(b Cairo, 1910; d Cairo, 3 May 1991). Egyptian composer and singer. As a child he had a remarkable musical memory, and at the age of seven he joined a drama troupe to sing during intervals. In 1920 he began studies of traditional Arab music at the Arabic Music Club (now the Institute of Arabic Music), and he also studied Western music for a time at the Bergrün School in Cairo. He then embarked on a dual career as a singer-composer; possessing a fine baritone voice, he achieved great popularity, and he also won fame for his improvisations on the ‘ud (lute). His acquaintance with the poet Ahmad Shawqī helped him socially, and his settings of Shawqī are classics of the genre. Chosen by Sayyid Darwīsh to perform in his operetta Al-barouka (or La mascotte), ‘Abd al-Wahhāb some years later completed Darwīsh's posthumous Cleopatra, though he composed no original music for the theatre. However, he played in many musical films, performing his own songs. Among the awards he received are the Order of Merit and the State Prize for the Arts.
‘Abd al-Wahhāb's work had far-reaching influence on later generations of song composers. Throughout his creative career, while seeking to enrich traditional music he was more concerned with modernization on Western lines than with the preservation or development of traditional characteristics. His achievement in that sphere is controversial: conservatives considered his music eclectic, but many people acclaimed him as the star of Egyptian music (‘The musician of the generations’). He is the foremost representative of the generation of transition, which first came into contact with Western music. He superimposed a heterogeneous mixture of Western features on a foundation of oriental monody. The process of adaptation was long, involving the introduction of Western instruments including the cello, the double bass and jazz instruments into the oriental ensemble and the adoption of Western and Latin American dance rhythms. This eventually led to the neglect of complex rhythmic patterns, an ascendancy of the major–minor system over Arab modes and the use of textual quotations in some songs of melodies from Western classics. He also introduced simple harmonizations to his songs, several of which were arranged by André Ryder (d 1969). His hybridization moved Egyptian music away from the spirit of its traditional sources, but it was very popular.
‘Abd al-Wahhāb received the highest awards and honours from Egypt, most notably the State Prize for Cultural Achievement in 1969, and from most other Arab countries. His popularity began to decline after his death.
The Artistic History of Muhammad ‘Abdel-Wahhāb, Ministry of Culture, Cairo (1988) [with commentary by Y. Shawkqī; incl. cassettes]
R. El-Hefny: Muhammad ‘Abd al-Wahhāb, hayātuh wa fannuh [His life and art] (Cairo, 1991)
A. Khairy: Analytical Study of the ‘Hank’ Section in the Form ‘Dawr’ by M. Osman, Abdel-Fattah Qatr and Mohamed ‘Abdel-Wahāb (diss., Helwan U., 1993)
A.-H.T. Zaki: Al-mu‘āsirūn min ruwwād al-mūsīqā al-Arabiyya [Contemporary pioneers of Arab music] (Cairo, 1993)
M. Hammad: Analytical Study of Selected Instrumental Compositions by M. ‘Abdel-Wahāb (thesis, Helwan U., 1994)
H.A. Khaled: Analytical Study of ‘Abdel-Wahāb's Style in Composing ‘Qasida’ (thesis, Helwan U.,1995)
SAMHA EL KHOLY