Sabah (singer)
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Sabah (Arabic: صباح, romanized: Ṣabāḥ, Lebanese Arabic pronunciation: [sˤɑˈbaːħ]; born Jeanette Gergis Feghali [جانيت جرجس فغالي]; 10 November 1927 – 26 November 2014) was a Lebanese singer and actress, specializing in mawwal, a popular genre of traditional music in the Middle East.[2][3][4][5][6] She performed in many Egyptian movies and songs.[7][8]
Sabah صباح | |
|---|---|
Sabah in the 1960s | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jeanette Georges Feghali |
| Also known as | Al-Shahroura, Shahruret el-Wadi[1] |
| Born | 10 November 1927 Bdadoun, Greater Lebanon |
| Died | 26 November 2014 (aged 87) Beirut, Lebanon |
| Genres | Arabic music, traditional |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, actress |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 1943–2014 |
| Spouse(s) | Rushdy Abaza Najib Chammas Anwar Mansy Ahmed Farraj Youssef (Joe) Hammoud Wassim Tabbara Fadi Lubnan |
She was known as "Al-Shahroura" (الشحرورة, 'The Songbird') or "Shahruret el-Wadi" (شحرورة الوادي, 'The Songbird of the Valley') both in reference to her origins and her strong and rhythmic voice.[9][10][11][12]
Early life edit
Sabah was born to a Maronite Christian family in Bdadoun, Aley, as the youngest of three daughters. During her childhood she accused her father of bullying her because he wanted a son. Her brother would go on to kill their mother on the suspicion of her having an affair. The death of her mother worsened Sabah's already difficult childhood.[2][13][14]
Career edit
Sabah emerged when the field of Arab singers was already crowded with formidable talents. These included Umm Kulthum (1898-1975), Nagat El Saghira (born 1938), Warda Al-Jazairia (1939–2012), Shadia (1931–2017), Fairuz (born 1934), and others. [citation needed]
Sabah started singing at a young age and released her first song in Lebanon in 1940 at age 13.[3] She was invited to Egypt in the early 1940s by the actress and producer Assia Dagher and acted with Dagher on her first movie El-Qalb Luh Wahid (The Heart Has Its Reasons), released in 1945, which gained her regional fame.[3][15] She then became officially known by her character's name - Sabah, Arabic for "morning".[3] She also acquired several affectionate nicknames, including "Chahroura" ("songbird"), "Ustura" (legend), shams Al shamoos (The sun of the suns) and "Sabbouha", a diminutive of Sabah.[3][15][16]
Among her most popular films were The Night is Ours (1949), My Father Deceived Me (1951), That's What Love Is (1961), Soft Hands (1963), Three Women (1968), Paris and Love (1972), and The Second Man (1959), in which she played a cabaret singer who vows to avenge her brother's death at the hands of a smuggling ring.[3]
In the 1990s, she and her former husband, Fadi Lubnan (Kuntar), made a documentary about her life, which aired on Future Television under the title The Journey of My Life (مشوار حياتي).
During her music career, she recorded more than 3,000 songs, working with a number of well-known Egyptian composers, including the late Mohammed Abdel Wahab.[15] She specialized in a Lebanese folk tradition called the mawal, and her most famous songs included "Zay el-Assal" ("Your Love is Like Honey on my Heart") and "Akhadou el-Reeh" ("They Took the Wind").[3][16] She released over 50 albums and acted in 98 films during her career.[3] Sabah's youthfulness and the joy she brought in her performances made her a living symbol of the "belle époque" and the "joie de vivre" in the Levant and the Arab world.[13] She also sang at weddings in Lebanon during the Lebanese civil war.[17]
Until 2009, she performed in concert and on television, including programs such as Star Academy. She also collaborated closely with singer Rola Saad in remaking some of her old hits, such as "Yana Yana". The accompanying video, in which Sabah is shown as "the notorious diva" to whom her younger colleague pays tribute, has received wide play on Arabic music channels. She also hosted the TV show Akher Man Yalam on 31 May 2010.
