Gamal Salama ( arz, جمال سلامة; 5 October 1945 – 7 May 2021) was an

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

ian

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

and melodist. He studied at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow in 1976 and returned to Egypt to write music for television.

Career

Salama was born in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

. In 1980, he composed music for

Sabah Sabah () is a state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indonesia to the south. The Federal Territory o ...

for the film ''Layla baka fiha al-qamar'', including his popular song Saat Saat collaborating with poet

Abdel Rahman el-Abnudi Abdel Rahman el-Abnudi ( ar , عبد الرحمن الأبنودي , translit=ʻAbd il-Raḥmān Abnūdī , translit-std=ALA, 11 April 1938 – 21 April 2015) was a popular Egyptian poet, and later a children's books writer. He was one of a gener ...

. He then composed the song ''Ehki ya

Scheherazade Scheherazade () is a major female character and the storyteller in the frame narrative of the Middle Eastern collection of tales known as the '' One Thousand and One Nights''. Name According to modern scholarship, the name ''Scheherazade'' de ...

'' for

Samira Said Samira Abdelrazak Bensaïd ( ar, سميرة عبد الرزاق بنسعيد, Samīra ʿAbd ar-Razzāq ibn Saʿīd; born 10 January 1958), professionally known as Samira Said ( ar, سميرة سعيد, Samīra Saʿīd), is a Moroccan singer, who ...

in 1981. Other artists he had composed for include singer

Majida El Roumi Majida El Roumi Baradhy ( ar, ماجدة الرومي برادعي; born 13 December 1956) is a Lebanese soprano singer and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador. Early life Majida El Roumi Al Baradhy was born on 13 December 1956 in Kfarshima ...

and for poet

Nizar Qabbani Nizar Tawfiq Qabbani ( ar, نزار توفيق قباني, , french: Nizar Kabbani; 21 March 1923 – 30 April 1998) was a Syrian diplomat, poet, writer and publisher. He is considered to be Syria's National Poet. His poetic style combines sim ...

. Since he was experienced in composing patriotic music, he also wrote the song ''Shabab al-'ahd'' for the Tunisian singer Sofia Sadeq. In the 1980s, he composed a great deal of music for Egyptian films and television series, including such favorites as the series; ''Al-Ansar'', and ''Al-hub was ashia' ukhra'' and the films, such as ''

I Want a Solution ''I Want a Solution'' ( ar, أريد حلاً, translit.Oridu hallan) is a 1975 Egyptian drama film directed by Said Marzouk and produced by Salah Zulfikar. The film was selected as the Egyptian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the ...

'' (1975), ''

Karnak The Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak (, which was originally derived from ar, خورنق ''Khurnaq'' "fortified village"), comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, pylons, chapels, and other buildings near Luxor, Egypt. Constr ...

'' (1975), '' The Guilty'' (1976), '' Mouths and Rabbits'' (1977), ''Habibi da'iman (1980),'' ''

I'm Not Lying But I'm Beautifying I'm Not Lying But I'm Beautifying, also known as The Made Up Truth (Egyptian Arabic: أنا لا أكذب ولكني أتجمل German: ''Die geschminkte wahrheit'' translit: ''Ana La Aktheb Wlakenani Atajaml''), is 1981 Egyptian film written by I ...

'' (1981), and ''The Black Tiger'' (1984)''.'' Active in the field of

Islamic music Islamic music may refer to religious music, as performed in Islamic public services or private devotions, or more generally to musical traditions of the Muslim world. The heartland of Islam is the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, W ...

as well, Salameh was noted for his unique style, which differed from traditional religious music in that it was less reliant on the daf. He worked with the religious singer Jasmin al-Khaim on the productions ''

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...

rasool Allah'' (Muhammad the Prophet of Allah) starring

Salah Zulfikar Salah El Din Ahmed Mourad Zulfikar ( ar, صلاح ذو الفقار; ; 18 January 1926 – 22 December 1993) was an Egyptian actor and film producer. He started his career as a police officer in the Egyptian National Police, before becoming an ac ...

and ''Sa'a walid al-hada'', among others.

Death

On 7 May 2021, he died in Al Haram Hospital, Giza, from complications related to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

References

1945 births 2021 deaths People from Alexandria Egyptian composers Egyptian musicians Egyptian songwriters Moscow Conservatory alumni Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Egypt {{Egypt-bio-stub