On the anniversary of the blackbird’s passing…a glorious journey from the mountain to the world
The anniversary of the passing of one of the greatest icons of Arab art, the Lebanese artist Sabah, nicknamed “Al-Shahroura.” “Al-Sabouha”, which left a great artistic legacy after a career exceeding 6 decades in singing and acting, was a symbol of beauty, creativity and artistic presence that brought together Lebanon, Egypt and the Arab world.
Janet Jurji Feghali was born on November 10, 1927 in the town of Badadoun near the Wadi Shahrour area near Beirut. She was the third daughter of her family after her two sisters, Juliet and Lamia, and her brother. The youngest, Antoun, and her uncle, the Zajali poet Asaad Feghali, “The Blackbird of the Valley.”
The killing of her older sister, Juliette, by a gunshot when she was ten years old, was a major shock in her life, and was the reason for the family’s move to Beirut, where she joined the public school and then the Jesuit school, and began participating in school parties since the age of 12.
It witnessed her move from Her village to Beirut marked a major change in her life. She began to attract attention with her activity, vitality, and love of singing, and in the play “Princess Hind,” in which she participated when she was 14, the supervising nun suggested that she drink 5 eggs a day to improve her voice. The late actor Issa Al-Nahhas also encouraged her and helped her provide clothes for the role.
Despite her father’s objection to her standing on the stage, he later agreed because the activity was under the supervision of the nuns, and Caesar attended the play. Younes, the son-in-law of the Lebanese producer Asiya Dagher, advised her father to allow her to enter the field of cinema, and that was the beginning of the road to Egypt.
She accompanied her father to Cairo, and in one of the cafes on Fouad the First Street, her artistic name was born, “Sabah,” given to her by the poet Saleh Jawdat, because her face was as bright as the morning light, and it was said that Assia published a picture of Janet in the Egyptian “Sabah” magazine. She asked readers to choose an artistic name for the new cinematic face, and the consensus was “Sabah.”
Asia brought major composers to listen to her and express their opinion about her voice. They confirmed that her voice was not yet complete, but director Henry Barakat found her suitable for cinematic acting due to her lightness, and in 1943 she appeared in her first film, “The Heart Has Judgements.” With Anwar Wagdy, she sang melodies by Riyad Al-Sunbati and Zakaria Ahmed, and she received 150 pounds, and her wages gradually increased after that.
As she matured artistically, Al-Shahrura turned into a real singer, and her voice was distinguished by its ability to perform mountain mawwals extending over 14 sound maqams, and she contributed to introducing the Lebanese song to Egypt, and she later mastered the Egyptian dialect. She collaborated with major composers such as Riad Al-Sunbati, Farid Al-Atrash, Muhammad Abdel-Wahab, Muhammad Al-Muji, and Baligh Hamdi.
Sabah turned into one of the most prominent movie stars in Egypt and Lebanon, and presented about 85 films alongside major actors, including Rushdi Abaza, Ahmed Mazhar, Muhammad Fawzi, and Farid Al-Atrash, and among her most famous works: “The Enemy of Women.” 1946, "Miss Mama" 1950, "My beloved ones wronged me" 1953, “How can I forget you?” 1956, "Love Street" 1958, "The Green Threshold" 1959, "Warm Nights" 1961, "Crowd Seductress" 1964, "The Millionaire" 1966, "Talks about Love" 1973, “The Night the Moon Wept” 1980, and “Days of Lulu” In 1986.
She also performed 27 plays and more than 3,500 songs, and her resonance reached the borders of the Arab world, as she sang on international stages such as Carnegie Hall – New York, Royal Albert Hall – London, Sydney Opera House – Australia.
On the personal level, Sabah was married several times, and sources indicate that she was associated with nine marriages, the most prominent of which are: Najib Shammas (the father of her son, Dr. Sabah Shammas), the violinist Anwar Mansi (the father of her daughter Howaida Mansi), Rushdi Abaza, and the broadcaster Ahmed Farrag, and despite her artistic success, her personal life witnessed great challenges in her last years.
“Al-Sabouha” passed away. About our world on November 26, 2014, at the age of 87, in a hotel in Beirut. According to accounts close to her, she recommended that her farewell be a celebration, not a mourning, and her funeral was held in St. George’s Cathedral in central Beirut in the presence of artists, public figures, and her fans.
Her departure was described as the loss of part of the time of fine art, as she was a symbol of the golden era between the forties and And the sixties, and an artistic value that embodied the passion and determination of a child coming from a small Lebanese village to an Arab and international star, and her passing was not merely the absence of a great artist, but rather the end of an entire chapter in the history of Arab art, as her works remained a witness to a voice and presence that cannot be repeated, and whenever her voice returned to the ether, a time of creativity, sophistication, and beauty that never fades returned with it.
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