Here one of the many cassettes by the great singer from Aleppo. This one has quite good sound quality, though there are some disturbences occasionally. We saw him live at WDR (Westdeutscher Rundfunk) in Cologne, Germany in the 1990s. Unbelievably beautiful and still very much alive in my memory.
Many thanks again to Danny.
ADIB DAYIKH
1938 - 2001
Adib DayIkh : Born in Aleppo in 1938, belongs to a highly reputated line of cantors (munshid). Highly valued from Middle East to Maghreb, this native aleppian has rarely travelled abroad, but music lovers made copies of the cassettes and passed them around like a treasure. They transmitted a new style of expression that was broadly imitated by Arab singers. He is quoted as a real musical monument : altogether vocal phenomenon and a fount of knowledge in maqâmat, his art of modulation from one maqâm to another and his perfect mastership of an immeasurable classical repertoire. He might be the only contemporary singer whose voice reminds of the arab singers from the beginning of the century. The high-pitched and youthful tessitura of his voice is called al-farkha (the cheeping of baby birds) and applies to men and women alike. Capable of going from the lowest to the the highest notes with great ease, his ambitus covers three octaves.
from: http://www.alkindi.org/anglais/artists/artists_adib.htmFor more information on the artist see the booklet to his first CD published in France:
http://www.alsur.fr/assets/files/pdf/alcd143.pdf
For infos regarding the classical music of Aleppo:
http://www.aleppoart.com/Musique.html
