Farid al-Atrash

Farid al-Atrash was a Syrian-Egyptian composer, singer, virtuoso oud player, and cinema star recognized across the Arab world as the 'King of the Oud'. Born into the noble Druze al-Atrash family that led resistance against French colonial rule in Syria, his family fled to Cairo, where Farid and his legendary sister, the singer Asmahan, were educated in music.

Al-Atrash possessed an instantly recognizable, melancholy vocal timbre that captured the deep human emotion of shajan (sweet sorrow). He composed over 500 songs, starred in 31 musical feature films, and developed an astounding, lightning-fast oud technique that pushed the instrument to unprecedented solo virtuosity.