Omme Kolsoum's position in Egyptian life and music is without parallel. No one artists has achieved
more popularity, exerted more influence or given more back to the community that nurtured her.
She was born in either 1905 or 1905 in rural Egypt. Her father, a Qur'an reader, taught
her the skills of reading, memorising, clear enunciation and timing before she was five years
old. In addition, she was exposed to both local musicians and the early gramophone records of
Egyptian and Syrian music. These very genuine and richly varied performances brought shape to her
life while she was still a child and nurtured her inate skill as a singer.
While she was still in her teens, Omme Kolsoum's family sent her to Cairo for voice training.
During 1926, she was approached by the Gramophone Company's (EMI's) agent in Cairo, a Mr. Vogel,
to make records.
That her fame was already considerable is evident from a letter sent to Vogel by an enthusiastic
record shop owner in Haifa immediatly following the announcement of her first recording:
"We need hardly concel from you the fact that when we learnt of the engagement of Omme Kolsoum thanks
to your invaluable efforts, we entertained very great and very high hopes of the future and thanked
God that we finally secured an artist to be proud of. " T. S Boutagy, Haifa, Palestine. (June 1926).
Her success was immediate. The original records, issued on a handsome red and gold label, and listed in a
special illustrated supplement, cost more than the average record, and despite protests by record dealers
and pleas for a lower price, the public bought Omme Kolsoum's record in large quantities.
The Gramophone Company were paying her 20 British Pounds per song - a huge sum of money at
that time - because they had faith in her ability to conquer a market that was heavily competitive.
German-owned Odeon, Polyphon and Homokord, French - owned Pathe, English owned Columbia and the local
Baidaphon label were all engaged in trying to capture the Egyptian and Syrian markets for themselves.
Having Omme Kolsoum assured success, and Odeon, an aggressive and successful company, attempted to coax her away from the
Gramophone COmpany. She did, in fact, cut some record for them in 1926, but quickly returned to the Gramophone
Company for the rest of her pre-career. Odean, by recording a large quantity of songs by her in 1926, and judiciously
issuing them slowly, were able to provide competition to the Gramophone Company for the next three years.
These company tactics mattered little to the public, who continued to buy her records no matter
what label they appeared on.
In March 1927, following the first issues of the competitive Odeon recording, and probably as a direcyl result of them, Omme
Kolsoum and the Gramophone Company signed a contract that assured her 1600 British Pounds per annum. By the terms of this new
contract, her records were also leased to the Victory Company in North America who issued six of her 1926 recordings in a
special supplement "New Victor Arabic Records" - for the Egyptian immigrant population in the United States.
Generally pleased withthe situation, Mr. Vorgel wrote to the Gramophone Company in March 1927:
"Since the issue of the Omme Kolsoum records you will have noted an increase in the sales of Arabic records".
As a result, a further recording session was organised. This time, it would be made with the then new and exciting
"Western Electric Process," a technical innovation that assured far greater fidelity and was, in its day, as innovative
at the Compact Disc.
Omme Kolsoum's artistry remained unaffected by all the activity that surrounded her. Her agenda was tuned to prodcuing the best
possible peformance. As a result, she gained a reputation for being "difficult" but this was a perception of engineers and
businessmen rather than fellow artists.
Egyptian society during this perio was a vibrant, cultured and rich one that quickly and enthusiastically absorbed new
technology. By 1934 sound films and radio were a party of the fabric of the Cairien life. Omme Kolsoum's popularity
assured her a place in both.
The development of radio in Egypt was fostered by the government, who saw it as a culturally important to promote traditional
music. Omme Kolsoum broadcast regularly on the first thursday of every month and "Omme Kolsoum Night" became a national institution;
Theates would relay the broadcast to packaed houses. Family and friends would gather around the radio. Cafes and shops would
fill with silent, attentive listeners. THe volume of traffic actually dropped considerably during the broadcast. Omme
Kolsoum secured a long term contract with Egyptian radio in 1934 that also placed her on the board advisors. Using this position,
she was able to lobby for technical improvements to the studio equipment and also to promote rising young artists working
within the traditional framework.
Her film career commenced in 1935 with the movie "Widad" and she appeared in numerous films over the next few years, adding lustre to a
career already without parallel in Egyptian culture.
In 1937 Omme Kolsoum arranged for her monthly radio concerts to be broadcast live from a concert hall. This greatly affected
the emotional content of the broadcast, as she perfomed live in front of an enthusiastic audience, creating a level of intimacy
and excitement that brought a deeper sense of involvement to her audience.
Throughout the 1940's and 1950's her recording, broadcasts and concerts continued to dominate the Egyptian music scene. A
1952 catalogue provides evidence that most of her early recording were still available, some 26 years after they were
first issued.
When television was introduced in 1960 Omme Kolsoum made the leap to the new medium with customary, and expected, success. Her televised
concerts were as popular as her radio broadcasts had been, and assured the fledgling Egyptian television industry its
place within society.
Her death in 1975, after a long and painful illness, caused deep sadness and mourning. She has been a national icon for almost
50 years, and her legacy, in terms not only of music but also for the practical help and support she gave to
Egyptian cultural life, remains unsurpassed.
This new compilation of some of the best and most enduring of her early work will serve as a fitting testimonial to her art for both those who already love her music and those who are just about to.
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