hickmann (1908–1968) and the Polish pianist Ignacy Tiegerman (1893–1968). After graduating from university, he received a government grant to study in Germany. From 1950 he first studied musicology for two semesters in Heidelberg with Thrasybulos Georgiades . From 1951 to 1957 he studied composition with Harald Genzmer and piano with Edith Picht-Axenfeld at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg . He then returned to Egypt and received various teaching assignments at the Cairo Music Conservatory, which was founded in 1959. In 1959 he married his colleague the pianist and musicologist Samha El-Kholy (1925-2006). The violinist Basma Abdel-Rahim is their daughter. In 1971 he became professor of composition at the Conservatory. He held this position until 1986, from 1984 as professor emeritus . In 1987 he traveled to the United States with his wife. There they taught at the University of South Florida in Tampa . While visiting his daughter in Frankfurt am Main in July 1988, he suffered a stroke and died on November 23, 1988. He was buried in Cairo.

Among his students were Ahmed El-Saedi (* 1947), Rageh Daoud (* 1954) and Mona Ghoneim (* 1955).

Work (selection)

Gamal Abdel-Rahim wrote orchestral works, choral works, chamber music for various instruments, music for children, stage music, ballets, art songs and more.

Orchestral works

  • Suite for orchestra, based on the score for Daily life of ancient Egyptians, 1961

Chamber music

  • Bohayrat Al-Lotus [The Lotus Pond]. Versions for flute, oboe or violin and piano. Version for woodwind quintet. The version for oboe and piano was recorded by oboist Cynthia Green Libby on April 5, 2004 in the Ellis Recital Hall of Missouri State University in Springfield , Missouri on MSR classics.
  • Duo for violin and violoncello. He wrote it in 1981 as a wedding present for his daughter. The first and third movements are based on Egyptian folk songs.
  • Improvisation on a Peddler's Tune for violoncello solo. Abdel-Rahim wrote the piece for his son-in-law, the cellist Kamel Salah El-Din.
  • Meditation for violin solo, which Abdel-Rahim wrote for his daughter Basma Abdel-Rahim.
  • Raqsat Isis [Dance for Isis] for flute and harp
  • Piano Trio I Akhenaten's Prayer II Phoenician Dance. Abdel-Rahim composed it in 1986.

Piano music

  • Five little pieces for piano, 1956
  • Variations on an Egyptian folk melody. The work was recorded by William Chapman Nyaho and released on Musicians Showcase on May 25, 2004. h Peter Henderson recorded it on A Celebration of African Composers for Piano on AMP and released it on June 21, 2017.

Awards

Gamal Abdel-Rahim received several medals, honors and prizes. He received the State Prize for Composition in 1973 and the Gamal Abdel Nasser Prize.

meaning

Gamal Abdel Rahim was the first Egyptian to study composition at a German music college, and he founded the first chair for composition in the Arab world. He created his own style of composition and combined Arabic and Western music. He was therefore called the Egyptian Bartok .

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Abdel-Rahim, Gamal (1924 - 1988), composer: Grove Music Online - oi . doi : 10.1093 / gmo / 9781561592630.article.00026 ( oup.com [accessed November 15, 2017]).
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Biography. In: Gamal Abdel-Rahim. Basma Abdel-Rahim, accessed on November 15, 2017 .
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Gamal Abdel-Rahim. International Opus, accessed November 15, 2017 .
  4. ↑ Gamal Abdel-Rahim - Bio, Facts, Family | Famous Birthdays. In: famousbirthdays.com. Retrieved November 15, 2017 .
  5. ↑ Bohayrat Al-Lotus (The Lotus…) | Recording Details and Tracks | AllMusic. Retrieved November 15, 2017 .
personal data
SURNAME Abd al-Rahīm, Ğamāl
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Abdel-Rahim, Gamal
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Egyptian composer and music teacher
DATE OF BIRTH November 25, 1924
PLACE OF BIRTH Cairo , Egypt
DATE OF DEATH November 23, 1988
Place of death Königstein im Taunus