She was born Amal Al Atrach in Syria, in 1917, but she would become famous across the Arab world under her stage name, Asmahan. In the west, the primary Arab woman singers of note would be the legendary Egyptian Um Kalsoum and the Lebanese superstar Fairuz, but Asmahan is equally popular in every country in which Arabic is the native language.
Asmahan's father was Syrian, but her mother was Lebanese. Both were of the Druze religion, which is a tertiary offshoot of Shia Islam (which is in itself an offshoot of mainstreat, Sunni Islam) through the Isma'ili sect. She showed a profound musical gift at an early age, and she was fortunate that her brother was (and is) the Oud master, singer, and actor, Farid Al Atrash, one of the most famous musicians in the history of Arabic song. Not to say, by any means, that she didn't rise on the strength of her own talent, but to have him as a brother couldn't hurt!
Upon her move to the Egypt, which is basically the Hollywood equivalent of the (so-called) middle east, her star rose dramatically. She began making records and films, singing in several dialects of Arabic, performing classical music at the highest level. In doing research for this post I've become mildly obsessed with her history (I was already obsessed with her voice and volcanic beauty). Alongside being a singing star, she also had a role in the espionage-laden world of the second world war, in which she delivered messages to the Syrian Druze from the British and Free French! I'll be reading much more about this amazing stuff, I assure you.
For some great basic info about Asmahan, see the Wiki article, HERE.
Asmahan's father was Syrian, but her mother was Lebanese. Both were of the Druze religion, which is a tertiary offshoot of Shia Islam (which is in itself an offshoot of mainstreat, Sunni Islam) through the Isma'ili sect. She showed a profound musical gift at an early age, and she was fortunate that her brother was (and is) the Oud master, singer, and actor, Farid Al Atrash, one of the most famous musicians in the history of Arabic song. Not to say, by any means, that she didn't rise on the strength of her own talent, but to have him as a brother couldn't hurt!
Upon her move to the Egypt, which is basically the Hollywood equivalent of the (so-called) middle east, her star rose dramatically. She began making records and films, singing in several dialects of Arabic, performing classical music at the highest level. In doing research for this post I've become mildly obsessed with her history (I was already obsessed with her voice and volcanic beauty). Alongside being a singing star, she also had a role in the espionage-laden world of the second world war, in which she delivered messages to the Syrian Druze from the British and Free French! I'll be reading much more about this amazing stuff, I assure you.
For some great basic info about Asmahan, see the Wiki article, HERE.
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