Riyad al-Sunbati was born in 1906 in Varskor and
afterwards he moved to Mansouria.
When Riyad was born, his father was very happy, because before him, his mother
gave birth to 8 girls, and he was the only ninth boy child. His father was
playing oud and he was also a singer. When he was in a tour he was taking him
along to various concerts, so he can teach him to sing. Later he sends him in
very good instructor, named Mouhamad Shaaban, so he can learn Oud. Riyad many
times run out of school, to where they playing oud so he can listen to them.
After he was started to playing oud, in various places, and by the time he
becomes widely knowed, they named him "the canary of Mansoura". At the year
1922 he met for the first time Oum Kaltsoum which she was going, along with
her father, to various concerts and public appearances. That meeting by chance,
was the beginning of a great collaboration. At that time, another important
meeting took place for him, when the famous Sagient Darouis, came to Masouria,
and listen to him singing one of his songs. In 1928 we wrote his first song
and later at that year he moved to al Kachira (capital of Egypt), where Riyad
started to teacher oud in a music school. Odeon, e record company, assigned
him the position of head in art director, where he was recording various songs
with oud. At 1935 he joined the Egypt Radio Station where he was first in
partiality of the audience. At 1936 we wrote one of the most famous and knowed
songs of oud Kaltsoum, which it was also written for the movie called "take me
to your city my love". Year 1940, was the most important period of his life
and career, because we wrote and compose many great and famous songs, where
many of them was for movies and for the radio. In the decades 1950, 1960, 1970
we wrote and composed songs for oum Kaltsoum. Riyad gave a new breath and in
the music of that period, like the combination along of the singer and chorus,
he place accordion in the chorus, the piano, the mandolin, and he also wrote
and composed songs according to European tempo, like the tango, rumba, bolero
and waltz.
Riyad passed away in 1981 leaving behind him a great work.
The educational ministry of Egypt write a book which analysis the technical
part of o Riyad ai-Sunbati songs
I thank the
educational ministry Egypt that to sent me the book.
