Sultana Daoud (also known as Reinette l'Oranaise; 1918 in

Tiaret Tiaret () or Tahert () is a major city in northwestern Algeria that gives its name to the wider farming region of Tiaret Province. Both the town and region lie south-west of the capital of Algiers in the western region of the Hautes Plaines, i ...

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

– 17 November 1998, in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

) was an Algerian Jewish singer, who helped preserve Arab-Andalus music, as well as introducing the genre to European audiences.

Early life

She was born in

, the daughter of a Moroccan Rabbi. Being blind as a result of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

when two years old, she studied at a school for the blind in

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

, until her mother encouraged her to take up music. She studied with Saoud l'Oranais, who gave her the nickname ''Reinette l'Oranaise'' ("Queenie from

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

"). From him she learned to play several instruments, and learned a great many traditional songs in the Arab-Andalus and

Raï Raï (, ; , , ), sometimes written rai, is a form of Algerian folk music that dates back to the 1920s. Singers of Raï are called () or (), i.e. 'young', as opposed to (, 'shaykh'), i.e. 'old', the name given to Chaabi singers. The tradi ...

styles. They moved to

in 1938, but at his suggestion she soon returned to Algeria. There she joined the orchestra of Meriem Fekkaï, until Algerian independence ended her career - she had been opposed to independence. Unable to find work in her home country, she returned to France, playing in restaurants and private parties for the

Maghrebi Jewish :''See Mizrahi Jews for more information about the Eastern Jews.'' Maghrebi Jews ( or , ''Maghrebim''), are a Jewish diaspora group with a long history in the Maghreb region of North Africa, which includes present-day Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, ...

community in Paris. In the 1980s the increased interest in "

World Music "World music" is an English phrase for styles of music from non-English speaking countries, including quasi-traditional, Cross-cultural communication, intercultural, and traditional music. World music's broad nature and elasticity as a musical ...

" brought her to the media's attention, and she was once again able to perform to large audiences. She sang in Arabic and ladino and was a highly respected chaabi performer, performing with even Cheik

El Hadj M'Hamed El Anka El Hadj M'Hamed El Anka (), (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 Master of Andalusian classical music and ...

, who made over 130 lps. She was very loved by Oran's Muslim population and left a rich chaabi legacy.

Discography

* ''Jewish Arab Song Treasures'' (2006) (AKA ''Trésors de la Chanson Judéo-Arabe'') * ''Mémoires'' (2001) * ''I wish I was Egyptian '' (2000) Her recording of the song "Qum Tara" was used in the film ''A la Place du Coeur'' (1998).Reinette L'Oranaise
/ref>

Documentaries

*
Reinette L'Oranaise, le port des amours
' (1991) by Jacqueline Gozland

References

External links

Obituary in ''The Independent'' (London)
1918 births 1998 deaths 20th-century Algerian singers 20th-century Algerian women singers Blind musicians Jewish singers People from Tiaret Algerian Jews Emigrants from French Algeria to France Judaeo-Spanish-language singers Algerian people with disabilities {{Arabic-music-stub