Attia Sharara
Encyclopedia
Attia Sharara is an Egyptian composer, arranger, violinist, and conductor. He is a member of that nation's second generation of classical composers.
He studied traditional Egyptian music at the Fuad I
Institute for Traditional Music, where he also studied Western classical music for four years. He has had a career as a virtuoso violinist performing in traditional Arabic styles, and played for a time in the orchestras that accompanied Mohamed Abdel-Wahab and Umm Kulthum.
He began composing monodic music in 1950, and gradually adopted more Western musical techniques. He has composed vocal, chamber, and orchestral music, and one operetta, The Crystal Ball. He has conducted the Broadcasting Oriental Orchestra in Cairo
. In addition, in the 1950s he traveled to many Arab countries, forming Middle Eastern traditional ensembles and founding music institutes. Among his compositions are two Arab concertos for violin, composed in 1970 and 1977, which are light works quoting several popular and folk tunes. He has also composed several concertos for nay
(Egyptian cane flute), a concerto for 'ud
, and another for cello.
In 1979 he established his Sharara Sextet, which included two of his sons, and which performed in many European nations. The group still performs regularly at the Cairo Opera House
and Higher Institute of Arab Music in Cairo.http://www.cairoopera.org/ecalendar/week.aspx?day=2008-02-09http://www.cairoopera.org/ecalendar/day.aspx?day=2008-04-24 He is currently a professor of violin, music theory, and Arabic music composition at the Arab Music Institute of the Academy of Arts in Cairo. He won the State Encouragement Prize for composition in 1983.
His son is the violinist and conductor Hassan Sharara.
He studied traditional Egyptian music at the Fuad I
Fuad I of Egypt
Fuad I was the Sultan and later King of Egypt and Sudan, Sovereign of Nubia, Kordofan, and Darfur. The ninth ruler of Egypt and Sudan from the Muhammad Ali Dynasty, he became Sultan of Egypt and Sudan in 1917, succeeding his elder brother Sultan Hussein Kamel...
Institute for Traditional Music, where he also studied Western classical music for four years. He has had a career as a virtuoso violinist performing in traditional Arabic styles, and played for a time in the orchestras that accompanied Mohamed Abdel-Wahab and Umm Kulthum.
He began composing monodic music in 1950, and gradually adopted more Western musical techniques. He has composed vocal, chamber, and orchestral music, and one operetta, The Crystal Ball. He has conducted the Broadcasting Oriental Orchestra in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
. In addition, in the 1950s he traveled to many Arab countries, forming Middle Eastern traditional ensembles and founding music institutes. Among his compositions are two Arab concertos for violin, composed in 1970 and 1977, which are light works quoting several popular and folk tunes. He has also composed several concertos for nay
Nay
Nay or NAY may refer to:*Ney , a wind instrument*Nay, Manche, a place in the Manche département of France*Nay, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, a place in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département of France...
(Egyptian cane flute), a concerto for 'ud
Oud
The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
, and another for cello.
In 1979 he established his Sharara Sextet, which included two of his sons, and which performed in many European nations. The group still performs regularly at the Cairo Opera House
Cairo Opera House
The Cairo Opera House , part of Cairo's National Cultural Center, is the main performing arts venue in the Egyptian capital. Home to most of Egypt's finest musical groups, it is located on the southern portion of Gezira Island in the Nile River, in the Zamalek district west of and near downtown...
and Higher Institute of Arab Music in Cairo.http://www.cairoopera.org/ecalendar/week.aspx?day=2008-02-09http://www.cairoopera.org/ecalendar/day.aspx?day=2008-04-24 He is currently a professor of violin, music theory, and Arabic music composition at the Arab Music Institute of the Academy of Arts in Cairo. He won the State Encouragement Prize for composition in 1983.
His son is the violinist and conductor Hassan Sharara.