Ali El Haggar
Encyclopedia
Ali El Haggar is an Egyptian singer and actor.
Ibrahim El-Haggar, taught him the principles of Arabic music
and in particular singing. He was exposed to different types of Arabic songs including the works of Om Kolthom, Mohmmed Abdel-Wahab, Zakaria Ahmed
, Sayed Darwish
and others. His father helped his son to get an in-depth understanding of different musical form
s, but also wanted his son to get fully absorbed by a specific singing type in order to keep his own identity. El-Haggar said "My father exposed me to music in its different manners and schools, but as well he advised me to sing only like myself without imitating any other singer no matter what is the degree of his talent and regardless of how much do I like this singer". El-Haggar also learnt to recite the Quran which helped him in articulation and organizing inhalation, two important factors in singing.
El-Haggar studied at a faculty of Fine Arts. El-Haggar was often asked about the relation between music and fine arts and how far studying fine arts affected him as a singer: “While I'm singing I do imagine the music pieces as if they are geometric shapes and lines; I can see some types of music are like straight lines, others resemble curved lines, and sometimes some music pieces reminds me of broken lines. Also, I can observe some songs of mine as complete portraits”.
In 1977 El-Haggar was discovered by the late composer Baligh Hamdy, who introduced him publicly on New Year's Eve reciting his first piece "Ala Ad Ma Habbena" with lyrics by the late poet Abdel-Rehim Mansoor after listening to him singing in a musical program on Egyptian television.
In 1976 El-Haggar got together with the late Salah Jaheen. At that time Jaheen had already written his famous quartet
s Robayat and was searching for a singer capable of singing them. Having confidence in El-Haggar's ability, Jaheen decided to offer him the opportunity to sing the complete quartets with music by the late Sayed Mikkawy.
Together with the composer Ammar El-Sherei and the poet Sayed Higab El-Haggar performed the complete set of songs for the television serial El-Ayam, personifying the late novelist Taha Hussein. Owning a well-built dramatic voice, as many music critics validate, El-Haggar is still participating in this song's type having become the number one singer in the dramatic songs category, whether in television serials, movies, or plays
.
Another important phase in El-Haggar's professional life was his first collaboration with his brother, the composer and singer Ahmed El-Haggar. This was in 1978 when Ahmed El-Haggar composed his brother’s hit "Ozoriny". The success that this song achieved sparked El-Haggar's singing career. The El-Haggar brothers have co-operated in many other songs, Ahmed El-Haggar as composer and Ali El-Haggar as lyricist. Among these songs are: "Bahebek", "Ana Biki Ya Samra Akon", "El-Ahlam", "Kont Faker", "Tesaaliny", "Lama El-Sheta Edo’o El-Biban", "Ma Tekdebish", "Ergaaily", "Lessa El-Kalam", and recently "Ya Masria".
El-Haggar performed a duet with Plácido Domingo
in 2000 when Domingo wanted to sing a duet with an Arab singer. Domingo was introduced to many songs from a number of Arab singers finally choosing El-Haggar. Domingo was surprised by El-Haggar’s singing abilities and consequently he gave him the nickname "The Golden Voice". The resulting concert El-Haggar & Domingo conducted in Dubai
was a success and well-received.
i invasion of Kuwait
took place. El-Haggar postponed it for a later time and instead released another album Lem El-Shaml, political songs which reflected vents happening at the time. El-Haggar has a repertoire of political songs that reflect his political concerns — for example "Hona El-Kahira", "Ya Masry", and "El-Moot Ala El-Asfalt", a collection of poems written by the poet Abdel-Rahman El-Abnoody describing the violence in Palestine
. Recently El-Haggar sang "Lobnan" as a reaction to the attacks that took place in Lebanon
.
Throughout his career El-Haggar has said: “My main goal is to present art that lasts after my departure not gets forgotten while I am alive”. He has collaborated with artists such as Baligh Hamdy, Ammar El-Sherei, Yasser Abdel-Rahman, Omar Khairat
, Ahmed El-Haggar, Amir Abdel-Migeed, Riad El-Hamshry, Gamal Attia, Khalil Mostafa, and others. He has also collaborated with lyricist like Abdel-Rahman El-Abnody, Sayed Higab, Ahmed Foad Negm, Foad Haddad, Abdel-Rehim Mansoor, Gamal Bekheet, Bahaa Jaheen, Essam Abd-Allah, Hany Shahata, Ibrahim Abdel-Fattah, and others.
El-Haggar has also performed older songs from past generations of musicians such as "Gafnoho Alam El-Ghazal & Saherto" by Mohammed Abdel-Wahab, "Dary El-Oion & Rah Tewhashiny" by Mohammed Fawzy, and "El-Hob Gamil" by Laila Morad. When asked why he likes to sing old songs already sung by old singers he responded: “I want the contemporary generation who do not know much about old music to get more acquainted to it; that’s why I reperform old songs that I personally like most, but in a modern modified way that makes these songs come closer to the current youth generation keeping the spirit of the original piece of music".