During the 2011 Beiteddine Art Festival, a show retracing the journey of Sabah as a singer and movie star was performed.[18] In the title role, Rouwaida Attieh shared the stage with more than 40 singers and dancers to honor her works. [citation needed]
In 2010, she retired due to an illness that left her with paralysis in one of her arms and legs.[19]
Personal life edit
Sabah carried passports from Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, and the United States.[3]
She married Lebanese businessman Najib Chammas when she was 18,[17] but would go on to marry nine more times, most notably to Egyptian actor Rushdy Abaza,[20] as well as Egyptian musician Anwar Mansy, Egyptian television presenter Ahmed Farraj, Lebanese politician Youssef (Joe) Hammoud, and Lebanese author-director Wassim Tabbara.[3] Hammoud allegedly divorced Sabah in the 1970s due to a scandal following a performance where she wore revealing shorts.[17][16] Her penultimate marriage, which lasted 17 years, was to the much-younger Lebanese artist Fadi Lubnan.[17] Her final marriage was to Joseph Gharib in 2013, at the age of 85.[17]
She had two children, Sabah Chammas (from her marriage to Najib Chammas) and Howayda Mansy (from her marriage to Anwar Mansy).[17] Sabah is a medical doctor, and Howayda is a singer, actress, and socialite.[21] Both of Sabah's children live in the United States.[3]
After selling her house in Hazmieh, which she described as "too big and cold for only one person", she moved to the neighboring Hotel Comfort in Baabda, Mount Lebanon, a hill city overlooking Beirut and the Mediterranean Sea. She later lived in another hotel next to Baabda. [citation needed]
Sabah was the aunt of Brazilian congresswoman Jandira Feghali and of her brother, Ricardo Feghali, who is a musician, songwriter, and member of the Brazilian band Roupa Nova.[22][23]
Death edit
Rumors of Sabah's death circulated days before she died. Amused by the rumors, Sabah said, "Even in my death, I'm making people busy."[3][16]
Sabah died on 26 November 2014, around 3:00 a.m., sixteen days after her 87th birthday, in her home at Hotel Brazilia from unspecified reasons. Clauda Akl, the daughter of her sister, actress Lamia Feghaly, published the news on her webpage at around 6:45 a.m. She mentioned that Sabah wished people would not feel sad and dance the Dabkeh at her funeral, saying "I've lived enough." After her death, her hairdresser Joseph Gharib said in an interview that Sabah loved to wear red lipstick during her last days.
On Sunday, 30 November 2014, four days after Sabah's death, thousands of people filled the streets to pay their respects. Her family, Lebanese officials, and many Arab delegates packed into St. George Cathedral in downtown Beirut to bid farewell to the singer, actress, and entertainer.
In front of the cathedral, the official Lebanese Army band played the national anthem, followed by many songs from Sabah's repertoire, a first in the country's history. Fans clapped and sang their favorite Sabah songs. A troupe of dancers in traditional dress performed to her music playing from loudspeakers.
For the funeral mass, Sabah's flag-draped coffin stood near the altar with a giant picture of the singer as a younger woman with her signature voluminous peroxide-blonde hair. After the service, mourners carried the casket to a hearse waiting outside while people clapped, threw flowers, and reached out to touch it and take photographs. Sabah's body was carried through many towns to the church of her hometown of Bdadoun, where she was buried.[24]
Legacy edit
Al Shahrourah, a TV drama based on her life, aired during Ramadan in 2011.[25] She was portrayed by actress/singer Carole Samaha. Sabah's reaction toward the series was mainly positive, although she commented on certain inaccuracies, such as the depiction of her father as wearing traditional Lebanese garb.[26] Months before she died, the Lebanese journalist Rima Njeim hosted a TV episode honoring her, which aired live on MTV Lebanon.[27]
Her music is being taught in music classes in Lebanon.[citation needed] In 2015, graffiti artists Halwani and the brothers Omar and Mohammad Kabbani commemorated Sabah in monumental murals on the sides of buildings in Beirut, paying tribute to the way she defied gender-based and other social taboos, challenging Lebanon's culture of sectarianism and providing an alternative to images of political leaders and their sloganeering.[28]
On 10 November 2017, Google celebrated what would have been her 90th birthday with a Google Doodle.[29] Marvel's Moon Knight TV series plays her song "Saat Saat" from the 1980 Egyptian movie A Night When The Moon Cried, at the end of Episode 5.[30][31]
On 6 September 2023, the Alexandria Film Festival published the result of a poll it had organized to curate a list of the top one hundred Egyptian musical films. This poll was conducted with the involvement of approximately 32 film critics and cinematographers. Among the chosen one hundred films, Sabah appeared in six of them, including; "Love Street" (1959), "The Unmarried Mother" (1950), "Bolbol Afandi" (1946), "Soft Hands" (1964), "Leila Baka Feha Al Qamar" (1980), and "He Stole My Wife" (1954).
