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5. Mother of Egypt or Erotic Partner?
- Wesleyan University Press
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chapter 5 Mother of Egypt or Erotic Partner? The many nicknames that Umm Kulthūm acquired during her career give insight into her value for Egyptian and Arab listeners. Monikers like “Qithārat al-‘Arab” (Lyre of the Arabs), “Muwah .h .idat al-‘Arab” (Uniter of the Arabs), and “Fannānat al-Sha‘b” (Artist of the People) leave no doubt as to her success in establishing a regional presence, symbolizing the ideal of Arab unity, and maintaining a strong connection with ordinary citizens. However, these nicknames say less about her value—and her vulnerabilities —as a female icon. Their tacitness about such issues has only increased since her death, as several explicitly feminine titles, including “Sitt al-Kull” (Lady of Them All) and “Fannānat al-Sha‘b” (Artist of the People), have faded from common usage. Visual representations, often stressing the physical aspect of her art, have offered richer interpretations of Umm Kulthūm’s significance as a woman icon. Many illustrations capture her in the act of singing, scarf in hand. Flying doves often accentuate the physicality of her musical production. And, as discussed earlier, many images emphasize the timelessness of her art by placing her alongside a pyramid (M. ‘Awad . 1987; al-Marı̄nı̄ 1975, 53). The visual artist H . ijāzı̄ cast a singing Umm Kulthūm as the fourth pyramid (Shūshah 1976, 110–11). In his rendering, she towers over the three other pyramids at more than twice their height. Her skirt flows widely as the fourth pyramid itself; the multicolored checks of fabric resemble the orange, red, pink, and black stones of the three pyramids around her. Her curvaceous figure is accentuated by a blue bodice ornamented with a heartshaped flower and scalloped trim. Flying doves symbolize her melody. A tiny male figure sits under two palm trees at the base of her skirt-pyramid with a radio at his side. Tears flow down his face. Comparison with a related image highlights the conceptualization of Umm Kulthūm’s musical creation and reception, as well as the linkage of Mother of Egypt or Erotic Partner? / 113 physical artistic production and emotive reception to the feminine. Whereas H . ijāzı̄’s inclusion of a listener foregrounds the interactive and emotional nature of the singer’s art, with her voice as mediator, Abū T .ālib’s portrayal of her colleague Muh .ammad ‘Abd al-Wahhāb as a timeless symbol of Egypt captures the intellectual and solitary aspects of the latter’s work as a composer . His motionless profiled head is superimposed on the uppermost section of a pyramid, with his wrinkles resembling the edges of the pyramid’s blocks (al-Najmı̄ 1992, 1). H . ijāzı̄’s image of Umm Kulthūm represents both the performer and the listener, reflecting their integral contributions to the shape of music under the conventions of the t .arab feedback cycle. In contrast , the portrait of ‘Abd al-Wahhāb exhibits the privileging, drawn from Western classical music, of creation through the act of composition. Returning to H . ijāzı̄’s image, Umm Kulthūm is depicted as “living” in the hearts of her listeners, including those of future generations. The notion is made explicit through the caption, “I preferred to live with the hearts of the people, and my heart is with every fan” (Shūshah 1976, 111).1 In another contrast, the portrait of ‘Abd al-Wahhāb extends Western notions of the composer as an isolated genius who is memorialized through tangible historical documents. Further, the portrait of ‘Abd al-Wahhāb—both a singer and a composer—reproduces the Western emphasis on the composer as creator over the performer as re-creator and, especially when aligned with H . ijāzı̄’s image, marks the voice as an emotional, feminine instrument.2 ‘Abd al-Wahhāb’s portrait also reinforces his appropriation of Western musical styles in an effort to modernize Egyptian song. Finally, H . ijāzı̄’s image re- flects the fact that Umm Kulthūm’s music was valued as it was experienced in performance, rather than as it existed on paper, a notion closer to Western popular music than Western art music. H . ijāzı̄’s image invites further interpretation of the relationship between the woman singer and the listener. Although the image’s context—it falls in the middle of a biography—identifies the performer as Umm Kulthūm, H . ijāzı̄’s imaginative, ambiguous...