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Sayed Darwish

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Composer

The Resume

    (March 17, 1892-September 15, 1923)
    Born in Alexandria, Egypt
    Singer and composer
    Composed 26 operettas
    Wrote the music for the Egyptian national anthem 'Bialdy, Bilady, Bilady' ('My Country, My Country, My Country')
    Considered the father of Egyptian popular music

Why he might be annoying:

    Some of his songs were plagiarized from his mentor, Othman Al-Musoli.
    As a performer, he had poor stage presence.
    His sudden death was attributed to everything from a heart attack to a drug overdose to being poisoned.
    He was more famous after his death than in his lifetime.

Why he might not be annoying:

    After his father died, he worked as a bricklayer to support the family.
    He combined Western instruments and harmony with classical Arabian music and Egyptian folksongs.
    He was arrested several times for criticizing the British occupation of Egypt in his songs.
    His songs were frequently sung by the Arab Spring demonstrators who overthrew Hosni Mubarak.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 6 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 7 Votes: 28.57% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 7 Votes: 42.86% Annoying