Awards edit
In 2004, Sabah was honored at the Alexandria Song Festival and the Cairo Film Festival.[32] That same year, she was honored in Beirut with a statue.[32]
In 2010, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Dubai International Film Festival.[33]
She was honored by the Lebanese Republic many times, including receiving the National Order of the Cedar medal.[citation needed][34]
Work edit
Sabah released over 50 albums and acted in 98 movies, and over 20 stage plays. She had a reported repertoire of over 3,500 songs.
Selected filmography edit
- Source:[35]
- 1986 Ayyam El Lulu ايام اللولو aka = Days Of The Lulu
- 1972 Paris wal Hob باريس والحب aka = Paris and Love
- 1970 Kanet Ayyam كانت ايام aka = It Were Days
- 1970 Nar El Shoq نار الشوق aka = Fire Of Longing
- 1969 Easabet El Nesa عصابة النساء aka = Gang Of Women
- 1968 Thalath Nesaa ثلاث نساء aka = Three Women
- 1966 Mawwal El Aqdam El Zahabiyyah موال الاقدام الذهبية aka = Popular Song Of Golden Feet
- 1963 El Aydi el naema الايدى الناعمة aka = The Soft Hands
- 1963 El Motamaradah المطاردة aka = The Chase
- 1961 El Hob Keda الحب كده aka = That's What Love Is
- 1961 Goz merti جوز مراتى aka = Husband Of My Wife
- 1960 El Ragol El Thani الرجل الثانى aka = The Second Man
- 1959 El Ataba El Khadra العتبه الخضرا aka = The Green Threshold
- 1958 Shari' El Hobb شارع الحب aka = Love Sreet
- 1958 Sallem Al Habayib سلم ع الحبايب aka = Say Hello To Lovers
- 1956 Izayy Ansak ازاى انساك aka = How To Forget You
- 1956 Wahabtak Hayati وهبتك حياتى aka = I Gave You My Life
- 1954 Khataf merati خطف مراتى aka = He Kidnapped My Wife
- 1953 Lahn Hobbi لحن حبى aka = Melody Of My Heart
- 1953 Zalamuni El Habayib ظلمونى الحبايب aka = Were Unjust To Me, The Lovers
- 1951 Khada'ni Abi خدعنى ابى aka = My Father Deceived Me
- 1950 Ana Satuta انا ستوته aka = I'm Sattutah
- 1949 Al lailu lana الليل لنا aka = The Night is Ours
- 1948 Sabah El kher صباح الخير aka = Good Morning
- 1947 Albi W Sefi قلبى و سيفى aka = My Heart And My Sword
- 1947 lebnani Fi El gam'ah لبنانى فى الجامعة aka = Lebanese In University
Selected discography edit
- Source:[36]
| Release Year | Original Title | Translation | Label | Main songwriter(s)/producer(s) | Notable Songs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Alhan Bilady | Favourite Oriental Melodies | Voix de l'Orient | Folk | Ya Huwaidalak Abu Al-zuluf |
| Ghanni Maa Sabah | Sing with Sabah | Tayyib Tayyib | |||
| 1959 | Ajmal Aghani Sabah | Sabah Sings Love Songs | Philémon Wehbé | Al-iza'a Al 'Asfuriyya | |
| 1960 | Mawsam El 'Ezz (with Fairuz & Wadih El Safi) | Baalbeck International Festival | Assi & Mansour Rahbani Wadih El Safi Philémon Wehbé | ||
| Ain Al Roumane - Musical (with Fairuz & Wadih El Safi) | The Village | Assi & Mansour Rahbani | Finjan Qahwa Al Tayir | ||
| 1963 | Share' Al Hob - Soundtrack From Ezzel Dine Zulficar's Motion Picture (with Abdel Halim Hafez) | Street of Love | Orient | Hussein Al Sayed Munir Mourad | Rahat Leialee Wa Jat Leialee |
| 1964 | Ash-Shallal - Musical | The Cascade | Voix de l'Orient | Walid Gholmieh Younes El Ebn | Ya Mrouj |
| Fatinat Ajjamahir | Girl for the Masses | Assi & Mansour Rahbani Mohamed Abdel Wahab Zaki Nassif Philémon Wehbé | Sana Helwa | ||
| 1966 | Dawaleeb Al Hawa - Musical | The Pinwheels | Assi & Mansour Rahbani Philémon Wehbé | Esmy Hala | |