In 2005 El Haggar was certified as a professional Qur’an reciter from the El Azhar
institute and is considered to be the first Egyptian male singer to get this certification nowadays.
and Italy
. He also received "Best Singer of the Year" in a Sharm El-Sheikh
video clip festival for his song "El-Leil Ya Nas".
Background
El-Haggar was raised in a musical family and during his early childhood his father, late singer and composerComposer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Ibrahim El-Haggar, taught him the principles of Arabic music
Arab music
Arabic music or Arab music is the music of the Arab World, including several genres and styles of music ranging from Arabic classical to Arabic pop music and from secular to sacred music....
and in particular singing. He was exposed to different types of Arabic songs including the works of Om Kolthom, Mohmmed Abdel-Wahab, Zakaria Ahmed
Zakariyya Ahmad
Zakariyya Ahmad was an Egyptian musician and composer. He composed many pieces in a traditional Egyptian folk style. His works include solo pieces and film scores, and he composed for Umm Kulthum beginning with a taqtuqa written in 1925.His father was Egyptian and his mother was Turkish.-External...
, Sayed Darwish
Sayed Darwish
Sayed Darwish was an Egyptian singer and composer who was considered the father of Egyptian popular music and one of their greatest musicians and their single greatest composer. He was born in Alexandria on March 17, 1892. Darwish died of a heart attack in Alexandria on September 15, 1923 . The...
and others. His father helped his son to get an in-depth understanding of different musical form
Musical form
The term musical form refers to the overall structure or plan of a piece of music, and it describes the layout of a composition as divided into sections...
s, but also wanted his son to get fully absorbed by a specific singing type in order to keep his own identity. El-Haggar said "My father exposed me to music in its different manners and schools, but as well he advised me to sing only like myself without imitating any other singer no matter what is the degree of his talent and regardless of how much do I like this singer". El-Haggar also learnt to recite the Quran which helped him in articulation and organizing inhalation, two important factors in singing.
El-Haggar studied at a faculty of Fine Arts. El-Haggar was often asked about the relation between music and fine arts and how far studying fine arts affected him as a singer: “While I'm singing I do imagine the music pieces as if they are geometric shapes and lines; I can see some types of music are like straight lines, others resemble curved lines, and sometimes some music pieces reminds me of broken lines. Also, I can observe some songs of mine as complete portraits”.
In 1977 El-Haggar was discovered by the late composer Baligh Hamdy, who introduced him publicly on New Year's Eve reciting his first piece "Ala Ad Ma Habbena" with lyrics by the late poet Abdel-Rehim Mansoor after listening to him singing in a musical program on Egyptian television.
In 1976 El-Haggar got together with the late Salah Jaheen. At that time Jaheen had already written his famous quartet
Quartet
In music, a quartet is a method of instrumentation , used to perform a musical composition, and consisting of four parts.-Western art music:...
s Robayat and was searching for a singer capable of singing them. Having confidence in El-Haggar's ability, Jaheen decided to offer him the opportunity to sing the complete quartets with music by the late Sayed Mikkawy.
Together with the composer Ammar El-Sherei and the poet Sayed Higab El-Haggar performed the complete set of songs for the television serial El-Ayam, personifying the late novelist Taha Hussein. Owning a well-built dramatic voice, as many music critics validate, El-Haggar is still participating in this song's type having become the number one singer in the dramatic songs category, whether in television serials, movies, or plays
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
.
Collaborations
El-Haggar works with famous composers and lyricists as well as with other singers in duets whenever possible. "In duets I like to deal with talented singers; as competing with clever singers motivates me to explore my capabilities to execute the song in the best distinguished manner". During his career El-Haggar has performed a number of duets with singers such as his career companion Mohammed El-Helw, in songs such as "Beladi" and "Khan El-Anadeel" (the opening and closing of a TV serial carrying the same name), with Hanan Mady in many television serial songs like "El-Likaa El-Tany & El-Mal we El-Banoon", with Angham in the play "Rosasa Fi El Qalb", and with Hoda Ammar in "Bent we Walad" from the movie Eskendereyya New York.Another important phase in El-Haggar's professional life was his first collaboration with his brother, the composer and singer Ahmed El-Haggar. This was in 1978 when Ahmed El-Haggar composed his brother’s hit "Ozoriny". The success that this song achieved sparked El-Haggar's singing career. The El-Haggar brothers have co-operated in many other songs, Ahmed El-Haggar as composer and Ali El-Haggar as lyricist. Among these songs are: "Bahebek", "Ana Biki Ya Samra Akon", "El-Ahlam", "Kont Faker", "Tesaaliny", "Lama El-Sheta Edo’o El-Biban", "Ma Tekdebish", "Ergaaily", "Lessa El-Kalam", and recently "Ya Masria".
