How Aleppo's music scene influenced Sayed Darwish

The 'city of entertainment' was where Darwish discovered his compositional talent and released his first melody, “Wana Mali.” He went on to influence musicians who came after him.

Eduardo Ramon

September 15 marks the centenary of the death of the legendary Egyptian musician Sayed Darwish, who revolutionised Arab music. Al Majalla explores his time in Aleppo and how it shaped his music.

How Aleppo's music scene influenced Sayed Darwish

Taissier Khalaf

last update on 15 Sep 2023

Aleppo — known as the radiant city, the capital of Muwashahat, Qudud (traditional music), and Samah Dance (Sufi dance) — holds a special place in the biography of the musical genius Sayed Darwish (1892-1923).

He discovered his compositional talent there and released his first melody, “Wana Mali.” Under his masters, he fulfilled his dream of studying oriental music in a scholarly manner, and from there he returned to Egypt as a full-fledged artist.

He created the most exquisite Muwashahat, Adwar, and Taqatiq, which deeply resonated with the hearts of Egyptian and Arab citizens. These compositions are still sung by male and female singers from Morocco to the Gulf.

The city of entertainment and music

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Aleppo was a dream for any Arab musician. This was due to its social clubs, Sufi corners, and ancient houses entrenched in the arts of singing and poetry deeply rooted in its culture.

The Egyptian actor and musician Omar Wasfi (1874-1945), who visited Aleppo in 1897, accompanied by his teacher Abu Khalil Al-Qabbani, left us with a rare description of the musical atmosphere that dwelled in this city located in northern Syria. They were searching for the renowned singer of their time, Malika Surrur.

He says: “In the morning, we set out for Aleppo. After two days of travel, we arrived there at night. When we got there, we found ourselves in a wakeful city of entertainment, music, dancing, and singing."

"The streets were lined with cafes saturated with customers. In it were musicians that delighted the ears and dancers that captivated the eyes. The music resonated everywhere."

"Aleppo, the city that never sleeps, alternates between music, dance, and song. As night fell and morning came, people woke up and rushed to the cafes. Music filled every corner and there was singing and dancing everywhere."

shutterstock — A view of the Aleppo skyline.

"The morning music continued until midday, known as the ‘Subhiya.’ Then, the parties returned in the afternoon and continued past sunset. These parties were known as the ‘Asruniya.’"

"After that, the evening festivities began and extended past midnight. This was the city of art, where the love of music preceded you wherever you went. Even in homes, banquets were held, accompanied by music and singing. People were passionate about art, so it took control of them and their feelings."

"Have you heard, O reader, of the tales of Arabian Nights? Every house in this city was like a palace from those mentioned in Arabian Nights.”

Aleppo's streets were lined with cafes saturated with customers. In it were musicians that delighted the ears and dancers that captivated the eyes. The music resonated everywhere.

Egyptian actor and musician, Omar Wasfi

A musical dream

Like other musicians, Sayed Darwish dreamt of Aleppo.

Before him, the great singer Abdo Al-Hamuli (1836-1901), Sheikh Salama Hijazi (1852-1917), and Muhammad Othman (1855-1900) also visited Aleppo. Its reputation echoed on every lip and tongue in Cairo and Alexandria.

So, the young singer, at 17, did not pass up the once-in-a-liftetime opportunity presented to him by the theatre director Amin Attallah in 1909. He travelled with the troupe and spent nine months in Syria.

During that period, he met several great musicians, such as the most important music reference of his time, Sheikh Salih Al-Jadbah (1858-1922), his student Sheikh Omar Al-Batsh, a genius in muwashahat, and the musician Mahmoud Al-Shawish (1884-1948), a student of Abu Khalil Al-Qabbani. He also met Sheikh Osman Al-Mawsili (1854-1923), a resident of Aleppo and a unique personality of his era.

Amin Attallah narrates the story of Sayed Darwish's trip to Aleppo in a rare interview with him for the Egyptian magazine Al-Kawakib in 1965. He says: "I had received an offer from one of the theatre owners in Syria named Mikhail Maghribiya, who was the emperor of the nightclubs in Aleppo at the time. So, my brother, the late Salim Attallah, and I travelled to Alexandria to meet with the contractor's representative."