| Shams El Shoumous - Musical | Sun of Suns | Allo Beirut | |||
| 1967 | Sabah | Philips | Philémon Wehbé Elias Rahbani Michel Tohme | Al Bassata | |
| 1968 | Al Al'aa | Baalbeck Festival | Romeo Lahoud | Ya Ahl Al Al'aa | |
| 1969 | Sabah | Mohamed Abdel Wahab Philémon Wehbé Michel Tohme Halim El Roumi | Jary Ya Jary Ya Msafer | ||
| 1970 | Al Wahm - Musical | Illusion | Najib Hankash Maurice Awad | Nehnal Hawa | |
| 1972 | Ahlan Wa Sahlan Wa Marhaba | Hello and Welcome | Voix de l'Orient | Walid Gholmieh Younes El Ebn | Al Bassata |
| 1974 | Sett El Kol - Musical | The First Lady | Voice of Lebanon | Philémon Wehbé Michel Tohme | Ya Dalaa Dallaa |
| Helwe Ktir - Musical | So Beautiful | Nicolas El Deek Michel Tohme | Marhaba Ya Habayeb Bawsa | ||
| Oghniyat min Lubnan | Songs of Lebanon | Cairophon | Rabie Loubnana | ||
| 1976 | Sabah in Paris (live) | Voice of Lebanon | Toufic Barakat Nour Al Mallah | Dek El Kaf | |
| 1977 | Shahr El 'Asal - Musical | Honeymoon | Melhem Barakat Elie Choueiri | Men Aboukra Hala Hala | |
| Sabah | Melhem Barakat Farid El Atrache Romeo Lahoud | Helwet Lebnan Zay El Amar | |||
| Allah Makom Ya Chabab | God Be with You Guys | Duniaphon | Allah Makom Ya Chabab Zein El Abidin | ||
| Wetdallou Bikheir - Musical (with Wadih El Safi) | May You Be in Good Health | Zaki Nassif | Ward El Janaen | ||
| 1979 | Live Performances (live) | Voix de l'Orient | Michel Tohme Philémon Wehbé | Marhabtein W Marhabtein | |
| 1980 | Ghnany 'Al Bal (with Wadih El Safi) | Souvenirs | Wadih El Safi Philémon Wehbé | Altaf Diney Aatouni Derbake | |
| Leyla Beky Feeha Al Amar - Soundtrack From Ahmed Yehya's Motion Picture | The Night the Moon Cried | Sout El Hob | Mohamed Abdel Wahab Omar Batiesha | Yalla Naish El Hayat | |
| 1982 | Wadi Shamsine | Sings Elias Rahbani | Rahbania | Elias Rahbani | Waadouni W Natarouni Rakesni Hayk |
| 1985 | Sabah in Hollywood (live) | Sphinx | Ma'moun El Shinnawi Samy Farag | Ahlan Wa Sahlan | |
| Ayam El Loulou | Days of Loulou | Relax-In | Elie Choueiri | Ayam El Loulou | |
| 1988 | Yalla Naish El Hayat | Let's Live This Life | Jamal Salama | Yalla Naish El Hayat | |
| 1993 | Khatwa Khatwa | Step by Step | Khatwa Khatwa Shoufo Shoufo | ||
| 1996 | La Tiaanidni | Don't Hate Me | Disco 99 | La Tiaanidni |
References edit
- ^ "الشحرورة صباح توارى الثرى في الضيعة", Skynews Arabia
- ^ a b Mostyn, Trevor (7 December 2014). "Sabah obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Sabah, Lebanese singing legend, dies aged 87". BBC News. 26 November 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
- ^ "Presence des musiques arabes en France : Immigrations, diasporas et musiques du monde" (PDF). Revues-plurielles.org. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
- ^ Statistics: Series - Al-Shahroura - 2011, retrieved 28 April 2023
- ^ "Cedars Art Production - Al Shahroura". Cedars Art Production. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
- ^ محطات غنائية في أفلام الشحرورة, retrieved 7 July 2023
- ^ Series - Al-Shahroura - 2011 Cast، Video، Trailer، photos، Reviews، Showtimes, retrieved 28 April 2023
