Sabah Fakhri

Naghm Al Ams 1 (Melodies of Yesterday)

• Daa'i Al Hawa (Summoner of Desire)
• Mn L Sabben Fi Al Hawa (Who for a Lover Lost in Love)
• Ma Lia'yni Absarat (What Have My Eyes Seen?)
• Al Qalb Mal Ll Jamal (The Heart Inclined to Beauty)

• Al Qalb Mal Ll Jamal (The Heart Inclined to Beauty)
• Zuruni Koul Sana Marra (Visit Me Once a Year)
• Tel't Ya Mahla Nourha (She Emerged, Oh How Beautiful Her Light)
• Mawal Mn Youm Fourqak (From the Day We Parted)
• Tala'a Mn Bet Abuha (Emerging From Her Father's House)

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This recording is one of a series of cassettes that captures the 1970s radio program Melodies of Yesterday presented by Damascus Cinema Company, featuring world renown Syrian artist Sabah Fakhri. Each episode is interspersed with segments from the announcer containing information about the maqams (melodic modes) and the songs to be presented. Throughout this series, Fakhri dedicated one maqam to each episode, singing several Muwashahat, Adwar, and Mawaweel, as well as poems and Aleppo-style Qudud. Sabah Fakhri (1933-2021) is celebrated as one of the greatest singers in Arabic music of the 20th century. Born in Aleppo, Sabah studied there at the Academy of Arabic Music and later in Damascus, graduating in 1948. Fakhri was known for his powerful vocals, precise control of musical scales and harmony, and captivating stage presence. He famously presented traditional Arabic music forms such as Qudud and Muwashahat to the world on the stage, television and radio during a career that spanned more than 50 years. His popularity extended beyond Arabic-speaking countries to Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Australia, where he sang exclusively in Arabic. He even set a Guinness World Record for singing continuously for 10 hours in Caracas, Venezuela. Unlike many other Arab artists, he never relocated to Cairo – believing that his fame was tied to Syria's artistic heritage.