طلال مداح.. قيثارة الشرق وصوت الأرض وفيلسوف النغم

Despite the vast amount of information available about him, may God have mercy on him, anyone wishing to write a documentary about him finds it extremely difficult to know where to start and how to conclude.

The life of the great artist Talal Maddah and his exciting journey in the world of Eastern singing and authentic melodies is filled with events, developments, transformations, challenges, and complexities that make it impossible to encompass all its details and gather its threads.

On the 26th anniversary of his tragic passing on August 11, 2000, in front of more than 3,000 fans of his art while performing a musical piece on the "Al-Muftaha" stage in Abha, it is fitting that we remember him, pray for him, and appreciate his beautiful musical works, both in singing and composition. We should also recount his life story and his remarkable journey as a pioneer of Gulf music and one of the great figures in Arab music who enriched Saudi, Gulf, and Arab music, contributed to its development, and promoted it globally through his concerts in Paris, London, and Geneva.

Artist Talal Maddah, who holds many deserving titles such as "The Lyre of the East," "The Philosopher of Authentic Melodies," "The Voice of the Land," "The Golden Throat," and "The Ziryab of the Era," was not just a transient artist in the world of Arabic music. Since his debut in the 1960s, he succeeded in occupying a prominent position within it and continued to strengthen his position with solid artistic foundations that are impossible to uproot. This was achieved through his openness to local, Arab, and global musical heritage, collaborating with his peers to present everything new, innovative, and exceptional, while adhering to promises, commitments, and values.

Talal bin Abdullah bin Ahmed bin Jaafar Al-Jabri, known as Talal Maddah, was born on August 5, 1940, in Mecca. He was orphaned at a young age and was raised by his maternal uncle, Ali Abdulhamid Maddah, who loved him dearly and gave him his title, moving him to live with him in Taif.

His attachment to art began in childhood when he was enchanted by the melodies of composer Mohamed Abdel Wahab. He memorized his songs and sang them among his peers with his beautiful, distinctive voice. During his time studying at an elementary school in Taif, he continued his passion for art and music at the expense of his studies, especially since the school administration assigned him the task of singing at all events and school parties. Thus, he did not complete his education and settled for an elementary school certificate.

During this early period of his life, he met one of his classmates, Abdulrahman Muhammad Said Khawandneh, who played the oud and owned a special oud that he bought for 300 riyals from someone named "Mabrouk Al-Quraini." Due to the conservative society that prohibited singing at the time, Khawandneh made sure to hide his oud at Talal's house, where Talal began his first attempts to learn to play without success. Later, Talal asked his friend Khawandneh to teach him to play, so he took him to the house of another mutual friend named Abdullah Fakhri, who worked as a clerk at the Taif Electricity Company. There, Talal began taking music lessons and quickly excelled due to his intelligence and love for the instrument, not to mention his enthusiasm for the idea of playing and singing for himself what he desired from Egyptian songs and melodies, especially the songs and melodies of Farid Al-Atrash, which he became enamored with during this stage of his life, such as: "Noura," "Jamil Jamal," and "Ya Jamil, on your love, a sign has appeared to me." Talal tells us in his memoirs that to refine his singing talent, he suggested to his family in the late 1950s that he bring artist Abdullah Muhammad to live with him. His family advised him to stay away from him, claiming he was rebellious and mischievous. When Talal gently informed Abdullah Muhammad of what his family had said to avoid hurting his feelings, Abdullah Muhammad promised to stay away from mischief and not to embarrass him. Thus, Abdullah Muhammad lived in Talal Maddah's house in Taif for more than a year, during which Talal learned from him the fundamentals of singing and performing the Hijazi heritage.

As a result of that companionship and friendship between the artists, they produced one of Talal Maddah's most beautiful early songs that contributed to his fame and stardom, which is the song "Suharat Al-Aseel," with lyrics by Sultanah Al-Sudairi and music by Abdullah Muhammad.