- ^ "الشحرورة صباح.. وزيجاتها المثيرة للجدل". سكاي نيوز عربية (in Arabic). Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- ^ "أثارت الجدل حية وميتة.. قصة الشحرورة صباح أغرب من الخيال". فيتو (in Arabic). 26 November 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- ^ Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "الشحرورة صباح... نجمة حتى الرمق الأخير | DW | 26.11.2014". DW.COM (in Arabic). Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- ^ "Ten Things You Should Know About Lebanese Singer Sabah (Jeanette Gergis Al-Feghali) | Blog Baladi". blogbaladi.com. 26 November 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ a b Tsioulcas, Anastasia (26 November 2014). "Remembering Sabah, An Iconic And Thoroughly Unconventional Arab Star". NPR. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
- ^ Web Desk (26 November 2014). "Lebanese officials, artists bid adieu singing legend Sabah". Arab Press Updates. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ a b c "ET commemorates Iconic Lebanese singer Sabah on her birth anniversary". EgyptToday. 10 November 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Sabah, actress and entertainer who thrilled and scandalized the Arab world, dies at 87". The Washington Post. 26 November 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Mostyn, Trevor (7 December 2014). "Sabah obituary". the Guardian. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
- ^ Elcinema website, "In its opening, Beiteddine Festival honors Sabaah", article dated June 26, 2011
- ^ Khalaf, Hala; Ghazal, Rym (27 November 2014). "Sabah, iconic Lebanese singer dies aged 87". The National. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ "Sabah - obituary". The Telegraph. 1 December 2014. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
- ^ "Legendary Sabah". Prestige. 27 June 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
- ^ "'Imperatriz', santo e padre: livro resgata origem sírio-libanesa de políticos". O Globo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 13 September 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ "Devastado, porto de Beirute tem significado histórico para o Brasil". br.noticias.yahoo.com (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ "Thousands bid farewell to Lebanese diva Sabah". The Daily Star. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
- ^ "myTV - Al Shahroura". My-tv.us. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
- ^ "El Shahroura". IMDb. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
- ^ MTV Lebanon website, MTV Pays Tribute to Legendary Lebanese Singer, article dated June 26, 2014
- ^ Sinno, Nadine (9 March 2017). "A War of Colors: Beirut Street Art and the Reclamation of Public Space". ASAP/Journal. 2 (1): 71–104. doi:10.1353/asa.2017.0017. ISSN 2381-4721. S2CID 193868123.
- ^ "Sabah's 90th Birthday". 10 November 2017.
- ^ Egypt Today website, Arabic tunes from Marvel Studios’ ‘Moon Knight’ score big on Spotify, article dated May 9, 2022
- ^ Radio Times website, Every Song Featured in Marvel Series
- ^ a b . 19 August 2004. Archived from the original on 19 August 2004. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
- ^ "Dubai International Film Festival". Dubaifilmfest.com. Archived from the original on 9 April 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
- ^ "صباح.. نجمة حتى الرمق الأخير". 1-a1072.azureedge.net (in Arabic). Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- ^ "Retrospective of Sabah's work at Dubai film fest". Emirates247.com. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
- ^ "Sabah Discography at Discogs". discogs. Retrieved 6 July 2017.