Umm Kulthūm - the Star of Egypt’s Golden Age

The arid landscape of Egypt has nurtured numerous superstars over the years. The person who belongs to the top spot on the upper echelon of stardom in modern Egyptian music is Umm Kulthūm, often referred to as Kawkab Al-Sharq- literally "The Star of the East.” She is one of the most iconic and influential singers in the history of the Arab world. The emotion and precision that her voice wielded resonated with millions across the Middle East and far beyond. This is the story of the woman whose voice defined an era and continues to echo in the hearts of listeners worldwide.

Umm Kulthūm was born as Fatima Ibrahim Al-Sayyid Al-Baltaji in 1904 in a rural village in the Nile Delta of Egypt. She grew up in a religious household. His father was an Imam in the village and sang traditional religious songs at weddings and holidays with his son and nephew. She did have a humble beginning and learned singing from her father and brothers through mimicking or, in her own words, by ‘parroting.’ Her father taught her how to recite the Qur'an, and it is reported that she had memorized the entirety of the religious text of Islam.

Upon her father’s request, she joined her family ensemble, although her father was anxious about her public appearance since singing is seen as disreputable, especially if the singer is a woman. She wore a boy's cloak and Bedouin head covering to avoid the opprobrium for performing onstage. Soon, Umm Kulthūm made a name for herself singing in the towns and villages of the Egyptian delta. Her reputation had an exponential rise, so much so that renowned musicians from Cairo took notice of her and she was invited on multiple occasions to perform in the capital city. Eventually, she had become the central figure in her family ensemble. 

Those visits to Cairo opened up a new and tantalizing path for her, and eventually, she moved to Cairo. There she learned to play oud, a traditional instrument, from Amin Beh Al Mahdy. It was not her first tutelage under a mentor though, since she had already been tutored on old classic Arabic repertoire by Mohamed Abo Al-Ela, a modestly famous singer. She also trained in poetry in addition to music and imitated the mannerisms of wealthy ladies to elevate her social image since she had been looked down upon in her early days in Cairo. 

Umm Kulthūm had to face fierce competition from two prominent singers of that time who had a similar kind of voice to hers. But she had a well-established reputation in private and public venues which led to her first recording by the mid-1920s and, before the end of the decade, she had become one of the most sought-after and best-paid musicians in Cairo. In fact, she was making twice as much money as the biggest names in Cairo. In 1967, Umm Kulthūm made her only performance in Europe at L’Olympia in Paris where she was paid twice what was given to Maria Callas who was an American-born Greek soprano and regarded as one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. By the 1930s, she had become a role model to young aspiring female singers.  Her career was decorated with extreme success on multiple platforms other than recording and live performances. Such extravagant commercial achievement in recording eventually landed her on radio, film, and television. She made her first motion picture in 1936, Wedad. It was an Egyptian romantic musical film and the biggest production of its time. In her debut film, Umm Kulthūm played the title role and it was the first of six motion pictures in which she was to act.  

Her voice was a contralto, an uncommon female voice type, and sang in the lowest register of the female voice. It is also speculated that she could sing as low as the second octave and as high as the eighth octave at her vocal peak. While singing to large audiences in concerts, she performed without a microphone; and showcased her virtuosic improvisation-it was said that she never articulated a line the same way twice. Another spectacular thing was the duration of each song in her live performances. When she sang live, the duration of each song was not fixed as she would repeat verses if she was requested by the audience. Her performances usually lasted for up to five hours, during which, maybe, only three songs were sung. One of her improvisatory techniques she also used to repeat a single line or stance over and over, but with subtle alteration of the emphasis and intensity. This was typical of old classical Arabic singing where singers explored one or various musical modal scales or maqam. 

She had created a public persona as a patriotic Egyptian and a devout Muslim and it happened during the turbulent periods of two world wars, the Great Depression of the 1930s, and the Egyptian revolution in 1952. She was also known for her generous contributions in support of the Egyptian military efforts. Many known stories underscore the influence she had on national as well as international levels, and a common one goes like this: Umm Kulthūm’s music was taken off the airwaves after Egypt’s 1952 revolution. The national hero of Egypt and later the second Egyptian president, Gamal Abdel Nasser, upon learning about that, supposedly said: “…Do you want Egypt to turn against us….?” 

After living such an eventful and lavish life, at the age of 75, Umm Kulthum died in 1975 from kidney failure. During her monthly concerts, people rushed home to watch her perform leaving the streets of some of the world's most populous cities empty. Such was the case with her funeral. A procession of around 4 million people participated and it became a national event. She truly was a cultural and political symbol of unity and identity for Arabs. Her unparalleled brilliance bridged social divides and mesmerized generation after generation. The legacy left behind by the Star of the East surpasses the boundary of time, genre, and geography.