Sabah Fakhri

Sabah Fakhri
صباح فخري
Sabah Fakhri صباح فخري
Birth name	Sabah al-Din Abu Qaws
Born	May 2, 1933; Aleppo, Syria
Died	November 2, 2021 (aged 88); Damascus, Syria
Genres	Syrian, Arabic Music, Muwashahat, Qudud Halabiya
Occupation	Singer
Instrument	Vocals
Years active	1965–2010

Sabah al-Din Abu Qaws (Arabic: صباح الدين أبو قوس), also known as Sabah Fakhri (Arabic: صباح فخري North Levantine Arabic pronunciation: [sˤɑbɑːħ fæxɾiː]; May 2, 1933 – November 2, 2021), was a Syrian tenor singer from Aleppo.

With over 50 years of fame and popularity as a singer, Sabah Fakhri modified and popularized the then-fading forms of traditional Arabic music Muwashahat and Qudud Halabiya. He was well known for his beautiful strong vocals, impeccable control and execution of Maqamat and harmony, as well as his dominant and charismatic performances on stage. In the Arab world, he is regarded as one of the greatest artists of all time.

Biography

Sabah was born in Aleppo Syria 1933 and enrolled in the Academy of Arabic Music of Aleppo. He later studied at the Academy of Damascus, from which he graduated in 1948. He was given the stage name "Fakhri" by his mentor, Syrian nationalist leader Fakhri al-Barudi, who encouraged him as a young boy to stay in Syria and not travel to Italy. One of Fakhri's earliest performances was in 1948 at the Presidential Palace in Damascus, before President Shukri al-Quwatli and Prime Minister Jamil Mardam Bey. Unlike many Arab artists, he never studied or worked in Cairo, insisting that his fame is linked to the artistic heritage of his homeland, Syria.

Sabah Fakhri was one of the very few singers from Arabic-speaking countries to have reached widespread popularity by singing in the Arabic language (including Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Australia). His name is enshrined in the Guinness Book of Records for his prowess in Caracas, Venezuela, where he sang continuously for 10 hours without pause.^[1]

In 1998, Fakhri became a member of the Syrian parliament for the session, as a representative of artists.^[2]

Interaction with the audience

When he performed, Fakhri insisted on interacting with his audience. Before singing, he insisted on having a good atmosphere by having good musicians and an appropriate sound system. While performing he asked for the lights to remain on, to interact with the audience. He said that the audience played a key role in bringing out the performer's creativity. The audience should be aware of the music and poetry, so they would value the music given to them.^[3]

Death

Fakhri died on November 2, 2021, in Damascus, aged 88.^[4]^[5]

Major works

Fakhri sang many traditional songs from Aleppo, based on the poems of Abu Firas al-Hamdani, Al-Mutanabbi and other poets. He also worked with contemporary composers. Some of his most popular songs are:

Yā Hādī al-‘Ess / Mālek Yā Ḥelwa(t) Mālek
Khamrat el-Ḥobb
Yā Ṭīra(t) Ṭīrī
Fōg el-Nakhal (Iraqi song)
’Adduka al-Mayāss
Yā Māl el-Shām
Muwashshaḥ Imlīlī / Yā Shādī el-Alḥān
Eba‘atlī Jawwāb
Ah Yā Ḥalō

Awards

On 12 February 2007, Fakhri was awarded the Syrian Order of Merit of Excellent Degree by the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in recognition of his achievements in serving and his role in reviving the artistic heritage of Syria.