Biography
Sayyed Darwish (1892-1923) was an Egyptian composer and singer, considered the father of new Egyptian music. He was born on March 17, 1892, in the Kum al-Dikah district of Alexandria, Egypt. He had 7 siblings and because his family could not afford to pay for his education, he was sent to a religious school. Growing up, he abandoned his religious studies to devote his life to composition and singing. He managed to get into a music school while working as a bricklayer. One day, while singing to entertain his colleagues, he attracted the attention of some passers-by who invited him to join their troupe, with them he went to Syria.
There he studied Arabic classical music and worked as a singer in centers fun. After his return to Egypt, he continued to compose and by 1912, his songs had achieved great success throughout the country. However, the turning point in his life came in 1917 when he moved to Cairo and was introduced to the theater, starting a brilliant career as a composer of music for plays. In addition to composing 260 songs, he wrote 26 operettas, replacing the slow, repetitive old style of classical Arabic music with a new light and expressive style. His works, combining Western instrumentation and harmony with classical Arabic forms and Egyptian folklore, gained immense popularity due to their social and patriotic themes.
By the age of 30, Darvish had achieved immense fame, however he was not to enjoy his success as he died on September 15, 1923.