"As I waited in a nearby café, fate led me to encounter an exceptionally talented artist — a rarity in any era. Upon entering the café, I noticed a worker on top of a scaffolding in a building. This worker was singing with a beautiful voice."

"Captivated by this sound, I lingered, listening. When he finished, he climbed down from the scaffolding and disappeared into the building."

"I remembered that Mikhail Maghribiya had stipulated in our contract that our troupe should include a singer who could perform Egyptian songs loved by the people of the Levant. While contemplating offering this worker a place in my troupe, I was surprised again. The worker came out of the building after changing out of his construction clothes and entered the café."

"I invited him to sit with us and expressed my desire, expecting him to decline. However, to my astonishment, he smiled broadly, expressing his delight at the offer. He confessed that he always dreamed of singing on stage like Sheikh Salama Hijazi. Our conversation culminated in a mutual agreement between us."

Like other musicians, Sayed Darwish dreamt of Aleppo. Its reputation echoed on every lip and tongue in Cairo and Alexandria. So, the young singer, at 17, did not pass up the once-in-a-liftetime opportunity presented to him in 1909. He travelled with the troupe and spent nine months in Syria.

The first melody in Aleppo

Amin Attallah continues, "Sheikh Sayed travelled with us to the Levant, and in Aleppo, we performed some plays where Sheikh Sayed sang and recited the melodies on everyone's tongues."

"There, he composed the first melody of his songs, with the opening line 'Wana Mali Hiya Illi Qalatli' (Don't blame me, she was the one who told me). In reality, this melody was new to the ears. This journey was a period of training and preparation for the birth of this great musician."

Amin Attallah further adds that in the Levant, Sheikh Sayed Darwish met the late musician Mahmoud Al-Shaweesh, who "was a great musician, from whom Sheikh Sayed learned hundreds of melodies which he absorbed and memorised by heart, and after that, he was able to create something new from them."

"He also happened to compose a new song that was met with unrivalled success, with the opening line 'Tuf Bilku'us Ala Al-Nadamah' (Float the cups over drinking companions) … Then we returned to Alexandria, and it was only when he moved to Cairo that his star began to shine."

Sayed Darwish's stay in Aleppo was approximately three years over two periods, as the music historian Dr. Mahmoud Ahmed Hafni talked about in his book Sayed Darwish: His Life and the Impact of His Genius.

According to Dr Hafni, the first trip in 1909 faced some difficulties, but the second trip in 1912 was successful, stating that this trip "was blessed, successful, and fruitful, marking the end of one era and the beginning of another in his life."

"During his time in Aleppo, Sayed Darwish renewed his connections with the select circle of his friends and teachers, including figures like Othman Al-Mawsili. He spent two full years with them, learning from them and listening to their music and what others performed in those lands."

"In this time, he absorbed, stored, and committed to memory all the wonderful pleasures of singing drawn from various musical elements that had come together in the context of Ottoman rule and authority, providing him with extensive knowledge of the secrets of oriental music, whether Arabic, Persian, Turkish, or otherwise."

"He later utilised this knowledge in the service of theatrical singing, adding his own creative touch. In just these two years, he absorbed what would take others much longer to acquire regarding musical experience."

"Then, he returned to Alexandria, armed with a deep understanding of the fundamentals of Arabic music and surrounded by a wealth of melodies and tunes that his talent had allowed him to accumulate."

When Darwish returned to Alexandria, he was armed with a deep understanding of the fundamentals of Arabic music and surrounded by a wealth of melodies and tunes that his talent had allowed him to accumulate.

Music historian, Dr. Mahmoud Ahmed Hafni

Controversy surrounding influence of Al-Mawsili

Despite the many positive aspects of Sayed Darwish's trip to Aleppo discussed, some used it to diminish his musical stature. Since the 1950s, some critics claimed that Darwish borrowed most of his popular melodies from Sheikh Othman Al-Mawsili. This subject has sparked — and continues to fuel — considerable controversy.

