Aswat’s Tribute to Sayyid Darwish

Cost:
25.00 and up USD

The Bay Area’s premier Arab Music Ensemble, Aswat, cordially invites you to an evening of musical indulgence featuring the songs of composer Sayyid Darwish (1892-1923).

Born in Alexandria in 1892, Sayyid Darwish is highly regarded as the father of modern Arabic Music. Coming from humble beginnings, he began performing by reciting the Quran after attending Al Azhar. He was later recruited by the Syrian Attalah Brothers who discovered him playing music for some people and hired him on the spot. After some years on the road in Syria, he returned to Egypt at the beginning of WWI, where he gained limited recognition performing 19th Century classics in cafes. However, it wasn’t until he began his career in the operatic theaters of Cairo that his music was heard by the masses. Inspired by the Egyptian Revolution of 1919, his unique style of utilizing the vernacular and current political events as the back drop of his compositions attracted many local artists, musicians, and actors thus propelling him into the limelight. He is also credited with creating a fusion that blended western instruments with classical Arabic rhythmic and melodic structures to give birth to a new era for Arabic Music. Although he passed away at the young age of 31 ( in 1923), his unique ability to combine the emotion of the lyrics and the music still inspires musicians throughout the world today.

Buy your tickets at http://sayyiddarwish.brownpapertickets.com/
For more information about Aswat please visit www.zawaya.org