(b Cairo, 21 Aug 1955). Egyptian composer. From the age of eight she studied the piano at the Cairo Conservatory. Later she joined the composition class founded by Abdel-Rahim, studying composition and the traditional Arab modal system. She graduated in composition (1977) and piano (1978), both with distinction. From 1981 she took postgraduate studies in composition from the Vienna Hochschule für Musik with Thomas Christian David and Francis Burt, graduating with distinction in 1987 and obtaining Magister Artium in 1988. She returned to Egypt in 1989 and to a teaching post at the Cairo Conservatory. Many of her compositions have been performed outside Egypt: in Vienna, Rome, Berlin, Bonn and Prague. In 1991 she was awarded the prize for musical creativity by the Academy of Arts, Cairo. A well-known composer of documentary film music, she won a prize (1991) for her music for the documentary film An Evening’s Fishing (1991).
Her compositions include many piano works and many using the flute, besides vocal and orchestral works. Her style is distinguished by tender melodic lines using the tetrachords and pentachords of Arab music in a very personal way, accompanied by contemporary Western harmonies. She uses irregular metres in accordance with the Arab rhythmic modes, for example in El Mashrabia for strings (1987), the Elegy for orchestra (1990) and the Suite for flute and harp (1993).
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Pf Sonata, 1983; 2 Pieces, ww, str, 1984; Pf Conc., 1984; 1984: Small Pieces, perc, 1984; Lied, S, pf, 1985; Str Trio, 1985; Str Qt, 1985; Pf Pieces, 2vv, pf, 1986; Suite, fl, ob, str, 1986; Ww Qt, 1986; El Mashrabia, str, 1987; Baum der Nacht, lied, S, a fl, perc, 1988; 2 Dances, pf, perc, 1988; 2 Portraits, str, 1988; Elegy, orch, 1990; Suite, fl, pf, 1991; Baum der Nacht, suite, fl, 1991; 3 Pieces, 2 pf, 1993; Suite, fl, hp, 1993 |
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Film scores, incl. saìd-ĕlassără, [An Evening’s Fishing], 1991 |
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