El-Haggar performed a duet with Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo KBE , born José Plácido Domingo Embil, is a Spanish tenor and conductor known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range...
in 2000 when Domingo wanted to sing a duet with an Arab singer. Domingo was introduced to many songs from a number of Arab singers finally choosing El-Haggar. Domingo was surprised by El-Haggar’s singing abilities and consequently he gave him the nickname "The Golden Voice". The resulting concert El-Haggar & Domingo conducted in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
was a success and well-received.
Political songs
In 1990 Ali El-Haggar was about to release an album of romantic songs when the IraqIraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i invasion of Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
took place. El-Haggar postponed it for a later time and instead released another album Lem El-Shaml, political songs which reflected vents happening at the time. El-Haggar has a repertoire of political songs that reflect his political concerns — for example "Hona El-Kahira", "Ya Masry", and "El-Moot Ala El-Asfalt", a collection of poems written by the poet Abdel-Rahman El-Abnoody describing the violence in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
. Recently El-Haggar sang "Lobnan" as a reaction to the attacks that took place in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
.
Throughout his career El-Haggar has said: “My main goal is to present art that lasts after my departure not gets forgotten while I am alive”. He has collaborated with artists such as Baligh Hamdy, Ammar El-Sherei, Yasser Abdel-Rahman, Omar Khairat
Omar Khairat
Omar Khairat Omar Khairat Omar Khairat (Arabic: عمر خيرت; A composer, pianist, founder and conductor of "Omar Khairat's Group". Born in Cairo. He was raised in a family of musicians. His uncle is Abou-Bakr Khairat, the great Egyptian composer and architect who established the Cairo Conservatoire...
, Ahmed El-Haggar, Amir Abdel-Migeed, Riad El-Hamshry, Gamal Attia, Khalil Mostafa, and others. He has also collaborated with lyricist like Abdel-Rahman El-Abnody, Sayed Higab, Ahmed Foad Negm, Foad Haddad, Abdel-Rehim Mansoor, Gamal Bekheet, Bahaa Jaheen, Essam Abd-Allah, Hany Shahata, Ibrahim Abdel-Fattah, and others.
El-Haggar has also performed older songs from past generations of musicians such as "Gafnoho Alam El-Ghazal & Saherto" by Mohammed Abdel-Wahab, "Dary El-Oion & Rah Tewhashiny" by Mohammed Fawzy, and "El-Hob Gamil" by Laila Morad. When asked why he likes to sing old songs already sung by old singers he responded: “I want the contemporary generation who do not know much about old music to get more acquainted to it; that’s why I reperform old songs that I personally like most, but in a modern modified way that makes these songs come closer to the current youth generation keeping the spirit of the original piece of music".
In 2005 El Haggar was certified as a professional Qur’an reciter from the El Azhar
Al-Azhar University
Al-Azhar University is an educational institute in Cairo, Egypt. Founded in 970~972 as a madrasa, it is the chief centre of Arabic literature and Islamic learning in the world. It is the oldest degree-granting university in Egypt. In 1961 non-religious subjects were added to its curriculum.It is...
institute and is considered to be the first Egyptian male singer to get this certification nowadays.
Awards
El-Haggar was awarded a prize of honor in the 15th Arabic Music Festival for the year 2006 as well as two prizes from two different European theatre festivals in both GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He also received "Best Singer of the Year" in a Sharm El-Sheikh
Sharm el-Sheikh
Sharm el-Sheikh is a city situated on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, in South Sinai Governorate, Egypt, on the coastal strip along the Red Sea. Its population is approximately 35,000...
video clip festival for his song "El-Leil Ya Nas".
Albums
- Ala ad ma Habaina
- Kont fain ya Ali (for kids)
- Robaeyat “Salah Jaheen”
- Mehtajlek
- Ozoreeni
- El Ahlam
- Matsadaqish
- Fi Alb El Lail
- Ana kont Eidek
- Zay El Hawa
- Lem El Shaml
- Tegeesh Naeesh
- Rama Remsho
- Lessa El Kalam
- Risha
- Yamama
- Maktobali
Television themes
- Al Ayaam
- El Shahd Wa El Domooa
- Ala Abwab El Madina
- Wa Qal Al Bahr
- Al Mashrabeyya
- Abdullah Al Nadim
- El lel W Akhro
- Haroon El Rashid
- Omar Ebn Abdel Aziz
- Mohammad Rasool Allah
- Wajaa Al Baad
- Al sira Al Helaleyya
- Hadaek Al Shaytan
- Zeaab El Gabal
- Al Mal wal Banoun
Television series – singing and acting
- Yaseen we Baheyya
- Abul El Ela Elbeshry
- Al Baqy men Al zaman sa3a
- Al wakf
- Resala khatera
- Bawabat El Halawani
- Al Awda
- Robaeyyat Salah Jaheen
Plays
- Laila men alf laila
- Zabaaen Gohannam
- Nawwar Al Khair
- Welad El Shawarea
- Menain ageeb nas
- Eyal Teganen
- Atnain fi offa
- Alahomma Egaalo khair
- Rosasa Fi Al Qalb
- Khayef Aqool Elly Fi Qalby
- Yamama Beida