Cheikh Raymond
Encyclopedia
Raymond Leyris better known as Cheikh Raymond, (born on 27 July 1912 and assassinated in Constantine
, French Algeria
on 22 June 1961) was a renowned Algeria
n Jewish musician. He specialized in Arab-Andalusian music (known as maalouf) and was an expert virtuoso player (a "grand master") of oud
(the Arab lute) and singer with an exceptional vocal range and widely respected by both Jews
and Muslim
s and given the title of Cheikh (elder) as Cheikh Raymond with the accompanying fame and respect.
His father was a Jew from Batna, and his mother a French
citizen. He was abandoned in World War I
when his father was killed. He was adopted by a very poor Jewish Algerian family from Constantine.
He studied under the guidance of greats of Algerian music like Cheikh Chakleb and Cheikh Bestandji and launched a famous musical career establishing his own "Cheikh Raymond orchestra" and between 1956 and 1961 releasing more than thirty albums in addition to some singles.
Members of his orchestra included:
The young Gaston joined the orchestra at age of 15 encouraged by his father Sylvain. Gaston was soon dubbed "le petit Enrico" by the band, thus the adoption of Gaston of the name Enrico for a musical career in France. Gaston soon married Cheikh Raymond's own daughter Suzy.
Cheikh Raymond was assassinated on 22 June 1961 by a bullet in the neck. The perpetrators were militants of the Algeria's National Liberation Front (Front de libération national - FLN)
while Raymond was shopping with his daughter Viviane in Constantine's Souk El Asser (la place Négrier) during the Algerian War of Independence. He was targeted to send a message of fear in the existing Jewish community. His death was one of the reasons for the emigration
of a great number of the Jewish Algerian
s to France.
Constantine, Algeria
Constantine is the capital of Constantine Province in north-eastern Algeria. It was the capital of the same-named French département until 1962. Slightly inland, it is about 80 kilometres from the Mediterranean coast, on the banks of Rhumel river...
, French Algeria
French Algeria
French Algeria lasted from 1830 to 1962, under a variety of governmental systems. From 1848 until independence, the whole Mediterranean region of Algeria was administered as an integral part of France, much like Corsica and Réunion are to this day. The vast arid interior of Algeria, like the rest...
on 22 June 1961) was a renowned Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
n Jewish musician. He specialized in Arab-Andalusian music (known as maalouf) and was an expert virtuoso player (a "grand master") of oud
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...
(the Arab lute) and singer with an exceptional vocal range and widely respected by both Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
and Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s and given the title of Cheikh (elder) as Cheikh Raymond with the accompanying fame and respect.
His father was a Jew from Batna, and his mother a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
citizen. He was abandoned in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
when his father was killed. He was adopted by a very poor Jewish Algerian family from Constantine.
He studied under the guidance of greats of Algerian music like Cheikh Chakleb and Cheikh Bestandji and launched a famous musical career establishing his own "Cheikh Raymond orchestra" and between 1956 and 1961 releasing more than thirty albums in addition to some singles.
Members of his orchestra included:
- Sylvain Ghrenassia (an expert violinist)
- Nathan Bentari
- Haim Benbala
- Larbi Benamri
- Abdelhak.
- Gaston Ghrenassia (later the renowned international singer Enrico MaciasEnrico MaciasGaston Ghrenassia, known by his stage name Enrico Macias, is an Algerian French Pied noir singer and musician...
).
The young Gaston joined the orchestra at age of 15 encouraged by his father Sylvain. Gaston was soon dubbed "le petit Enrico" by the band, thus the adoption of Gaston of the name Enrico for a musical career in France. Gaston soon married Cheikh Raymond's own daughter Suzy.
Cheikh Raymond was assassinated on 22 June 1961 by a bullet in the neck. The perpetrators were militants of the Algeria's National Liberation Front (Front de libération national - FLN)
National Liberation Front (Algeria)
The National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Algeria. It was set up on November 1, 1954 as a merger of other smaller groups, to obtain independence for Algeria from France.- Anticolonial struggle :...
while Raymond was shopping with his daughter Viviane in Constantine's Souk El Asser (la place Négrier) during the Algerian War of Independence. He was targeted to send a message of fear in the existing Jewish community. His death was one of the reasons for the emigration
Human migration
Human migration is physical movement by humans from one area to another, sometimes over long distances or in large groups. Historically this movement was nomadic, often causing significant conflict with the indigenous population and their displacement or cultural assimilation. Only a few nomadic...
of a great number of the Jewish Algerian
History of the Jews in Algeria
History of the Jews in Algeria refers to the history of the Jewish community of Algeria, which goes back to the 1st centuries CE. In the 14th century, many Spanish Jews moved to Algeria...
s to France.