  
Artist: UM KALTHOUM
(Live recordings - 1965). Lyrics: Ma'moun el-Shinnawi. Music: Baligh Hamdi.
Called by some kawkab al-sharq (star of the East) and by others 'empress of Arab tunes,' Umm Kalthum, with a voice powerful and clear, can still be heard daily on radio stations all over the Arab world. Even though she died over two decades ago, her love lyrics, national odes and religious chants continue to affect millions of people. Her audience,as if on cue, hums along or cries in despair in reaction to her range of pitch, filled with nostalgia and yearning, touching the very Arab soul.
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