Khelifa Belkacem (1907 – November 4, 1951) was an Algerian singer.

Biography

Khelifa Belkacem was born in 1907 in

Koléa Koléa ( ar, القليعة) is a city in Tipaza Province, northern Algeria, located approximately southwest of Algiers. Its population in 2010 was 46,685. History Kolea was founded in 1550 by Hayreddin Barbarossa. In 1838, Christophe Léon Loui ...

. His family moved to Staouéli near Algiers in 1911. At the age of nine he becomes fatherless. In 1935 he moves to Algiers which then housed prestigious names of the

chaâbi Chaabi ( in Arabic), also known as Chaâbi, Sha-bii, or Sha'bii meaning "folk", refers to different music genres in North Africa and the Middle East such as Algerian chaabi, Moroccan chaabi and Egyptian Shaabi. Chaabi music just means 'music ...

''chanson'' like

El Hadj M'Hamed El Anka El Hadj M'Hamed El Anka ( ar, الحاج محمد العنقة}), (May 20, 1907 in Algiers – November 23, 1978 in Algiers) also known as Hadj Muhammed Al Anka, El-Hadj M'Hamed El Anka (and various other combinations), was considered a Grand Ma ...

. He had learned the music profession in the streets of Staouéli. He wanted to compete with the giants of the era: El Hadj Menouar, Hadj Bouchiba,

Hadj M'rizek Hadj M'rizek (1912 – February 12, 1955) was an Algerian songwriter, lyricist, composer, poet and painter. Biography Arezki Chaïeb was born in the Casbah of Algiers in 1912. He is interested in music through his half-brother, a promoter. ...

and succeeded by starting up a young band to enliven family celebrations around Algiers. To penetrate into the middle of chaâbi he left Staouéli to install at the Casbah where work did not lack but where the public was difficult. His orchestra was composed of Moh Saghir Laama on oud, Belkaïd Abdelghani on

alto violin The vertical viola, or alto violin, is a stringed instrument with the range of a viola that is played vertically in the manner of a cello. It is the fourth-highest member of the violin octet (after the treble, soprano, and mezzo violins). The st ...

, Mohamed Zerbout on

darbuka The goblet drum (also chalice drum, tarabuka, tarabaki, darbuka, darabuka, derbake, debuka, doumbek, dumbec, dumbeg, dumbelek, toumperleki, tumbak, or zerbaghali; arz, دربوكة / Romanized: ) is a single-head membranophone with a goblet- ...

, Hadj Omar on

tar Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black bit ...

and Kaddour Cherchali, Mouloud Bahri and Ali Bousbia on banjos. Evenings dates at the circle of Chartres' place, or coffee "Ismailia" square Lavigerie (now up Benbadis) in the 1940s, during the holy month of Ramadan, were famous. Persistent, passionate, rigorous. He had a melodious voice and his "Istikhbar" (musical improvisation, vocal prelude improvised at tempo rubato) was a treat. He faced the "bit siah wah" genre without complex and other more difficult pieces. His mastering the art of Chaabi influenced singers of fame like

Dahmane El Harrachi Dahmane El Harrachi (real name Abderrahmane Amrani), (July 7, 1926 – August 31, 1980), was an Algerian Chaâbi singer of Chaoui origin. His song Ya Rayah made him the best exported and most translated Chaabi artist. He moved to France in 1 ...

Hsissen Hsissen (December 8, 1929 – September 29, 1958) was an Algerian singer. Biography Hsissen was born at 15 rue Monthabor in the Casbah of Algiers to a modest family, originally from Maâtkas (Tizi Ouzou Province). From a very young age, he w ...

. He left a television recording of the song Saki Baki (filmed by the French cinema in the 1940s and adopted by many artists like

El Hachemi Guerouabi El-Hadj El Hachmi Guerouabi (Arabic: الهاشمي القروابي; January 6, 1938 in Boudouaou, Algeria – July 17, 2006 in Zeralda, Algeria) was an Algerian singer and composer of Chaâbi and one of the Grand Masters of the Algiers-based C ...

) that the

Algerian television Public Establishment of Television ( ar, المؤسّسة العمومية للتلفزيون, french: Établissement public de télévision ), abbreviated as EPTV, is a state-owned company that manages the activity of television in Algeria, go ...

transmits from time to time. Radio also broadcasts songs he interpreted like "Messaad dhek ennhar jani bachar" (by the poet Abdelouahab), "Daâni are menne lem Helti" (by the poet Benali) and "El bez ghebli."

Death

He died on November 4, 1951, by bullets after a brawl at the Casbah, near his home, rue Darfour, at 44 years old. He is buried in the cemetery of Sidi M'hamed alongside Kaddour Cherchali a virtuoso banjo player that was part of his orchestra.

Bibliography

References

External links

Video on wat.tv
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Belkacem, Khelifa 1907 births 1951 deaths Musicians from Algiers Algerian songwriters Algerian revolutionaries Respiratory disease deaths in Algeria 20th-century Algerian male singers