Thread: Mounira al-Mahdeya

Supplemental information for the series of Badia Masabni articles on Shira's site The Life of Badia Masabni: Parts 1 through 3 now on Shira.net...

Mounira al-Mahdeya (1885-1965) was a multitalented performer who changed the course of Egyptian culture. Proclaimed the "Sultana of Tarab," Mounira broke barriers by being the first Muslim woman to achieve substantial fame at a time when most Muslim women would have never dreamed of stage work, leaving performing careers to men, and Christian, Jewish, and other minority women.

Mounira began singing at a young age in the Sharqiya governate, and by 1905, she had built a local reputation that propelled her to Cairo. By 1915, she was working with the prominent actor and troupe director Aziz Eid, and within a few years, she was starring in ambitious projects, including the (socially more palatable male) role of Romeo in "Romeo and Juliet." Bolstered by her success, she bravely expanded opportunities for women in the theatrical arts by taking on female lead roles, challenging the creative status quo and changing the general perception of women in the Middle East in the process. She sang both European and Egyptian operas, and in 1926-7, she co-starred with Mohammed Abdel Wahab in "Cleopatra and Antony," the opus Abdel Wahab had been tasked with finishing after Sayed Darwish's death.

Even though Mounira had sought the work of the best and brightest composers and had built a substantial catalog of popular songs, ranging from traditional to (what was at the time) innovative Middle Eastern music, by the late 1920's, the Egyptian arts were evolving, and new stars were emerging, threatening to leave her behind. For the next two decades, her popularity waned and she performed less. Although she had been known mostly for her stage work, in 1935, she starred in her only film, "al-Ghandoura," and in 1948, she rented Badia Masabni's Opera House as part of a comeback that was not as well received as she had hoped. After 1948, she spent her time largely in retirement.

Although the peak of her fame fell between the two world wars, Mounira's influence stretched beyond the careers of prominent figures like Badia Masabni and Umm Kalthoum to the Middle East at large. A feminist, a nationalist, and a creative force to be reckoned with, she received numerous honors over the course of her lifetime for her contributions to Middle Eastern arts and society. She passed away in 1965.

Mounira El Mahdeya - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
منيرة المهدية - ar.Wikipedia
منيرة المهدية - arz.Wikipedia
http://www.ahram.org.eg/151/2010/04/29/4/17880.aspx
La Presse de Tunisie - mounira-el-mahdia-la-sultane-du-tarab-une-diva-avant-lheure | 3266 | 25032011
Al-Ahram Weekly | Culture | Electronic Sultana


These are two clips from a documentary on Mounira and Umm Kalthoum. I'm not having much luck finding the film's source online (the best I dug up on "A Woman's World" was an old MySpace page), but the previews are still worth watching.






This is a clip from a TV series showing an actress as Mounira performing at a party. Hit the YouTube page for more source information.




This is "Asmar malak rohi," the song Mounira talks about her audiences demanding in the second clip of the preview.




I didn't have any luck finding the other songs mentioned in the Badia article on YouTube, but here are a few more of Mounira's famous songs:

"Ya ainak, ya gabayrak"




"Ana a'ashiqat"




"Hobbak ya sidi"




"Yamama helwa"




"Bassara barraga"



For more music, search منيرة المهدية‎ on YouTube.

Thanks so much for doing this research on her! I look forward to watching all the clips you posted and learning more about Mounira's place in theater history!

Here's an advertisement that appeared in Al Ahram on Tuesday September 11, 1928. Afranza Hanem and Mounira Al Mahdiya performing at the Brentania Theater. It's interesting that in 1928 Mounira Al Mahdiya was known as the Star of the East long before Oum Kulthoum was. There are also publicity flyers from that time which say that she not only sang but she danced too, though they don't specify what kind of dance. This one says:
------------------------------------
Brentania Theater
On Thursday September 13, 1928 at 9:30 pm
Delighting With Her Angelic Voice
The Star of the East
MOUNIRA AL MAHDIYA
With New Poems and Takatek
Songs from her Plays and Monologues
And Excerpts From Poetry written by the Great Poet
Dr. Ahmed Bek Abou Shadi
A Beautiful Turkish Dance From the Most Famous Dancer in the World
AFRANZA HANEM
Special Seats for Women
Prices are as Usual
Tickets available at the Brentania Ticket Window
Telephone: 4561

Omnomnom!

Thank you for this interesting topic

Look what just came through my youtube subscriptions!! I had to run here (er, virtually) and share it!

