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Egyptian music historian Antari dies
The prominent Egyptian music historian of the second half of the 20th century, Farag El-Antari, died on Tuesday 28 February - at age 83
Ahram Online, Wednesday 29 Feb 2012
News of the death of Farag El-Antari, music historian critic, has spread sadness in many quarters since
the morning of Wednesday, 29 February. Antari, who was 83, is best-known for his contribution to
Egyptian music history in the second half of the twentieth century – championing Eastern (Arabic) singing
and work by the 1970s oppositional composer Sheikh Imam Issa.
Writing in Al- Kawakeb, Al-Hilal and Al-Qahira, among others, he was among the earliest critics to
formulate the notion of the popular musician who expresses and embodies public consciousness. One
long battle involved calling for the protection of the Arab musical heritage – the Sinai Bedouin music,
especially – against Israeli sabotage.He wrote at length about methods of collecting and preserving music.
Antari began his career as a volunteer musician during as a Military Academy student in 1957, then he received a Diploma in Theatrical Music from the Higher Institute of Music.
Following his graduation, he worked as an inspector at the Cairo Symphony Orchestra, then a supervisor
of the technical department. His works include "The Greek Roots of Our Music", "Singing in Egypt:
1852-1980", "Egyptian Musical Instruments from the Dawn of History", "The Zionist Robbery of Arabic
Music", "The Quran of Egypt", and "Abdel Halim Hafez: An Era of Beautiful Singing".
the morning of Wednesday, 29 February. Antari, who was 83, is best-known for his contribution to
Egyptian music history in the second half of the twentieth century – championing Eastern (Arabic) singing
and work by the 1970s oppositional composer Sheikh Imam Issa.
Writing in Al- Kawakeb, Al-Hilal and Al-Qahira, among others, he was among the earliest critics to
formulate the notion of the popular musician who expresses and embodies public consciousness. One
long battle involved calling for the protection of the Arab musical heritage – the Sinai Bedouin music,
especially – against Israeli sabotage.He wrote at length about methods of collecting and preserving music.
Antari began his career as a volunteer musician during as a Military Academy student in 1957, then he received a Diploma in Theatrical Music from the Higher Institute of Music.
Following his graduation, he worked as an inspector at the Cairo Symphony Orchestra, then a supervisor
of the technical department. His works include "The Greek Roots of Our Music", "Singing in Egypt:
1852-1980", "Egyptian Musical Instruments from the Dawn of History", "The Zionist Robbery of Arabic
Music", "The Quran of Egypt", and "Abdel Halim Hafez: An Era of Beautiful Singing".
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