Periodically, documents emerge that rekindle this debate. For instance, Iraqi historian Sayyar Al-Jamil published a paper in one of his studies related to the origins of the melody used in Sheikh Al-Mawsili's poem "Zur Qabr Al-Habib Mara" (Visit the Beloved's Grave Once), which Sayed Darwish adapted into "Zuruni Kulli Sana Mara" (Visit Me Once a Year).

Some also attribute the melody of the song "Til'it Ya Mahla Noorha" (How Beautiful Her Light Has Risen) to Sheikh Al-Mawsili, claiming that it originally belonged to "Bi Hawa Al-Mukhtar Al-Mahdi." What reinforces these opinions is that both songs are based on the Ajam maqam (Persian tone), a maqam uncommon among Egyptian musicians in the late 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.

Musicians of that period regarded it, along with the Nahawand maqam, as one of the Western maqams that conflicted with Eastern musical taste. Consequently, one of the most serious accusations levelled against Darwish during his lifetime was that he introduced Western melodies and corrupted Oriental music in Egypt.

Eduardo Ramon — Darwish discovered his compositional talent in the 'city of entertainment' and released his first melody, "Wana Mali." He went on to influence musicians who came after him.

On one occasion, the renowned writer Abbas Mahmoud Al-Aqqad came to the defence of Sayed Darwish against these unjust accusations and others, saying: "Anyone who thinks that Sayed Darwish's role was to Westernise Arabic music and import European musical elements to Egypt and the Arab world is mistaken. Sayed Darwish's role was something else entirely; he aimed to give meaning to Egyptian songs."

Just as Sayed Darwish was influenced by the musicians of Aleppo who preceded him, he also influenced those who came after him.

Al-Batsh's musical interludes

Professor Adham Al-Jundi, a famous Syrian music historian (1902 – 1977), discussed the Aleppo musician Sheikh Omar Al-Batsh in his biography and Al-Batsh's additions to Sayed Darwish's muwashahat. He said, "Suffice it to prove his genius (referring to Omar Al-Batsh) that the renowned Egyptian artist Sheikh Sayed Darwish composed his enduring muwashahat without khanaat (musical interludes)."

"Al-Batsh crafted khanaat for them that are considered artistic miracles, superior and more powerful than the original in a way that attracts hearts and captivates souls. Many hardworking individuals are better than the director in what their talents allowed them to create."

"At the same time, some arrogant artists would not acknowledge another's talent and some pretenders only grasp vanity and curiosity in art, saying: 'The one who crafted the original piece surely possesses the skill to create its variations within the muwashahat.'"

He adds, "The undeniable truth is that composing khanaat is more challenging than composing the original since entry into the khanaat must be of a higher class than the original, combined with the artistic harmony between the notes within the rhythmic framework."

"Let it be clear that my analysis does not, in any way, diminish the artistic talents of the exceptional Sayed Darwish. On the contrary, art is the highest form of existence, and I hold a deep appreciation for his art."

"This analysis revolves around two possibilities: either Sheikh Sayed Darwish faced genuine challenges when composing khanaat for his enduring muwashahat, or his extensive artistic endeavours and prolific contributions in operatic singing may have limited his capacity to compose khanaat for his timeless muwashahat."

"As a result, Al-Batsh took on this task, and other artists subsequently embraced and disseminated them, thereby participating in his creative genius within this realm."

It was appropriate for Professor Adham al-Jundi, as well, to speak about Sayed Darwish's influence on musicians in Aleppo who came after him. Just as he was influenced by the musicians of Aleppo who preceded him, he also influenced those who came after him.

Many of the songs performed by famous Aleppo singers, including Sabah Fakhri and still sung by his students, are, in fact, songs and muwashahat composed by Sayed Darwish, with Aleppine lyrics added to some of them, such as 'Ya Shadi Al-Alhan,' 'Ya Maria,' 'Ya Bahjat al-Ruh,' 'Sebooni Ya Nas,' and many others.

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