Mohamed Abdelwahab Abdelfattah
Encyclopedia
Mohamed Abdelwahab Abdelfattah ' onMouseout='HidePop("67979")' href="/topics/Egypt">Egypt
, 1962) is an Egypt
ian composer
of contemporary classical music
and educator. He is a member of Egypt's third generation of classical composers.
, Orman campus in Egypt and went on to attain second and third B.A. degrees from the Faculty of Composition and Department of Ear Training (Solfege
) at the same year 1986, from the Cairo Conservatoire
, with "excellent honors". In Egypt he studied composition under Gamal Abdel-Rahim
, music history under Samha El-Kholy
, harmony under Awatef Abdel Karim
, counterpoint under Laiela El-Saiyad, instrumentation under Gihad Dawoud, orchestration under Youssef Elsisi
, score reading under Gamal Salama, Schenkerian analysis
under Ahmed El-Saedi, music education under Ikram Matter and solfege under Aiyda Danial.
Abdelfattah was appointed to the faculty at Cairo Conservatoire in 1987, and he later obtained his M.A. degree, with his thesis entitled "Dodecaphony
and Maqamat
" from the Academy of Arts
in Cairo in 1990, supervised by Awatef Abdel Karim.
Abdelfattah received a scholarship in 1990 to study composition in Austria
. He first studied composition in Graz
and later in Vienna
. He studied electroacoustic and experimental music under Dieter Kaufmann
, where he obtained the qualification of Master of Arts
in composition, from the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna in 1996. This degree was transferred to a Ph.D. in Egypt in 1998 from the academy of Arts University and the Minister of Higher Education. After his return to Egypt, he was promoted at the Cairo Conservatoire to assistant professor in 1989 and to associate professor in 2003.
Abdelfattah is a multidisciplinary artist combining many fields in his compositions such as: poetry, painting, photography, and cinema montage, and presents them simultaneously and unconventionally using computer technology. He mixes the tone color of Egyptian traditional melodies with sound effects of machines, tools, and the sounds of daily life. He presented his first experimental and acoustic music concert in Egypt at the Cairo Opera House
on November 22, 1999. Abdelfattah's works have been covered in both public and cultural media, where he has been quoted as being a comprehensive artist and a multi-media music pioneer in Egypt and the Arab countries. He has written some movements in modern graphic notation
, under the title Nine Miniatures for String Quartet, premiered in Rome
on December 2, 1999. He is also the first Egyptian composer to have written a composition with a specific music notation for the deaf. He has established a chamber percussion ensemble consisting entirely of deaf students in Egypt where he conducted them to perform a visual music composition under the title Seeing the Sound in a public concert at the Cairo Opera House on March 29, 2005.
Over the last five years, Abdel-Wahab has focused on research, and published two books about orchestration and creating the sound. In his most recent booklet "Sound Scenography", entitled also Seeing the Sound, published in two volumes, (Academy of Arts University in Cairo), 2005, he writes about his unique experience related to embodied art and music. In this book he discusses new sound and musical terms, what he calls "Sound Theatricalization & Filmlization"--the translation of the dramatic feeling of any sound event into a specific visual display upon the stage. He has also written several articles in Arabic cultural journals about contemporary composition and how to find practical functions for music within society. His interests include writing applied music composition for the deaf and comic music to help from depression. He has cooperated with several Egyptian biologists and physicians to study the effectiveness of sound vibrations on the human bones and sound frequencies on blood pressure and brain function. He composed a therapeutic work utilizing water sound effects for depression, which was performed at Maadi hospital in Cairo in 2006.
During the 2007–2009 academic year, he was a visiting professor at Boston University
. He is currently a visiting lecturer at Salem State University.
He frequently combines Eastern and Western elements, reflecting his view of the importance of cross-cultural
experience. Beyond merely creating art for art's sake, Abdelfattah envisions a vital social role for his art in establishing cross-cultural dialogue and understanding, particularly between the Western and Arab peoples.
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, 1962) is an Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
of contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music can be understood as belonging to the period that started in the mid-1970s with the retreat of modernism. However, the term may also be employed in a broader sense to refer to all post-1945 modern musical forms.-Categorization:...
and educator. He is a member of Egypt's third generation of classical composers.
Biography
Abdelfattah graduated with a B.A. degree from the College of Applied Arts of Helwan UniversityHelwan University
Helwan University is a public university based in Helwan in Egypt. It comprises 18 faculties as well as 50 research centers.Generally, it is known for engineering and business studies...
