Hamza El Din

Review by Benjamin Lutz

The short: 

Hamza El Din (حمزة علاء الدين) was an Egyptian Nubian composer, oud player, tar player (type of drum), and vocalist. He was born in southern Egypt and was an internationally known musician. El Din collaborated with a wide variety of musical performers, including Sandy Bull, the Kronos Quartet, and the Grateful Dead.

The long: 

Born in Toskha, Nubia, in Egypt, Mr. El Din began playing oud while studying engineering at the University of Cairo. He also studied at the King Fouad Institute of Middle Eastern Music. Learning of plans to build the Aswan Dam, he quit his engineering job in Cairo and set off to preserve Nubian music before the people were dispersed. With his oud, an instrument unknown in Nubia, he traveled from village to village by donkey, gathering songs. He was playing in traditional Arabic style; it wasn't until his music acquired a distinctly Nubian flavor that it caught on. He wrote music for several movies, ballets, and plays as well. He was also a teacher of ethnomusicology in the United States between the 1970s until the 1990s.

To listen or not to listen:

Listen! Hamza El Din is a pioneer in the Arab Music world, especially on the oud and tar. His melodies, songs, collaborations, and use of instruments cemented him as one of the greatest musicians of all time.