Baligh Hamdi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Baligh Hamdi
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Baligh Hamdi ca. 1970
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| Background information | |
| Native name |
بليغ حمدى
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| Born | 7 October 1931 |
| Origin | Shubra, Cairo, Egypt |
| Died | 12 September 1993 (aged 61) Cairo, Egypt |
| Occupation(s) | Composer |
Baligh Hamdi (Egyptian Arabic: بليغ حمدى [bæˈliːɣ ˈħæmdi]; 7 October 1931 – 12 September 1993) was a famous Egyptian composer. He wrote many hit songs for different Middle Eastern singers. He was especially popular in the 1960s and 1970s. He composed many of Warda's most well-known songs. They were also married for a long time.
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Baligh Hamdi's Early Life
Baligh Abdel Hamid Hamdi Morsi was born on October 7, 1931. His birthplace was the Shubra area of Cairo, Egypt. His father taught physics at a university.
Baligh started learning music at a young age. He learned to play the violin when he was nine. Two or three years later, he learned the oud, a string instrument. He took music lessons from many teachers as he grew up.
Becoming a Professional Musician
Baligh Hamdi became a professional musician in 1954. He was 22 years old at the time. Before this, he was studying law. However, he decided not to finish his law degree. He wanted to focus on music instead.
He first started his career as a singer. But soon, he began writing music for others. His songs quickly became popular in the mid-1950s.
First Big Hits
In the late 1950s, a very famous singer named Umm Kulthum sang his song "Hob Eih." It became a huge hit. This made Baligh Hamdi even more famous.
Some of his other early successful songs include:
- "Why no," sung by Faydah Kamel.
- "Ma Tehbneesh Be El Shakl Da (Don't love me like that)," sung by Fayza Ahmed.
- "Tkhounoh ([How do you] Betray [my heart])," sung by Abdel Halim Hafez.
For the next twenty years, Baligh Hamdi was one of the most popular and successful composers. He was famous not just in Egypt but across the whole region. People in Egypt still remember and love his music today.
Egyptian Folk Music Inspiration
Baligh Hamdi often said that he found ideas for his music in Egyptian folk songs. He used their melodies and rhythms in his own compositions. He also used ideas from other popular music of his time.
His music often sounds classic because he used many string instruments. But he also used electronic keyboards and guitars in his songs. These instruments played along with the strings or took turns with them.
Famous Singers and Film Music
Baligh Hamdi's best work was released as recordings by many famous singers. These singers include:
- Umm Kulthum
- Abdel Halim Hafez
- Shadia
- Layla Murad
- Najat Al Saghira
- Fayza Ahmed
- Warda (his wife for ten years)
- Sabah
He also wrote music for movies. One of his important contributions was the music for the film A Taste of Fear (1969). This movie was listed as one of the Top 100 Egyptian films.
Songs Baligh Hamdi Composed
Baligh Hamdi wrote many songs. Here are some of his well-known works:
- "Khosara Khosara" (1957)
- "Hob Ayeh" (1960)
- "Ansak Ya Salam" (1961)
- "Zalamna El Hob" (1961)
- "Syret El Hob" (1964)
- "Kol Lilah We Kol Youm" (1964)
- "Rise people and the spirit and conscience" (1962)
- "the transfer of the Nile" (1962)
- "Bied Anak" (1965)
- "Ena Fedayeen" (1967)
- "Ana we Enta zalamna el Hobb"
- "Fat El Me'ad" (1967)
- "Alf Leilah Wa Leilah" (1969)
- "El Hob Kolloh" (1970)
- "Hakam Alina El Howa" (1973)
Songs for Specific Singers
He wrote many great songs for Abdel Halim Hafez from the late 1960s to the mid-1970s. Some of these include:
- Gana El Howa
- El Toba
- Mououd
- Sawah
- Tkhounoh
- Habibaty Man Takon
- Maddah El Kamar
- Zay El Howa
- Hawel Teftikerni
- Ay demat Hozn
- Ada El Nahar
- Fedai
- Ash Elly Kal
For singer Warda Al-Jazairia, he composed songs like:
- Khaleek Hena
- Low Salok
- Black Eyes
- Mali
- Dandanah
- Ashtrony
- Hekaity ma el zaman
Baligh Hamdi also helped develop musical theater. He created music for operettas such as "Egypt Bride" and "Tmarahnp." He also wrote songs for plays. He helped many new singers from Arab countries become famous.
He worked with Abdel Rahman el-Abnudi and Mohamed Rushdie in the early 1960s. Together, they created many Egyptian folk songs. He also helped discover the singer Afaf Radi.
Baligh Hamdi produced music for many films, plays, and TV shows. Some of these include the films:
- Something of Fear
- Sons of Silence
- Old Time
- Ah Ya Leil Ya Zaman
- City Lights
He also worked on TV dramas like RIA and Sekina and Almedk Alley, and sitcoms like gate-Halawani.
He loved Egypt very much and composed many songs about his country. He even sang some of these songs himself, such as:
- Uday El Nahar
- El Bondokia Atkelmt
- Law Aadit
- Abarna El Hazimah
- Fedai
- Besm El Lah
- Ya Habibty Ya Masr
- Ash Elly Kal
Music Dispute: Khosara Khosara
In 2000, the American rapper Jay-Z released a hit song called "Big Pimpin'." Baligh Hamdi's family claimed that Jay-Z used the melody from Baligh Hamdi's song "Khosara Khosara" without permission.
In 2015, a judge in California decided that this issue should go to trial. However, later that year, on October 21, 2015, the judge dismissed the case. The judge ruled that Baligh Hamdi's family did not have the right to make a copyright claim in this specific situation. So, the lawsuit against Jay-Z and his producer Timbaland was ended before a jury could decide.
See also
In Spanish: Baligh Hamdi para niños