"Egyptian Singer SHARIFA FADEL plays OTTOMAN DIVA: MOUNIRA EL MAHIDIYA in the 1978 film 'SULTANA TARAB' ['QUEEN OF SONG']...

This song 'A Dark Man Has My Soul' ['Asmar Malik Rohi'] is probably the most famous and enduring song of MOUNIRA EL MAHIDIYA and reproduced with spine-tingling faithful stylistic accuracy and perfection by SHARIFA FADEL and the film orchestra."

So it's not Mounira herself in the clip, but a lovely film tribute (and there is some great info on the you tube notes about Egyptianized ottoman/Turkish music).

Enjoy!!

Originally Posted by Monica

Look what just came through my youtube subscriptions!! I had to run here (er, virtually) and share it!

Somewhere out there in Internetland, Khaartoum is thinking, "How bizarre! Suddenly there's been a huge spike of interest in docudramas about an Egyptian singer most people barely remember! I better roll with it!"

Most music lovers have two distinct feelings about Al Mahdeya. The first is that she wasn't a particularly compelling singer. She voluntarily chose to remain within very limited confines musically even when given the opportunity to expand beyond such limits. Two of my favorite sayings about her are both by Riyad Al Sunbati (who composed for her early in his career). He said that she bullied her way through a song (love that one). And, when hounded by a reporter for a comparison between her and Umm Kulthum, Sunbati responded that, while Al Mahdeya may have benefitted by comparison with the scarce pool of female talent of her time, Umm Kulthum is incomparable in any time period.

But then many of us also have benevolent feelings about her. And it seems that as one knows more, one's appreciation of her grows deeper. She was an exceedingly kind and generous human being, a patron of the arts and magnificently patriotic to her peril. I love her brazen non-conformity and her independent thought; traits that were even more unusual in her time. She was also a bit of an oddball which many of my generation of musicians find kinda cool.

Thanks for dragging her out here Torbeau. She would've been tickled by it.

Having any thoughts as who/what you wanna delve into next? I still owe Sheikh Zakariyya (to Serpentine).

Alexandrian, I noticed some of her songs are labeled "taqtouqa" and others are "dawr." Is there a simple way to know the difference, or does one just have to know a lot more about the structure of Arabic music to identify which is which? Is anyone still composing/performing taqtouqa, outside of historical context? I noticed Maqam World doesn't even list it as a musical form.

Originally Posted by Alexandrian

She was an exceedingly kind and generous human being, a patron of the arts and magnificently patriotic to her peril.

I'm intrigued by your comment "to her peril". Do you have any anecdotes to share regarding patriotic things she did and the adverse consequences of doing so?

Originally Posted by Alexandrian

I love her brazen non-conformity and her independent thought; traits that were even more unusual in her time. She was also a bit of an oddball which many of my generation of musicians find kinda cool.

Again, I'd love to hear anecdotes if you have some you can share!

The Taqtouqa is the most recent and successful of Egyptian musical forms. A great deal of what you think of as Classical Egyptian music sung by Sayed Darwish through Umm Kulthum, Abdel Motteleb, Abdel Halim, Farid El Atrash, Shadia, Faiza Ahmad, Roshdi, Warda, etc. is in Taqtouqa form. It and the Monologue comprise the majority of classical and modern Egyptian music compositions, including Pop and Baladi/Shaabi.

A Taqtouqa is essentially identical to what we call Pop in the west. It has all of the same elements. An intro, verse, repeated chorus and bridge. Initially, Taqtouqa was very simple with just a repeated verse and chorus. Zakariyya Ahmad developped it into something more complicated with three to four unique bridges and Al Qasabgi, Abdel Wahab, Al Sunbati, Al Tawil, Al Mogi and Hamdi took it further. Al Kahlawi, Abdel Aziz Mahmoud, Sayed Mekkawi and company made it the basis for Baladi and Baligh Hamdi made it the basis for Shaabi. Today, most of what we call Pop and a great deal of what is called Shaabi can be considered very simplified Taqtouqa.

Originally Posted by *Shira*

anecdotes...I'd love to hear anecdotes

Her repeatedly singing patriotic songs (some banned) at her theater, stance with the revolution in spite of British warnings and periodic clashes with the royal court (most of which could have been easily avoided).
For the personal stuff, I think the interview clip referenced by Tourbeau provides some good insight. From frequently dressing in male garb (in public) to hosting members of the government one night followed by members of the revolution the next.