Raymond Leyris better known as Cheikh Raymond, (born 27 July 1912 in Batna; assassinated in

Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I *Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine given name ...

French Algeria French Algeria (french: Alger to 1839, then afterwards; unofficially , ar, الجزائر المستعمرة), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of French colonisation of Algeria. French rule in the region began in 1830 with the ...

on 22 June 1961) was a renowned

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Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

ish musician. He specialized in Andalusian music of Eastern Algeria (known as ''malouf'') and was an expert virtuoso player (a "grand master") of

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(the Andalusian lute) and singer with an exceptional vocal range and widely respected by both

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

and

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

s and given the title of

Cheikh Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...

(elder) as Cheikh Raymond with the accompanying fame and respect.

Life

Cheikh Raymond's father was a Chawi Jew from Batna, and his mother a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

citizen. He was abandoned by his mother during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

after his father was killed. He was adopted by a very poor Jewish Algerian family from Constantine. He studied the musical style of Arab-Andalusia or "Malouf" music"Cheikh Raymond (1912-1961)." Cheikh Raymond (1912-1961) - Institut Européen Des Musiques Juives. Accessed April 11, 2018. https://www.cfmj.fr/fr/contenuen-ligne/biographies/cheikh-raymond-1912-1961.html. under the guidance of the greats of Algerian music like Cheikh Chakleb and Cheikh Abdelkrim Bestandji and launched a famous musical career establishing his own "Cheikh Raymond orchestra" and between 1956 and 1961 releasing more than thirty albums in addition to some singles. Members of his orchestra included: *Sylvain Ghrenassia (an expert violinist) *Nathan Bentari *Haim Benbala *Larbi Benamri *Gaston Ghrenassia (later the renowned international singer

Enrico Macias Gaston Ghrenassia (born 11 December 1938), known by his stage name Enrico Macias, is an Algerian-French singer, songwriter and musician of Algerian Jewish descent. Early years Gaston Ghrenassia was born to a Sephardic Algerian Jewish family i ...

). The young Gaston joined the orchestra at the age of 15 encouraged by his father Sylvain. Gaston was soon dubbed "le petit Enrico" by the band, with Gaston eventually adopting it as his stage name during his musical career in France. Gaston soon married Cheikh Raymond's own daughter Suzy. Cheikh Raymond was assassinated on 22 June 1961 by a bullet in the neck, by FLN Algerian nationalists, while he was shopping in Constantine's Souk El Asser (place Négrier) during the

Algerian War of Independence The Algerian War, also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence,( ar, الثورة الجزائرية '; '' ber, Tagrawla Tadzayrit''; french: Guerre d'Algérie or ') and sometimes in Algeria as the War of 1 November ...

. Some believe that his death had an impact on the decision for a great number of the Jewish Algerians (including Gaston and Suzy) to emigrate to France on the eve of

Algerian independence An independence referendum was held in French Algeria on 1 July 1962. It followed French approval of the Évian Accords in an April referendum. Voters were asked whether Algeria should become an independent state, co-operating with France; 99.72 ...

Legacy

Cheikh Raymond is still remembered today as an emblem of Malouf music and a martyr for the Jewish people originating from Algeria.

External links

Biography of Cheikh Raymond Leyris (Hall of Fame of Songs)Archive of a concert by the Cheikh Raymond Orchestra

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raymond, Cheikh 1912 births 1961 deaths Algerian Jews Algerian musicians People from Constantine, Algeria