"The Voice of Egypt": Umm Kulthum, Arabic Song, and Egyptian Society in the Twentieth Century

by Virginia Danielson

Book Overview

Umm Kulthum, the "voice of Egypt," was the most celebrated musical performer of the century in the Arab world. More than twenty years after her death, her devoted audience, drawn from all strata of Arab society, still numbers in the millions. Thanks to her skillful and pioneering use of mass media, her songs still permeate the international airwaves. In the first English-language biography of Umm Kulthum, Virginia Danielson chronicles the life of...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226136124
• ISBN13: 9780226136127
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Um Kulthum like we never seen here before!

Virginia Danielson had succeeded in presenting Umm Kulthum to us in ways we never anticipated before. She went in depth describing how the Egyptian society in the twentieth century impacted Arabic songs and how Umkulthum fit in all of this. In this book, I learned more about Um Kulthum the person, the wife, the daughter, and the singer. How strong she was and powerful. Reading the book helped me understand more about here music and songs, appreciate more here voice and how she chooses here songs lyrics. This is a should get book.

An essential book to understanding Egyptian Music

This book is a wonderful reference source for those who wish to understand Middle Eastern Music and what sets it apart. The life of this great singer is well documented and researched.