, Orman campus in Egypt and went on to attain second and third B.A. degrees from the Faculty of Composition and Department of Ear Training (Solfege
Solfege
In music, solfège is a pedagogical solmization technique for the teaching of sight-singing in which each note of the score is sung to a special syllable, called a solfège syllable...
) at the same year 1986, from the Cairo Conservatoire
Cairo Conservatoire
The Cairo Conservatoire is the primary music conservatory in Egypt. It was established in 1959 and is located in the same building complex as the Cinema Institute and the Higher Institute for Theatrical Arts, Haram, Giza, Greater Cairo, while the Cairo Symphony Orchestra is based at Cairo Opera...
, with "excellent honors". In Egypt he studied composition under Gamal Abdel-Rahim
Gamal Abdel-Rahim
Gamal Abdel-Rahim , was an Egyptian classical music composer, educator, and pianist. His best-known work is the symphony Osiris.-Life and career:...
, music history under Samha El-Kholy
Samha El-Kholy
Samha Amin El-Kholy was a noted Egyptian musicologist. She published widely about the traditional music and contemporary music of Egypt, including several articles about contemporary Egyptian composers in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.She received her doctorate from the...
, harmony under Awatef Abdel Karim
Awatef Abdel Karim
Awatef Abdel Karim is an Egyptian composer of contemporary classical music. Karim is the first Egyptian female composer to formally study music composition...
, counterpoint under Laiela El-Saiyad, instrumentation under Gihad Dawoud, orchestration under Youssef Elsisi
Youssef Elsisi
Youssef Elsisi was an Egyptian conductor and music educator.-Biography:...
, score reading under Gamal Salama, Schenkerian analysis
Schenkerian analysis
Schenkerian analysis is a method of musical analysis of tonal music based on the theories of Heinrich Schenker. The goal of a Schenkerian analysis is to interpret the underlying structure of a tonal work. The theory's basic tenets can be viewed as a way of defining tonality in music...
under Ahmed El-Saedi, music education under Ikram Matter and solfege under Aiyda Danial.
Abdelfattah was appointed to the faculty at Cairo Conservatoire in 1987, and he later obtained his M.A. degree, with his thesis entitled "Dodecaphony
Twelve-tone technique
Twelve-tone technique is a method of musical composition devised by Arnold Schoenberg...
and Maqamat
Arabic maqam
Arabic maqām is the system of melodic modes used in traditional Arabic music, which is mainly melodic. The word maqam in Arabic means place, location or rank. The Arabic maqam is a melody type...
" from the Academy of Arts
Academy of Arts (Egypt)
The Academy of Arts is a large educational complex in Cairo, Egypt, established by the Ministry of Culture of the then-United Arab Republic in 1959....
in Cairo in 1990, supervised by Awatef Abdel Karim.
Abdelfattah received a scholarship in 1990 to study composition in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. He first studied composition in Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
and later in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. He studied electroacoustic and experimental music under Dieter Kaufmann
Dieter Kaufmann
Dieter Kaufmann is an Austrian composer.-Biography:Kaufmann was born in Vienna and grew up in Carinthia.He studied music, German philology, art history, violoncello, composition and electro-acoustic music Dieter Kaufmann (born April 22, 1941) is an Austrian composer.-Biography:Kaufmann was born...
, where he obtained the qualification of Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in composition, from the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna in 1996. This degree was transferred to a Ph.D. in Egypt in 1998 from the academy of Arts University and the Minister of Higher Education. After his return to Egypt, he was promoted at the Cairo Conservatoire to assistant professor in 1989 and to associate professor in 2003.
Abdelfattah is a multidisciplinary artist combining many fields in his compositions such as: poetry, painting, photography, and cinema montage, and presents them simultaneously and unconventionally using computer technology. He mixes the tone color of Egyptian traditional melodies with sound effects of machines, tools, and the sounds of daily life. He presented his first experimental and acoustic music concert in Egypt 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...
on November 22, 1999. Abdelfattah's works have been covered in both public and cultural media, where he has been quoted as being a comprehensive artist and a multi-media music pioneer in Egypt and the Arab countries. He has written some movements in modern graphic notation
Graphic notation
Graphic notation is the representation of music through the use of visual symbols outside the realm of traditional music notation. Graphic notation evolved in the 1950s, and it is often used in combination with traditional music notation...
, under the title Nine Miniatures for String Quartet, premiered in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
on December 2, 1999. He is also the first Egyptian composer to have written a composition with a specific music notation for the deaf. He has established a chamber percussion ensemble consisting entirely of deaf students in Egypt where he conducted them to perform a visual music composition under the title Seeing the Sound in a public concert at the Cairo Opera House on March 29, 2005.