During that period in the 1950s, the dominant voice in the world of singing in Taif and its surroundings was the great singer Tariq Abdul Hakim, especially since 1951 when his beautiful, timeless song "Ya Reem Wadi Thaqeef" became popular locally and across the Arab world. In this context, art critic and historian Mohamed Sadiq Diab wrote in the international newspaper Al-Hayat (15/2/2008) that Tariq remained the undisputed king of modern Saudi song until one day (in 1959) he woke up to a beautiful voice singing "Wardak Ya Zaar Al-Ward." This voice belonged to none other than Talal Maddah, who managed, through this song that he composed himself to the lyrics of Abdul Karim Khuzam, to achieve widespread fame in a short time. Subsequently, his musical works multiplied, and he went beyond the local scope to sing for all Arabs in all Arabic dialects. His resounding fame led him to the resorts of Lebanon, where he made sure in the 1960s and early 1970s to be present in the resorts of Alayh and Bhamdoun to participate with others in reviving musical nights for Gulf and Arab vacationers.

Talal was known in the artistic community for his wit, humor, good intentions, pure heart, generous spirit, and high morals, not to mention his excessive trust in those around him, which brought him some troubles. For instance, some convinced him in 1964 to enter the film industry as the star of the movie "Shari' Al-Dabab," standing alongside the great Lebanese singer Sabah. This film, written by Lebanese writer Hatem Khoury and directed by Egyptian director Sayed Tantawi, although it contributed to increasing his fame on the Arab level, led to his financial bankruptcy and, on the other hand, to his being summoned and questioned by the media in his country. In this context, we can mention his story with composer Mohamed Abdel Wahab. In 1965, Abdel Wahab heard about him and met him personally in Cairo. He was impressed by his voice and performance, giving him the title Ziryab and presenting him with the melody of the song "Mada Aقول." However, the predicament he faced at that time due to his kindness and excessive trust was accepting to sign a contract with Abdel Wahab to monopolize his voice, which Talal later rescinded out of fear of the consequences. This angered Abdel Wahab, and he cut off relations with him for more than a decade, only to reconcile later and collaborate again on the song "Mink Ya Hajar Da'i," with lyrics by Ahmed Shawqi.

Talal composed for many local, Gulf, and Arab singers, including: Abdullah Muhammad, Muhammad Abdu, Abadi Al-Johar, Rashid Al-Majed, Rabih Saqr, Ali Abdul Karim, Nayef Al-Badr, Atab, Ibtisam Lotfi, Abdul Karim Abdul Qadir, Muhammad Al-Masbah, Rabab, Aseel Hameem, Warda Al-Jazairia, Fayza Ahmed, Hayam Younis, Hala Said, Samira Said, Raja Belmelih, Dhikra, and Adel Mamoun.

He did not hesitate, as a great composer, to sing melodies composed by others, singing for Abdel Wahab ("Mada Aقول؟"), for Tariq Abdul Hakim ("Aash Min Shafak," "Lak Arsh Wast Al-Ain," "Ind Al-Naqa Waylah," "Ana Wahdi," "Habibi Fi Rawabi Shahhar," "Habib Tani," "Mustaḥlifak Ya Zain," "Ya Litni Ma Hawaitak," "Fat Al-Awan," "Afdiik Ya Watani," and "Ha'il Ba'ad Hayyi"), for Ghazi Ali ("Salam Allah Ya Hajarina," "Jina Min Al-Taif," and "Asmar Halwa"), for Fawzi Mahsoon ("Ahd Al-Hawa," "Ya Lli Jamalak Ja'alni Baki Muta'alam," "Ya Hayati," "Min Fatin Bayni Wa Baynak," and "Kalam Al-Barah"), for Abdullah Muhammad ("Ya Sahbi," "Ya Zina Ya Um Al-Jadail," and "Suharat Al-Aseel"), for Siraj Omar ("Maqadir," "Ghurba Wa Layl," "La Taqul," "Al-Itr," and "Allah Yurd Khataak"), for Adnan Khugh (Bil-Ishara), for Abdul Rab Idris ("Ahragtini"), for Jamal Salama ("Ya Habib Al-Umr"), for Muhammad Al-Mouji ("Li Talab," and "Dayi' Fi Al-Mahabba"), for Baligh Hamdi ("Ya Qamarna"), for Ibrahim Ra'fat ("Ghalab Ya Hawa," and "Az Al-Ghurabi"), for Abubakr Salem ("Tha Li Hasal Min Ba'ad"), for Abadi Al-Johar ("Tawila Ya Duroob Al-Ashiqin," and "Ad'at Al-Ibah"), for Sami Ihsan ("Takfini Enta," and "Marrat"), and for Muhammad Shafiq ("Fater Al-Lahth").

