Sabah Fakhri: The Iconic Syrian Traditional Singer
A Syrian official statement announced today morning November 2, 2021, the death of the great artist Sabah Fakhri, according to RT.
The Ministry of Media and the Syndicate of Artists in Syria mourned the great Syrian artist who died at the age of 88.
Sabah Fakhri, the Syrian artist, is one of the most famous singers in Syria and the Arab world. Being an artist and singer of oriental music, he participated in many festivals around the world, during his artistic career.
Fakhri’s Death
At the age of 88, the great artist and singer Sabah Fakhri died this morning, November 2, 2021. On its Facebook account, the Syndicate of Artists in Syria posted to mourn Fakhri’s death and said that it will mention later the date and the place of the funeral, burial, and condolences. Sadly, the Syrian and the Arab world peoples received the death news of a great singer who received many awards in recognition of his art and effort in preserving authentic Arab art and the original Arab artistic heritage.
Sabah Fakhri is one of the very few singers from Arab countries to reach international popularity by singing in the Arabic language and that included Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Australia. Because of his prowess in Caracas, Venezuela, where he sang continuously for 10 hours without pause, his name was enshrined in the Guinness Book of Records.
The Most Famous
Sabah was born in Aleppo, Syria, and there he enrolled in the Academy of Arabic Music. He later studied at the Academy of Damascus, where he got his diploma in 1948. "Fakhri" was not his real name. It was just related to his name as a way to thank his mentor, Syrian nationalist leader Fakhri al-Barudi, who encouraged him as a young boy to stay in Syria and not travel to Italy. One of Fakhri's earliest performances was in 1948 at the Presidential Palace in Damascus, before President Shukri al-Quwatli and Prime Minister Jamil Mardam Bey. Unlike many Arab artists, Sabah Fakhri had never studied or worked in Cairo, because he believed that his fame should be linked to the artistic heritage of his homeland, Syria.
In addition to singing, the great artist also held many important positions.
He was the head of the Syndicate of Artists in Syria and had provided great services to the Syndicate and its members several times.
Not only that, but Sabah was also the Vice-President of the Union of Arab Artists and had a prominent role in the Union.
He was also elected as a member of the Syrian People's Assembly in its seventh legislative session of 1998 thanks to his national leadership role, in addition to being a member of the Higher Committee of the Syrian Song Festival and general manager of the first and eighth festivals.
He was given a professorship in Musical Sciences, which was the only one in the world, and it was done in Tunisia. It is actually in the library of the Higher Institute of Music in Tunis.
Awards of 50 Years
On the stage, Sabah Fakhri insists on interacting with his audience. Before starting to sing, the artist insists on having a good atmosphere like good musicians and an appropriate sound system. While performing, he asks for the lights to remain on to be able to see the public and interact with the audience. Fakhri believed that the audience is the key role to bring out the performer's creativity. For him, the audience should be aware of the music and poetry, so they would value the music given to them.
Sabah Fakhri was awarded many times during his 50-year- career and this reflects the rich and important artistic journey of this great artist.
Fakhri received a certificate of appreciation from the Governor of Las Vegas, Nevada, with the City Key, in appreciation of his art and his efforts to enrich the Arab heritage art movement.
He was also awarded the key of the city of Detroit, Michigan, and the key of Miami, Florida, with a certificate of appreciation.
The Syrian artist also sang at the Nobel Peace Hall in Sweden, and at the Beethoven Hall in Bonn, Germany.
In France, Fakhri sang in the Palais des Congrès hall in Paris. He also held several concerts at the Arab World Theater in Paris and at the Amandie Theater in Nanterre. At that time, President Habib Bourguiba held an honoring ceremony for him and awarded him the Tunisian Cultural Medal in 1975.
In 2000, Sultan Qaboos awarded Sabah Fakhri the Medal of Honor in May in appreciation of his artistic contributions over half a century and his efforts and grace in preserving the Arab singing heritage.
Last but not least, the great artist was honored by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism. He was given the Cairo International Song Festival award in appreciation of his artistic gift that enriched the world of authentic Arab singing.
