Celebration of Abdul Wahab anniversary

The Egyptian Opera house, and TV and radio stations have started as from Monday, February 26 preparations to celebrate the one hundred anniversary of the birth of the late Egyptian musician Muhammad Abdul Wahab ( 1901- 1991) who is considered the first to introduce western musical instruments to the Arab music since the beginning of the 1930s.

The celebration of Abdul Wahab's anniversary at the Opera house falls in the course of celebrations for pioneers of Arab intellectuals and art and in his being among those who contributed to enriching the Arab music.

The Egyptian radio will held several singing parties on the late artist and the Egyptian TV will rescreen many of his films and seminars will be held to this end with specialists in Arabic music and singing.

Abdul Wahab used the piano in singing his poem " al-Siba wal-Jamal " ( youth and beauty) written by the Lebanese poet Beshara al-Khouri in 1939 and he then used the Guitar in his poem " Una Omri " ( you are my life) sung by renowned Egyptian singer Um Kalthoum.

Abdul Wahab started his artistic career with Sheikh Salamah Hijazi in the 1920s. He is known to have learnt from the late Egyptian musician Sayed Darwish, the " musician of the Egyptian revolution of 1919 and the founder of the Egyptian anthem " Biladi Biladi " ( My country, my country).