Our artist's journey can be divided into four ten-year phases. The first phase (the late 1950s and the 1960s): In this phase, his star rose and he became famous after composing and singing "Wardak Ya Zaar Al-Ward," thus transitioning local music from a simple traditional style to a more complex style with multiple rhythms. He recorded it on the radio with encouragement and support from the then-director, Mr. Abbas Faiq Ghazawi. During this phase, he sang other national and romantic songs such as: "Qissat Dhafayirha," "Habbak Sabani W Jismi Nahl," "Min Fatin Bayni Wa Baynak," "Jatni Taqool," "Ghariba," and "A'tini Al-Mahabba," among others. He became acquainted with Lebanon and frequented it to sing and record his songs in its studios, presenting his only cinematic film there as mentioned earlier. He also got to know Cairo and its artistic delights, recorded his first collaboration with Abdel Wahab, and formed a lifelong friendship with the monologist and witty lyricist Lotfi Zaini, singing from the latter's lyrics and establishing with him in 1966 the record company "Riyadhfon," which closed its doors with the emergence of cassettes. He shared with him in 1973 the lead role in the television series "Al-Aseel," and appeared with him in 1965 in the first music video in the history of their country, which was for the song "Ayni Alayna," with lyrics by Zaini.

Return to the Spotlight

The second phase (the 1970s): This phase represents the true launch period for Talal towards stardom, characterized by the abundance of his production and collaboration with prince poets Badr bin Abdul Mohsen, Muhammad Abdullah Al-Faisal, and the talented composer Siraj Omar. During this time, he presented a number of his masterpieces such as "Zaman Al-Samt," "Maqadir," "Aghrab," "La Taqul," "Wa La Wa'ad," in addition to the song "Wa'ad," which French television repeatedly broadcast. This period was also marked by his electrifying performances on the stages of Cairo, amidst the presence of Egyptian art giants (Umm Kulthum, Abdel Wahab, Abdel Halim Hafez, and Farid Al-Atrash), and his composing of musical pieces, the most famous of which is the piece "Layali Al-Brazil," through which he demonstrated his high caliber in composition without a poetic text.

Beginning of Stardom

The third phase (the 1980s): The beginning of this phase was marked by his shift towards shorter songs after longer ones, presenting "Ahabak Kithr Khatawat Al-Thawani," "Zalzelini," and "Baskat." He then distanced himself from the local artistic scene for a few years due to his move to live in London and his travels between it and Morocco. However, he returned in 1985 to Taif, where his art first blossomed, to revive the opening ceremony of the Arab Football Cup in July of that year, enchanting the audience with a collection of his songs, including the Mawwal "Zarna Fi Al-Dhalam Yatlub Sitran," and songs "Al-Ishq," "Ma Ad Li Nafas," "Tasdiq Wa La Ahlef Lak," and "Zal Al-Tarab," for which he received, in appreciation of his participation, the Order of Merit of the second class from King Fahd bin Abdulaziz. In this phase as well, specifically in 1986, he released for the first time a musical album titled "Sidi Qum," which he continued in the 1990s.

Talal Maddah's Firsts

The fourth phase (the 1990s): In this phase, Talal reduced his participation in external musical concerts and focused on renewing his old songs, which he had previously presented before the intellectual property rights period, either through new and developed arrangements or by re-singing them on the oud in musical sessions. He also continued to release musical albums, including a special album for solo oud performances. Additionally, he returned to collaborate with Egyptian composers, working with Ibrahim Nashet on two works and the same with Tawfiq Farid. His chapter closed with his death while he was humming on the instrument that had accompanied him since childhood.

Anyone who reviews Talal Maddah's biography will be surprised to find that he was the first among his fellow artists in many fields. He was the first to enter the field of production and cinematic acting, the first to print musical records, the first to hold public musical concerts in his country, the first to develop local music in the style of couplets, the first to present national songs, the first whose songs were broadcast by radio stations in Cairo, Beirut, Damascus, London, Moscow, Germany, the Netherlands, and Prague, the first to receive the "Golden Record," the first to create a musical piece, the first to be registered in the French Society of Authors and Composers among his compatriots, the first artist to have a romantic song broadcast on Saudi radio, the first Gulf artist to have a song broadcast on French television, and the first to appear in a music video among his peers and compatriots.