Over the last five years, Abdel-Wahab has focused on research, and published two books about orchestration and creating the sound. In his most recent booklet "Sound Scenography", entitled also Seeing the Sound, published in two volumes, (Academy of Arts University in Cairo), 2005, he writes about his unique experience related to embodied art and music. In this book he discusses new sound and musical terms, what he calls "Sound Theatricalization & Filmlization"--the translation of the dramatic feeling of any sound event into a specific visual display upon the stage. He has also written several articles in Arabic cultural journals about contemporary composition and how to find practical functions for music within society. His interests include writing applied music composition for the deaf and comic music to help from depression. He has cooperated with several Egyptian biologists and physicians to study the effectiveness of sound vibrations on the human bones and sound frequencies on blood pressure and brain function. He composed a therapeutic work utilizing water sound effects for depression, which was performed at Maadi hospital in Cairo in 2006.
During the 2007–2009 academic year, he was a visiting professor at Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
. He is currently a visiting lecturer at Salem State University.
He frequently combines Eastern and Western elements, reflecting his view of the importance of cross-cultural
Cross-cultural
cross-cultural may refer to*cross-cultural studies, a comparative tendency in various fields of cultural analysis*cross-cultural communication, a field of study that looks at how people from differing cultural backgrounds communicate...
experience. Beyond merely creating art for art's sake, Abdelfattah envisions a vital social role for his art in establishing cross-cultural dialogue and understanding, particularly between the Western and Arab peoples.
Writings
- Abdel Fattah, Mohamed Abdel-Wahab (1993). "Melody in the Music of Gamal Abdel-Rahim." In Festschrift for Gamal Abdel-Rahim, ed. Samha El-Kholy and John Robison (The Binational Fulbright Commission in Egypt), pp. 85–117.
- Abdelfattah, Mohamed Abdelwahab (1999). "Tone-Color Composition." Afaaq, Magazine of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture. Supreme Cultural Council, Cairo.
Recordings
- As Short as Possible (String Quartet No. 1) La Tache Alea-01-97, works by Gerhard PräsentGerhard PräsentGerhard Präsent is an Austrian composer, conductor and academic.-Professional career:Gerhard Präsent studied from 1976 at the Musikhochschule Graz, composition with Iván Erőd and conducting with Milan Horvat. He graduated in 1982 in composition and in 1985 in conducting, in both subjects with...
, Iván ErődIván ErödIván Erőd, also Iván Eröd , is an Hungarian-Austrian composer and pianist.- Career :Erőd studied at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music with Pál Kadosa and Ferenc Szabó . He emigrated to Austria in 1956 and studied there at the Vienna Music Academy, with Richard Hauser and Karl Schiske...
, Herbert BlendingerHerbert BlendingerHerbert Blendinger is an Austrian composer and viola player of German origin.-Professional career:Blendinger studied viola and composition with Willy Horwath and Max Gebhard at the conservatory in Nuremberg, then from 1961 to 1963 at the Musikhochschule München with Georg Schmid and Franz Xaver...
, M.Abdel-Fattah / ALEA EnsembleALEA EnsembleThe ALEA Ensemble is a chamber music ensemble founded in Graz for contemporary music, playing in variable formation including the ALEA Quartet.-History:... - 1995 - Conserved Ex 256-2, various composers
External links
- Abdelwahab Abdelfattah, Mohamed The Living Composers Project
- Resurrected Abdel-Halim Al-Ahram WeeklyAl-Ahram WeeklyAl-Ahram Weekly is an Egyptian English-language weekly broadsheet printed by the Al-Ahram Publishing House in Cairo, Egypt.It was established in 1991 by the Al-Ahram newspaper, which also runs a French-language weekly version, Al-Ahram Hebdo....
, Issue 626 2003 - Egyptian-European Festival of Silent Movies with Live Music Al-Ahram WeeklyAl-Ahram WeeklyAl-Ahram Weekly is an Egyptian English-language weekly broadsheet printed by the Al-Ahram Publishing House in Cairo, Egypt.It was established in 1991 by the Al-Ahram newspaper, which also runs a French-language weekly version, Al-Ahram Hebdo....
, Issue 396 1998 - ai'yu (an expression of awe and wonder) earthsongschoralmusic.com
- Musical Instrument Drive For Horace Mann getsugar.com 2008
- Composers creativescentrum.at 1979 to 2009
- Seeing the Sound, Al-Sharq Al-Awsat # 9583- Tuesday February 22. 2005
- The difference between old and new Abdelwahab, Al-hram Al-Arabi # 370, year 123, Saturday April 24, 2004